I keep getting asked about the best songs for wedding receptions!

Not just from my own clients, but also from friends getting married, or people just thinking about getting married and dreaming about the ultimate playlist.

Perhaps my reputation proceeds myself — I was a college radio DJ and spent many years crafting playlists and mixtapes for friends. I’ve done my fair share of crate digging, and for your wedding day, I recommend this formula:

Songs that you, personally, love more than anything; songs that mean a lot to you and your partner

+

Obscure songs that have an excellent beat/groove and anyone can dance to them

+

Hits from the past 60 years (your mileage may vary!)

If you choose to hire a wedding DJ, they’ll have your back on those last two groups of songs, and all you’ll have to do is let them know the handful of songs that you want for special dances. (E.g.: First Dance, Dance with Parents, Dance with Grandparents, Dance with All Our Friends, whatever you choose to do.)

But if you’re planning your wedding music with a more DIY approach, you’ll have to put a little more work into it! Your DIY options for saving $$ when it comes to music are basically having a friend DJ (which can be fun, but also “puts your friend to work” on your wedding day), or having an iPod play through a playlist (crazy risky, but you can mitigate the risk by planning out a sweet playlist in advance).

In any case, I’m a total nerd for music, so even though I hired a wedding DJ for my wedding, I still gave them a Word document full of song titles. It was multiple pages. Broken down by year and genre.

While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend doing that — I knew all the songs I had on my playlist, and was bummed when I didn’t get to hear them during busy parts of the day — it’s good to have the kind of music you like in mind when you meet your DJ (or helpful friend) for your consultation.

my personal wedding day playlist

ceremony / first dance

Here are the songs that personally mean a lot to me and my partner:

“The Book of Love” by The Magnetic Fields
“I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher
“The Best Things in Life are Free” by Sam Cooke
“Baby Dream Your Dream” by The Mills Brothers
“Let’s Get Married” by Al Green

For this small section, it’s a great opportunity to bust out the ballads and anything else with a slower BPM. (If you have several favorite ballads, consider placing one in the ceremony processional or recessional, or making sure there’s a moment near the end of the night when you get to have another intimate slow dance moment.)

For the rest of the playlist, you’ll want to keep the energy up!