The music played during your wedding reception will set the tone for the event. The right music will keep guests happy and make the time fly by. The wrong music can spoil the moment and cause added stress to a moment that should be all about rejoicing.
Typically, all the focus is on the music for the first dance. While that song will be part of one of the most memorable moments at the reception, you will need to select music for other times during the reception. For most of these moments, we have created special pages to help guide you. These moments include:
Before you start to panic, realize that the DJ will select most of the music. Besides the occassions listed above (and a few we'll mention in a minute) you'll only want to select about five or ten memorable songs.
In regards to how the other songs that will be played, your DJ probably has a way of dealing with requests, so you should check to see how they want to handle it. One way is to ask your DJ to go around the guest tables and ask the guests if they have any requests that they would like to hear during dinner or during the dance portion of your reception. You could also include special card on each table or have guests return song requests with their RSVPs.
While most of your focus will be on what songs you want to hear, you should take a moment to consider if there are any songs that you don't want to hear. These might be songs that were played at a funeral for a loved one, a song that was special to you and your ex, or a song that includes obsenities. The last thing that you want to do is to place the focus of a moment somewhere that it doesn't belong.
Plan on being on your feet through most of the wedding reception--either dancing or socializing with guests. The last thing you want to do is to wear the wrong shoes. Slip off your formal shoes into something that is more comfortable and ensure that you don't spend your honeymoon taking care of your blisters. (Although that would be one way to guarantee that you spend your honeymoon off your feet . . . )
Have the DJ invite married couples to the dance floor for a special dance. As the song plays, the DJ slowly asks all the couple who have been married five years or less to sit down, then ten years, etc. until only one couple is left dancing. This couple is then applauded. They might also be given a special gift or asked to share some advice with the newlyweds. Either way it is a chance to honor the other married couples at the reception.
When selecting music for this moment, ask your parents and grandparents (and future in-laws) what their song is or what song they danced to at their reception. If it is not included here, you might choose to include these songs at other parts of the reception or simply request that DJ play them at some point.
If kids will be coming to the reception, make sure you include them in your reception plans. Have the DJ play one or two songs that you know they will enjoy. You can find some ideas listed on our page of Kids Party Songs. You might also consider having an area off to the side with coloring books, games, and even a video game player for kids to enjoy. If you decide to have an area in another room, hire a babysitter to supervise that area.
We have quite a few pages of songs listed for you to browse broken down by either event or theme. If, however, you've looked through these lists and still have not found the right song, check out our pages of Party Songs and Love Songs.
For more wedding reception songs go to:
For songs to use during your wedding ceremony, go to the Main Wedding Ceremony Songs Page or:
