What should I know about music for the ceremony?

Wedding Ceremony Music – The Basics

Music for your wedding ceremony is important. This part of the day is the serious time set aside where the bride and groom express their feelings for one another and exchange their vows. That means, all in all,  the ceremony is the time set aside for the mushy stuff. Therefore, you probably want to think about slower classical wedding music, new age, or very slow classic rock or pop ballads.

No matter how you look at, there are a few stages to a wedding ceremony, before the bride and groom say I do:

PRELUDE - There should be about four or five songs played as a prelude when the guests are seated. This sets the atmosphere for the guests. If you have no music playing, it feels more like a funeral than a wedding! The music selections should be light and elegant.  A different song is often selected when the mothers of the bride and groom are seated.

PROCESSIONAL - The groomsmen and the groom usualy move to the front from the side. They do not walk down the aisle, This signifies that the ceremony is about to formally begin. There are two songs during the processional: one song is chosen for when the bridesmaids enter, and the other song is to be the most dramatic choice, selected for play when the bride walks down the aisle.

RECESSIONAL - One last song is played after the kiss for the bride and groom  to walk back up the aisle to. Think happy!  The music played in the recessional, should symbolize the happiness of the couple’s new life together.

If you are like many, you probably want the traditional classic wedding music, but have NO CLUE what the songs are called. Here is my playlist when I am told to play the traditional favorites:

1) PRELUDE: Spring, Canon in D,  Four Seasons Winter, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,
2) PROCESSIONAL - Air of The G String
3) BRIDAL MARCH - Traditional Bridal March Song “Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin” Richard Wagner (also known as “Here Comes the Bride.“)
4) RECESSIONAL - The main one is Mendelssohn— “ Wedding March” from Midsummer Night’s Dream (Traditional Recessional), some also select Beethoven’s “Ode To Joy” from Symphony No. 9: Movement 4.

EXTRA SELECTIONS - There can be additional specialized songs selecte at different points in the ceremony, depending on the actual ceremony itself. Sometimes a special song can be played during or after the exchanging the rings and vows, and the lighting a unity candle.

RESTRICTIONS - Some churches have rules about wedding songs used during your ceremony so be sure to ask your clergy person or officiant! Remember, if you are non-traditional, you might get a kick out of white wedding, but your reverend may very well not be a Billy Idol fan.

There is a growing trend to get away from the traditional classic music. However, it is recommended that you shy away from anything upbeat. Adding too much craziness to the ceremony is not recommended, because it takes away from the seriousness of the union at hand. For your wedding ceremony, your music selections should all probably still be softer and with a slower tempo. However, that doesn’t mean you have do the same thing everyone does.

You can totally customize the song selection to fit your taste.  There is plenty of good music out there that may be better suited for you than classical music.   One of the most moving bridal marches I have seen was set to Enya’s “Only Time.”  However, the most memorable one was last summer, when I had a bride who walked down the aisle to Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” so go figure.

Colbie Caillat - Photo by Martijn vdS

While Colbie Caillat retains her signature sound that fans have come to love on like “Bubbly” and “Falling For You,” there is one refreshing difference on this great new wedding “first dance” option.

“I Do” has that tinny acoustic guitar/ukelele sound which, in a resurgence,  is becoming popular of late in many tracks. For “I Do” this trendy instrument-choice coffee house-like sound  works perfectly and adds an additional layer of fun to a great track. This simple light sound has brought about recent success for songs like Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours,” and their duet “Lucky“, as well as the Bruno Mars hit ”Lazy Song,” “Hey Soul Sister” by Train, and Travie McCoy’s collaboration with Bruno Mars on the hit track “Billionaire.”

Enjoy!

Photo by Martijn vdS

Completing a Wedding DJ Worksheet is a must-have for success.

Though there are many disc jockey and photographer planning forms out theere on the internet, most wedding professionals provide their own custom document to help you prepared for wedding day activities and at the same time, get organized for themselves. Using a wedding professional’s own worksheet will help you better understand how they see a traditional wedding (and many non-traditional ones) will unfold. It also helps you communicate to the DJ what they need to know in a simple recognizable format, collecting everything onto a few familiar pages for the vendor.

