The wedding music. It’s a tough job putting together the perfect selection of songs for your day. From the music that will be part of your ceremony to that final song that’s played at the end of the night, putting together the ultimate wedding music playlist can seem daunting. Whether it’s because you have a rather unique taste in music or you’re simply overwhelmed by the huge amount of choice when it comes to songs for weddings, you can sometimes get so stressed that you’d rather spend the day looking at the dreaded seating plan instead. But fear not, getting plenty of great wedding music ideas together doesn’t have to be stressful. Just follow these simple steps and you’ll have the perfect wedding music playlist before you know it!
1. Discuss it with Your Fiancé
It sounds obvious, but it’s especially important if you both have different music tastes! Take the time to sit down with your other half and discuss your music choices for the entire day. If there are any particular songs you’re desperate to include, make sure you bring this up and explain why it’s important to you. Ensure that you’re both happy with the songs you want to include and be willing to compromise! After all, that’s what marriage is about!
2. Feel Free to Break Tradition
Don’t feel as though you HAVE to walk down the aisle to Here Comes the Bride – if it’s not your thing, it’s not your thing, and that’s perfectly okay.
There are so many contemporary songs for weddings out there that more brides are opting for, so don’t feel as though you have to stick to the traditional ceremony music. Likewise, if you and your partner don’t fancy a slow, romantic ballad for your first dance, don’t feel as though you have to choose something under that genre. If ‘your song’ doesn’t fall under that category, don’t feel as though you have to choose something that does. If the song you want means a lot to you and your other half, that’s all that matters.
3. Make it Appropriate for Your Day
Be aware of the type of ceremony you’re having. If you’re having a religious ceremony, for example, you may have more restrictions in terms of what is appropriate. Likewise, if you’re having a civil ceremony, you’ll need to choose songs that don’t have any religious references – and they can be quite strict! Even songs that have references to heaven or angels may be on that list, so make sure you discuss it with your venue or the person performing the ceremony.
4. Don’t Forget Your Exit Music
In addition to your ceremony music, your exit music is still an important part of the day. It’s the song that will be played as you exit the room as a married couple, so make it memorable! Perhaps there was another song that was in the shortlist for your entrance music but didn’t quite make the cut? If you think it fits in well, add it in! Generally, your exit music can also be something slightly more upbeat, after all, after the ceremony is when the party starts!
5. Look at the Lyrics
This ties in a little with making sure your wedding music playlist are appropriate for the day. When putting together your evening playlist especially, be mindful of some of the songs you include. For example, if there are a fair few children coming to your wedding, make sure you opt for the ‘radio edit’ of any songs that contain bad language or explicit lyrics. Luckily, most DJs will be prepared for this, but it’s something to be aware of if you’re putting together your own playlist. Be mindful of older relatives too. If your Grandma is easily offended, including
I Touch Myself by The Divinyls
or Get Low by Lil John
and The East Side Boyz may not be the best idea!
6. Ask for Requests
Allowing your guests to have some input into your wedding music playlist is a great way to ensure that the dancefloor is packed all evening. There’s a number of ways you can do this, from just a quick Facebook post to adding request cards in with your invitations. If you have a wedding website, this is a great place to include it too. You could even put request cards out on the tables at your reception for them to hand over to your DJ. Of course, don’t feel as though you have to honor every single request – if you don’t think a song fits in, or you simply don’t like it, don’t include it!
7. Discuss with Your DJ
Most good DJs will be wanting to have a chat with you about your preferences, so make sure you take them up on this offer. It’s a great idea if you’re struggling to come up with songs to include in your playlist, as they’ll be well equipped with a whole list of wedding music ideas. Remember, they’ll be experts in knowing what songs work well, what will get people up dancing, and more importantly, what’ll empty the dancefloor. It’s also your opportunity to give them a list of songs that you’d like played, or any requests from your guests. If you’re particularly picky, you can even give them a “No Play” list to make sure that there’s nothing but top tunes played all night.
Amy Jackson is a content writer for Discount Promo Codes. As well as writing for a number of different money-saving sites, she has a special interest in writing about weddings, lifestyle tips, and wellbeing.