Your wedding playlist is the soundtrack to your big day. It kicks in when you have your first dance, then it explodes into action for the rest of the night. A wedding reception without some absolutely banging songs is an immediate dud. You need tunes that get people out of their seats and onto the dancefloor – it’s the ultimate tonic for social awkwardness. Friends and family from both sides of the room will suddenly mix with one another, and everyone will have a fun time.
But here comes the million-pound question: how do you create the perfect wedding playlist?
First of all, there’s no such thing as the perfect wedding playlist. You can’t go onto Spotify and assume that you’ll find a mix that works for your big day. It’s people and crowd-dependent, so here’s a quick guide to dealing with this aspect of your wedding with minimal stress.
Start With Your Must-Haves
Other people obviously matter at your wedding, but this playlist needs to begin with a couple of your must-have tunes. You’re talking about the first dance song for sure – plus maybe another song right after that to initiate some other dances with parents, etc.
It’s the part of the playlist you’ve got the most say on, so make sure you include a few songs that mean the most to you. Maybe you and your partner have always dreamed of dancing to a handful of special songs at your wedding; make time for that before launching into the rest of the playlist.
Lean Into The Crowd Pleasers
Certain songs appeal to just about every crowd, regardless of how old they are or their individual music tastes. After your first few dance songs, the playlist needs to draw more people to the dancefloor as quickly as possible. There’s not a lot more embarrassing than an empty dancefloor at your wedding.
With that in mind, lean into the guaranteed crowd pleasers.
Think about those iconic songs that everyone knows the lyrics to and will get up and dance. You’re mainly going very mainstream here – but think about mixing eras so there’s still something for everyone. At the very beginning of your playlist, it might be worth starting with some more high-tempo stuff before slipping in the iconic ballads towards the end of the night. If your playlist doesn’t include at least one classic anthem from Queen, then you’re doing something wrong.
Bring In A Wedding DJ To Control The Flow
You’ve already got a selection of tunes on your mind, but there’s one thing most people neglect when it comes to wedding playlists: the flow.
You need to mix the playlist so the right songs fall in the correct order. You can’t have one upbeat dance track followed by a slow love ballad. It confuses the guests, and people end up sitting back down because the playlist is too boring. There must be a consistent flow that ramps up at the start, hits a peak, and then winds down towards the end of the evening.
That’s why most couples hire a professional wedding DJ to handle the playlist. The benefit of this is two-fold:
- They know how to mix songs and make a playlist flow for your wedding
- You can ask them for any song recommendations
As someone who plays at a lot of weddings, they’ll know better than most which songs work and don’t work. Still, don’t rely on them for everything – it’s your wedding, after all, and they might not know your crowd better than you do. There needs to be a collaboration here where you submit some song ideas or pinpoint a few must-have genres, and they present a few playlists to try.
Refine Your Playlist Before The Big Day
The worst wedding playlist is one that hasn’t been tested. Of course, you can’t run loads of dummy wedding receptions in the lead-up to your marriage. What you can do is listen to the songs in the car, when you’re cooking dinner, and so on. Liaise with your DJ and get them to send over some initial mixes for you to listen to. It’s then a case of determining which songs belong on the final playlist – and if any are missing.
Here’s the thing: nobody will craft the perfect wedding playlist on their first attempt.
It’s all about refining your tastes and imagining what it’s like on the dancefloor. The crucial thing here is that you don’t overplay certain songs to the point that you’re sick of them. Test the playlist now and then, but don’t make it the soundtrack to your life.
Always Have A Showstopping Final Song
Do you want to know the most ironic thing about a wedding playlist? Most of your guests won’t even remember half of the songs. Hell, they’ll barely remember 90% of the tunes you played. The majority of people will remember your first song and the last because they signify the most important parts of the celebrations.
The first dance song is the most intimate moment that leaves people dabbing the tears from their eyes. The last dance song is the final thing people remember from your wedding – so make it an absolute showstopper that creates an iconic moment.
This will be the ultimate crowd-pleasing tune that has everyone singing and dancing together. You don’t want anyone left in their seats – not even Nana with her dodgy hip and walking stick. Your final wedding playlist song should raise everyone’s spirits and create the perfect send-off for the happy couple. If your guests are stumbling out of the venue singing along to the last song, then you know you’ve chosen an absolute banger.
At the end of the day, wedding playlists are difficult because you’ve got to find the balance of music that means a lot to you yet pleases everyone else. It can be hard to cater to so many music tastes, but the ideas in this guide will help you craft a playlist that lives on forever and ensures everyone has a fantastic time.
LL x
*This is a contributed post. As ever, all opinions are my own.
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