Albany, NY Wedding DJ Kenny Casanova’s worksheet helps you get prepared for your wedding day activities. Our wedding DJ worksheet, as well as a photographer worksheet, will help you make sure that you do not forget anything on the hectic, special day when you get married. There are FOUR aspects that you will want to keep in mind when filling out your worksheet:

1) THE TONE OF YOUR RECEPTION – Some people want classy and elegant. Others are hoping to have an all out party celebration. Some people want somewhere in between. Checking off on the sheet and key songs/activities, plus the overall tone you are looking for will help us to better understand what you are looking for.

2) MUSIC PLAYLIST – Anything goes as far as options are concerned, so getting some ideas out onto paper will help customize the feel you are looking for. It is your special day so you decide how you want to plan the music for it. You can either create an involved hands-on playlist, or leave it up to us. While you do not need to write every song down that you would like to hear, writing down 10-20 might give the DJ a better idea of what you are looking for.

3) DO NOT PLAY LIST – Make sure to write down the songs you absolutely do not wish to hear, so that there are no surprizes. We hate playing The Chicken Dance, for example, and would not play it, unless you asked. However, some DJ’s love it! If you didn’t put this song down on your plan sheet as a “DO NOT PLAY,” you may end up thinking your DJ clucked everything up, watching grandma flapping her wings. You can control this!

4) ACTIVITY OPTIONS – There are so many activities that you can engage in. Our worksheet has many of them listed and you can simply crodd off or circle the ones you like.

If you would like to check out our latest worksheet draft, email me a request at ken@theDJservice.com and we will send it right over!

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Runner Runner's "I can't Hardly Wait"

With so many old first dance songs out there, it is easy to grab up one people have heard before and seen used at a wedding somewhere. Therefore, if you really want to stand out, you really should consider it important to choose a first dance song that is both important and different.

I’m don’t know you’ve heard this one yet, but there’s a super new track option out there that you may want to look at. As a Wedding song option, and an alternative ceremony song, some people are starting to look at this new tune that is climbing the charts.

Runner Runner‘s new song, “I Can’t Hardly Wait,” is about a groom who is anxious to finally get married to his bride. The lead singer, Ryan Ogren, has explained in interviews and on stage before performing this song live that he wrote this song for his own fiancé, and their wedding.

Runner Runner, a punk band from California, is finding great success from this ballad, an unusually different sound for their norm. The band’s name originated from their love of poker. The card term ‘runner runner’ means to beat the odds and pull a winning hand in the very last possible moment.

My wife and I took a gamble and chose to wait and see what was out there before we selected this unfamiliar song for our first dance. We picked it only a week after it hit the charts. From the reaction, it looks like by holding out until the last possible minute, we too picked a winner.

Here are the lyrics for “I Can’t Wait” Lyrics, by Ryan Ogren

The way you curse while we are in traffic, A million flavors of your chapstick,
The way you keep my heart captive… The Journey concert in A.Z., Do you remember we sang faithfully?
I’ve still got that old hotel room key… This is the way I feel.

Cause I can’t wait for you, to be my wife, To live this life, together.
And I won’t let you go, I need you to know, that you are my heart, forever.

And on, and on, and on…

The way you like to sing my songs,
you always know when something’s wrong.
The way you say you miss me when I’m gone.
The things you do that show you care,
you are always down for truth or dare.
Freeze this moment, let me stop and stare.

Nothing before was real. This is the way I feel

And I can’t wait for you, to be my wife, to live this life together.
And I won’t let you go, I need you to know, that you are my heart, forever.

And on and on and on… And we’ll go on and on and on

For better or for worse, no matter how it hurts
You’ve got me to hold you hand.
I promise you the world, in your wedding dress
We’ll dance till no one’s left.

Don’t wanna blink my eyes. I Don’t wanna miss a thing

I can’t wait for you, to be my wife.
To live this life together.
And I won’t let you go, and I need you to know
That you are my heart, forever.

