How Many Songs?
How many songs should we pick out for our wedding?
How many songs should we put on our “Must Play” List?
How many songs should we put on our “Do Not Play” List?
Can we just tell you what’s on our iPods?
Can we just give you a list of what to play?
Do we have to give you a list of what to play?
DJ Bri Swatek, mixing in a song from the bride's "Must Play List" (Photo Courtesy of David W. Coulter Photography)
Over the years as the owner of Spinning with Style, a full-time mobile disc jockey company in the Hudson Valley specializing in weddings, I, DJ Bri Swatek, have been asked these sorts of questions many times. I am always only too happy to answer them, and give a bit of advice about planning your wedding in the process.
There are a few different ways to look at these questions. First of all, make sure you’ve selected a song for each major event on your Wedding Planner (i.e. Grand Entrance, First Dance, Cake Cutting, etc.) that reflects your style as a couple. That’s all you really need to do-every other song you choose from here on out is more of what you want to do in terms of planning your wedding.
Keep in mind that after cocktails, a wedding reception in the Hudson Valley of New York is typically is 4 hours long. With the typical song being about 3 minutes long, that means you will have about 80 songs played. Now, subtract all those special event songs and you’re at 70. Of that 70, you’ll probably need 10 songs to cover dinner and 60 to cover dancing-maybe 5-10 ballads and 50-55 faster-paced songs.
You shouldn’t have to choose a single song for dinner or dancing if you don’t want to! A truly professional Wedding DJ, MC, and Host will be able to read the crowd and, using the special songs on your Wedding Planner as a guide, put together a event that will fit your style as a couple and keep your guests happy.
However, if you would like to be very specific about the music you want-and don’t want-at your wedding, a professional Wedding DJ will be able to listen to these requests and work with you to honor them at your event. “Must Play” and “Do Not Play” Lists are extremely important tools to a Wedding DJ in order to host a wedding that fits your definition of “fun.” However, programming every song at your wedding ahead of time does leave out the opportunity to not only honor appropriate requests by your guests, but also for your DJ to read the crowd and create memorable moments for you and your guests. Striking a balance between what songs you do and don’t want to hear and what types of music you think your guests would like to dance to is essential for planning a successful wedding.
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DJ Bri Swatek, Spinning with Style
Your Professional Disc Jockey and MC Service
in the Hudson Valley of New York
Email: briswatek@aol.com
Phone: 845.235.0080
Online: www.djbriswatek.com
A great resource I often share with my brides and grooms comes courtesy of Mobile Beat magazine, an industry resource written by and for Mobile Entertainers such as Wedding DJs.
The list is called the “Mobile Beat 200,” and can be found online here: http://www.mobilebeat.com/top-200/.
The “Mobile Beat 200” is based on all of the requests given to thousands of DJs by their customers in advance of their wedding, party, or other event. As such, it’s often described by my customers as a real “love it or hate it” list–because so many types of events around the country are represented on this list, any bride or groom is sure to find at least a few songs for both their Must Play and Do Not Play Lists here, if not more.
You can read more about Typical Wedding Music, Must Play, and Do Not Play lists here: http://djbriswatek.wordpress.com/what-is-typical-wedding-music/