And on and on and on… And we’ll go on and on and on.

Young Man, There's a Place You Can Go...

Have you been to a wedding lately? Was it good or bad? If you answered “good,” there is a good chance that the DJ had a good part of helping you come to this answer. Audience interaction is the key to success.

It is funny how a lot of weddings have so many similarities, but can still be good or bad. There are many traditional activities that happen at most all receptions. The first dance, the bouquet toss, father & bride dance, mother & groom dance, toasts and the cake cutting… we have seen these all time and time again. But these activities alone do not make the wedding reception a night to remember. If you really want people to have fun, your guests need the option to interact.

Dancing Activities are important. Some will argue that group dances are hokey and there are a number of them that really, really are. One example is the dreaded “Chicken Dance”. I personally, hate that song! However, there are some that are very modern and can do wonders for getting people out of their seats.

Even if you as the bride and groom absolutely hate dance activities, these are great ice breakers. If you can sacrifice a couple of songs to the majority of your group and and moving, it may be worth it in the big picture. If you get the people up and dancing with The Cha Cha or Electric slide, they may very well stay up there for the rest of the night.

There are many activities you have at your disposal as options. Others include The Cupid Shuffle, The Apache, The Mississippi Mudslide, The Conga, Souljaboy and The YMCA. Also, there are dollar dances, the freeze dance, The Limbo, the twist, and anniversary dances – where the DJ calls out numbers of years married to leave the dance floor, until the couple that had been together the longest remains.

Albany Wedding DJ Disc jockey - DJ Kenny Casanova - Cut Wedding Cake. When?

So… Umm… When do we cut the wedding cake?

The activity of celebrating the wedding cake has been an important part of the wedding reception since the days of Ancient Rome. During that time period, things were a little different. There was no stacking and there was no crazy decorating. There was, however, a simple wheat cake crumbled over the bride’s head and into her hair. Sound odd? There was a reason. Wheat at this time to this culture was a symbol that represented bounty, so this messy tradition was carried out to ensure her fertility.

Today, many things have changed at the wedding reception. While we may seem more civilized to pour crumbs over the head of the new bride, we do carry on a twist to the old cake tradition. Instead, now the bride and groom hold a knife together and cut the cake together. In some cases, the groom lovingly smashes the cake in the glowing bride’s face; Not a far cry from the old tradition after all. This new tradition continues with the top of the layered cake is now saved for the bride and groom to eat, one year later on their first anniversary.

The first wedding I ever DJ’ed at where there was no cake cutting happened last week. Do you have to cut the cake? Technically no. However, cutting the cake gives your guests and your photographer a great photo opportunity and lets them all celebrate your marriage with you, and your creativity of cake choice.

I have heard that there seems to be a constant battle, of late, between the DJ and/or wedding planners and the wedding hall/ caterers on when the best time it is to cut the cake at your wedding reception. Well, what is the answer?

Traditionally, the cake should be cut towards the end of the evening. Think about it. After eating a big meal, dessert isn’t always right on the guests’ minds, but could be after an hour or two of dancing. Some also choose to do the cutting right after the dinner so that everyone can dance the night away without any interruptions, but again, the cake often isn’t eaten then, if at all, until later.

One thing to keep in mind… If you do notice that during your reception, the hall is seeming to nag you for the cake to be cut and eaten right away, they probably have a hidden agenda. Sometimes they truly just want to get it out of the way. Other times, however, having the cake cutting activity done early is often a cost-cutting factor for the hall; the hall can send home their extra staff when the serving is done and then save extra money on payroll!

Whatever you chose to do, do what feels right for you! Here are some song ideas to play while the cake is being cut:

Destiny – Jim Brickman
Can You Feel The Love Tonight? – Elton John
Recipe For Making Love – Harry Connick, Jr.
I Got You Babe – Sonny and Cher
This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole
Thank You – Led Zeppelin
The Sweetest Thing – U2
Sugar, Sugar – The Archies
Wedding Song – Bob Dylan
Unbroken – Tim McGraw
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – James Taylor
It’s Your Love – Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
Ain’t That A Kick In The Head – Dean Martin
Chapel Of Love – Dixie Cups
Love You Madly – Cake
Because You Loved Me – Celine Dion
When I’m Sixty-Four – The Beatles
Love And Marriage – Frank Sinatra
That’s Amore – Dean Martin
Grow Old With You – Adam Sandler
Eat it – Weird Al Yankovic
After All Is Said And Done – Beyoncé Knowles & Marc Nelson
1, 2, 3, 4 – Plain White T’s
‘Cause I love You – Lenny Williams
Whatever It is – Zac Brown Band
One Love – Bob Marley
Here and Now – Luther Vandross
I Do (Cherish You) – 98 Degrees
Cut The Cake – Average White Band
All My Life – K-Ci & JoJo
Yummy Yummy Yummy – Ohio Express
Sweet Emotion – Aerosmith
Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard
I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) – Four Tops

'Get Your lounge on' at your wedding reception cocktail hour.

One way to lighten the mood before dinner at your wedding is to have some nice music that encourages cocktail consumption. Who better to set this atmosphere than “Mister Martini” Dean Martin or good ‘ole Frank Sinatra?

If you are planning a classic “Loungy” cocktail hour for the period of time before the dinner is to be served at your wedding reception, the possibilities are endless.

Try serving martinis with poker chips and and playing cards tossed around on the tables as decor. Sunglasses will also give tuxedo wearing guests that extra added “Rat Pack” feel. But what ever you do, you have to set the atmosphere with music.

To really have that “loungy” feel, you need a great mix of Jazz , Ballroom dance, 40′s / 50′s Swing, Big band, and Blues, along with some more modern light rock, Broadway, Motown, and Pop.

Here is a great list of songs to pull ideas from and create your own playlist:

All The Things You Are – Sinatra
Almost Like Being In Love – Ella Fitzgerald
American Patrol – Glenn Miller big band
Armando’s Rumba – Chick Corea
As Time Goes By – Peggy Lee
At Last – Etta James
Autumn Leaves – Duke Ellington
Banana Pancakes – Jack Johnson
Because You Loved Me – Celine Dion
Begin The Beguine – Artie Shaw big band
Bei Mir Bist Du Schön – Benny Goodman
The Best Is Yet To Come – Tony Bennett
Better Together – Jack Johnson
Bewitched – Linda Ronstadt / Sinatra
Beyond The Sea – Bobby Darrin
(Along Came) Bill – Jane Monheit
Black Coffee – Julie London / Janice Siegal
Black Orpheus (latin) – Paul Desmond
Bleeding Love – Boyce Avenue
Blue Bossa – Kenny Dorham
Blue Monk – Thelonious Monk
Blue Skies – Ella Fitzgerald
Body And Soul – Coleman Hawkins
Boyce Avenue (Anything by him! All Modern Songs Lounge-style)
The Breeze And I – Sonny Clark
Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Bye Bye Blackbird – Miles Davis
Can You Feel The Love Tonight – Elton John
Can’t Help Falling In Love – Elvis
Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man – Lena Horne
C’est Magnifique – Ella Fitzgerald / Sinatra
Cheek To Cheek – Eva Cassidy / Fred Astaire
Come Away With Me – Nora Jones
Come Fly With Me – Sinatra
Cottontail – Duke Ellington
Dance Me To The End Of Love – M. Peyreux
A Day In The Life Of A Fool – Paul Desmond
Desafinado – Stan Getz
Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me – D. Ellington
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore – D. Ellington
Don’t Know Why – Nora Jones
Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree – Glenn Miller
Don’t Wait Too Long – Madeleine Peyreux
Dream A Little Dream Of Me – Mama Cass
Embraceable You – Nat King Cole
Fever – Peggy Lee
Fly Me To The Moon – Frank Sinatra
A Foggy Day – Les Brown
Footprints – Miles Davis
For Sentimental Reasons – Patti Page
The Gentle Waltz – Oscar Peterson
Giant Steps – John Coltrane
The Girl From Ipanema – Antonio Carlos Jobim
Gone With the Wind – Ella Fitzgerald
Green Dolphin Street – Bill Evans
Have I Told You Lately I Love You – Rod Stewart
Have You Met Miss Jones – Ray Brown
Hawaiian Wedding Song – Elvis
Hernando’s Hideaway (tango) – Charlie Byrd
How High The Moon – Stan Kenton
How Insensitive – Pat Martino
How Sweet It Is – James Taylor / Michael Bublé
I Could Not Ask For More – Sara Evans / Edwin McCaine
I Could Write A Book – Harry Connick, Jr.
I Get A Kick Out Of You – Sinatra
I Got The Sun In The Morning – Judy Garland
I Left My Heart In San Francisco – Tony Bennett
I Only Have Eyes For You – Sinatra / Kay Starr
If I Were A Bell – Ella Fitzgerald
I’ll Dance At Your Wedding – Peggy Lee
I’m Beginning To See The Light – Bobby Darin / Diane Schuur
I’m Putting All My Eggs In One Basket – Ella
I’m Yours – Jason Mraz
In A Mellow Tone – Duke Ellington
In The Mood – Glen Miller
Inchworm – John Coltrane
Inseparable – Natalie Cole
It Had To Be You – Harry Connick Jr.
It Might As Well Be Spring – Ella Fitzgerald
It Was A Very Good Year – Frank Sinatra
It’s All Right With Me – Ella Fitzgerald
It’s Only A Paper Moon – Nat King Cole
I’ve Got A Crush On You – Linda Ronstadt
I’ve Got The World On a String – Frank Sinatra
I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Michael Bublé
Jeanine – Kenny Burrell
Joy Spring – Manhattan Transfer
Just One Of Those Things – Dinah Shore
Killer Joe – Quincy Jones
A Kiss To Build A Dream On – Louis Armstrong
L.O.V.E. – Natalie Cole
Lady Is A Tramp – Ella Fitzgerald
Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
Luck Be A Lady Tonight – Bill Evans / Sinatra
Lullaby Of Birdland – E. Fitzgerald / S. Vaughan
Mack The Knife – Bobby Darrin / Ella Fitzgerald
Memories Of Tomorrow – Dave Anderson
Misty – Ella Fitzgerald
Moon River – Henry Mancini
Moondance – Van Morrison
Moonglow – Diane Martinson / Artie Shaw
More Than You Know – Judy Garland / Jane Monheit
My Favorite Things – Dave Brubeck
My Foolish Heart – Tony Bennett / Bill Evans
My Funny Valentine – Bobby Darin
The Nearness Of You – Nora Jones
New York, New York – Liza Minnelli / Sinatra
Nice Work If You Can Get It – Rosemary Clooney
Night And Day – Lena Horne
Night Has A Thousand Eyes – Horace Silver
A Night In Tunisia – Dizzy Gillespie
Now’s The Time – Charlie Parker
O Pato – J. Gilberto
One Note Samba – Jobim / A. Gilberto
Orange Colored Sky – Natalie Cole
Our Love Is Here To Stay – Dinah Washington
Peel Me A Grape – Diana Krall
Pennies From Heaven – Goodman / Peggy Lee
Pick Yourself Up – Ella Fitzgerald
Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars – Jobim
Recordame (latin) – Joe Henderson
Route 66 – Nat King Cole
S’ Wonderful – Gershwin / Sinatra
Satin Doll – Duke Ellington big band
Sing, Sing, Sing – Benny Goodman
Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay – Otis Redding
Smile – Charlie Chaplin
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes – Helen Forrest
So Nice (samba) – Jobim
Some Day My Prince Will Come – D. Brubeck
Somebody Loves Me – Ella / Tommy Dorsey
Someone To Watch Over Me – Linda Ronstadt
Somewhere OVer The Rainbow – IZ
Song For My Father – Horace Silver
Spanish Eyes – Al Martino
Stand By Me – Ben E King
Stormy Weather – Rosemary Clooney
Straighten Up And Fly Right – Nat King Cole
Strangers In The Night – Frank Sinatra
A String Of Pearls – Glenn Miller big band
The Summer Wind – Michael Bublé / Sinatra
Summertime – Lena Horne
Sunrise, Sunset – traditional
Sunny – Classics IV
Sushi – Oscar Peterson
Sway – Dean Martin
Sweet Georgia Brown – Benny Goodman
Sweetheart Swing – J.J. Saecker
Swinging On A Star – Bing Crosby
Table For Four – J.J. Saecker
Take Five – Dave Brubeck
Take The ‘A’ Train – Duke Ellington
Taking A Chance On Love – Jane Monheit
Temptation – Diana Krall
That’s All – June Christy / Michael Bublé
That’s Amore – Dean Martin
The Show – Lenka
There Is No Greater Love – Ben Webster
They Can’t Take That Away From Me – Bennett
Till There Was You – The Beatles / Peggy Lee
Too Darn Hot – Ella Fitzgerald
Tuxedo Junction – Harry James big band
Unforgettable – Nat King Cole
Waltz For Debby – Bill Evans
Watch What Happens (latin) – Tony Bennett
Watermelon Man – Herbie Hancock
The Way You Look Tonight – Garland / Sinatra
We Are Family – Sister Sledge
Weekend in New England – Barry Manilow
What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
What The World Needs Now – Dionne Warwick
When I Fall In Love – Linda Ronstadt
You Make Me Feel So Young – R. Clooney

DJ Kenny Casanova – is a professional wedding reception mobile dj and professional wrestling ring announcer out of Albany, NY and Troy, NY. You can email him at ken@theDJservice.com.

Our site… www.TheDJservice.com
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Here are some popular Wedding Party Reception Entrancesong selections:

• I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
• Forever – Chris Brown
• St. Elmo’s Fire
• I’m Here For the Party – Gretchen Wilson
• Let’s Get it Started – Black Eyed Peas
• I Like To Move It
• Carmina Fortuna
• Rocky Theme -Gonna Fly Now
• It Had to Be You
• Twilight Zone
• Mission Impossible Theme
• Olympic Fanfare – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• White Wedding – Billy Idol
• Star Wars Imperial March Theme

Whatever you choose, remember, it is a song that will set the mood for the evening. Below is an entrance I did recently for a great couple to Chris Brown’s “Forever”, at The Museum of Dance in Saratoga, NY.

Pick a song that says something about you as a couple.

The first dance can be a class act, or something fun. A recent trend is to chop up the first dance and add somethign crazy into it. No matter what you choose to do, there are many options to set the tone.

When you select a first dance song, you want to set one that sets a mood. Traditionally you want to pick a slow song so people can get some good shots of you together as man and wife.

The rest of the night, due to mingling and the couple visiting with loved ones and new members of their family, it isn’t always easy for people to get a lot of bride & groom dancing shots. So going more traditional will allow for one good opportunity for everyone to get the mushy pictures! If this is the route you chose to go with, you will want the song to match your personality and show who you are as a couple. Here are some popular requests for first songs:

Top Bride / Groom First Dance Songs

“Grow Old With Me” by Mary Chapin Carpenter
“Embraceable You” by Nat King Cole
“Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole
“When I Fall In Love” by Nat King Cole
“Marry Me” by Neil Diamond & Buffy Lawson
“When A Man Loves A Woman” by Percy Sledge
“After All” by Peter Cetera & Cher
“Glory Of Love” by Peter Cetera
“Wedding Song by There is Love ” by Petula Clark
“Perhaps Love” by Placido Domingo & John Denver
“Forever and Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis
“You Are the Everything” by R.E.M.
“I Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore” by R.E.O. Speedwagon
“Unchained Melody” by Righteous Brothers
“Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You” by Roberta Flack & Peabo Bryson
“Truly, Madly, Deeply” by Savage Garden
“Kiss From A Rose” by Seal
“Dreaming Of You” by Selena
“From This Moment” by Shania Twain & Brian White
“You’re Still The One” by Shania Twain
“If I Never Knew You” by Shanice Wilson & John Secada
“True” by Spandau Ballet
“You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” by Stevie Wonder
“I Believe by When I Fall in Love ” by Stevie Wonder
“Ma Cherie Amour” by Stevie Wonder
“Give a Little Bit” by Supertramp
“Eternal Flame” by The Bangles
“I Will” by The Beatles
“In My Life” by The Beatles
“Something” by The Beatles
“We’ve Only Just Begun” by The Carpenters
“In The Still of the Night” by The Five Satins
“I Only Have Eyes For You” by The Flamingos
“A Groovy Kind Of Love” by The Mindbenders
“Oh, How The Years Go By” by Vanessa Williams
“Will You Marry Me?” by Vonda Shepard
“Hold Me” by Whitney Houston & Teddy Pendergrass
“One Moment In Time” by Whitney Houston
“You Are My First, My Last, My Everything” by Barry White
“Take My Breath Away” by Berlin
“The Rose” by Bette Midler
“Our Love Is Here To Stay” by Billie Holiday
“Just The Way You Are” by Billy Joel
“She’s Got A Way” by Billy Joel
“We’ve Got Tonight” by Bob Seger
“You Are My Special Angel” by Bobby Helms
“If” by Bread
“Everything I Own” by Bread
“Heaven” by Bryan Adams
“True Love Ways” by Buddy Holly
“Tonight And Forever” by Carly Simon
“You’re The Inspiration” by Chicago
“Lady In Red” by Chris DeBurgh
“Longer” by Dan Fogelberg
“Endless Love” by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John
“Friends” by Elton John
“The One” by Elton John
“Your Song” by Elton John
“Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis Presley
“Always” by Erasure
“At Last” by Etta James
“Let It Be Me” by Everly Brothers
“Songbird” by Fleetwood Mac
“The Best Is Yet To Come” by Frank Sinatra
“The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra
“If I Loved You” by from Carousel
“As Time Goes By” by from Casablanca
“Some Enchanted Evening” by from South Pacific
“Somewhere” by from West Side Story
“Love Theme To Romeo & Juliet” by from Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet
“Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” by Glenn Medeiros
“Here We Are” by Gloria Estefan
“Beautiful” by Gordon Lightfoot
“It Had To Be You” by Harry Connick, Jr.
“So This Is Love” by James Ingram
“Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warrens
“You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker
“Woman” by John Lennon
“I Swear” by John Michael Montgomery
“Chances Are” by Johnny Mathis
“Beautiful In My Eyes” by Joshua Kadison
“So In Love” by k.d. lang
“Don’t Know Much” by Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
“What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
“Here And Now” by Luther Vandross
“Dream A Little Dream” by Mamas & the Papas
“Hero” by Mariah Carey

Pick songs that are important to you, AND your guests.

Of course, the bride and groom’s song choices outweigh anyone else’s at the wedding. However, it is still very important to try to incorporate lots of music that their guests will enjoy. Think about it for a second. Who wants to put on a wedding where people hate the entertainment!?

The purpose of playing music at all is to set an atmosphere. Therefore, the real logic behind planning your reception music should be to create an atmosphere where people will have fun, rather than expose your guests to music you like.

Throughout the years, wedding receptions have changed. They are vastly becoming the party dancing part of the wedding, while the ceremony holds the classy and more serious peaceful part of the day. Therefore, the trend now for receptions is to be far more upbeat and fun. If this is the atmosphere you want, the possibilities of song choices are endless. However, picking songs that ONLY you like can be a big mistake.

Most bride and grooms want to select songs that are special to them. Sometimes the songs relate to how they first met or the couple’s first date, or perhaps some other memorable event. It is very important, to do this, however, if the whole playlist are “special songs” to the bride and groom, they may not be special to everyone else.

If you want to have a finger on the playlist, as you plan songs for the wedding reception, seek out a second opinion from friends or family. With the internet, you can easily send out emails and get a feeling for what people will like.

If your overall goal really again is to create a fun, dancing atmosphere, you really have to pick songs that people can dance to and songs that people like to dance to. Even if you do not like “dance music,” if your guests do, you will need to pick songs they like to get the atmosphere that you are looking for.