What's the best way to choose my wedding music?

Hi Lucy,

There's no right or wrong way to choose your wedding music - you need to trust your instincts anchoose music which fits the style and atmosphere you are creating for your wedding. As it's your wedding, try to choose pieces which have some sentimental meaning for yourself or your families rather than just copying what everyone else is currently doing. This makes it far more personal for both yourselves and your guests. Was there a particular piece playing in the background when you got engaged or first met or is there a particular piece of music which has sentimental meaning for your family or yourselves? One of our brides chose to have a piece played that was performed at her parents and grandparents weddings - it created a beautiful moment and maintained a tradition for the family.

As to the actual pieces you choose, try to match the music to the atmosphere at each point of the ceremony, whether it be pop, contemporary, classical,jazz etc. A general guideline we use with our clients is to make the music more upbeat and lively as the ceremony progresses. After all, it's a happy occasion so try to reflect this with your music! There is no issue with mixing the styles of music throughout your ceremony. You may want to walk down the aisle to something traditional, have a favorite piece playing for the Signing of the Register, and then walk back down the aisle to a pop or modern piece. Have fun with it and it will work itself out.

Good luck!

I usually ask couples to give me their top 5-10 artists. That gives me quite a lot of information. It tells me preffered genre, style, and age of the music needed and I can then put togeather live and DJ lists for approval. My advice would be to find a musician or DJ that you like and is experienced and then give them some information to work with and then trust them to deliver on the night. I sometimes share spotify lists with couples to see what a list might look like and that back and forth can go on for awhile. I wouldnt choose music more than 5 months out as current song choices will change.

Hi Lucy, Congratulations and I hope the planning is going well.

My opinion is first to list songs and genres you both like and dislike as it will give musician/DJ a greater understanding of the type of wedding atmosphere you want to create. Some brides and grooms may even ask their guests to send them a few requests and list them on a spreadsheet. You then can go through it and add/delete before you send through to the musician/DJ. Personally our DJs take requests according to the guidelines outlined during the face to face consultation with the bride and groom.

I hope this helps you

Cheers

Chris Davidson (DJ Savvy Entertainment)

Hi Lucy, this is the right question. We have an online music selector to help you with this which will also provide you with the top 200 wedding songs of all time. Or simply ask us, we are more than happy to guide you in the right direction

The best way to chose your wedding is to hire entertainment that really knows about music to help you chose and put music together. i also advise couples to get the shazam app, so when you hear a song you can know exactly what it is to down load. Also listen to the lyrics and know exactly what the story of the song is.

Hello Lucy,

The best way to help chose your music is to hire a professional entertainment supplier and they can help you.
When you have a professional they will just read the crowd and work your crowd on the day.

All that many entertainers need is KEY songs you LOVE and Hate to help make the entertainment fun.

They can also help you with choosing the tracks for your ceremony so please reach out to a professional and I am sure you will be happy.

Peter de Wever

DJ PeterD Entertainment Plus

First find an artist that has the right sound and vibe - that instantly draws you to their sound - then make sure they can cater to all your guests! It's important that everyone in the room is having a great night!! I find at most weddings I play the age ranges from very young to old - so you've got to make sure your musician has everybody covered - a wide ranging repertoire list. Also, try and see as many bands/artists live.

Many different ways with your choice of music, your do play list also do not play list for the Artist to follow.

a USB drive with your mandatory songs for the DJ in USB formatt.

an email with the Genera or music tastes of the Bride, Groom...guest would like played throughout the night.

Hi Lucy, I definitely think trust your instincts to begin with. If you have a favourite song or songs, try to incorporate them first, obviously ensuring your partner loves these too. The three important music sections of your ceremony are the entrance (processional), signing of the registry and the recessional (exit/end of ceremony). This is where your favourite songs could come in. For the entrance, something that is not too fast if ideal, so you don't have to rush in! Sometimes couples choose 2 songs for their entrance: 1 for the bridesmaids/bridal party and 1 for the bride. As far as live music goes, we find that interrupts the flow of the entrance a bit, but it is your choice of course. You can have just about anything for the signing of the registry - fast or slow or medium. It's often good to have a back up piece for the signing in case it goes for a while. For the exit, we always recommend a more upbeat, happy, vibrant song that you both love.

You can visit our website to see our recommendations and complete playlist for ceremonies and weddings, if you would like more ideas and inspiration.

Choosing the music for the reception can take a while; you could make notes during the lead up to the wedding of songs you love to help create a list. Or you may prefer to select your music all in the one go - meeting with your DJ or live band. We find that most of our clients need to go away and think about their playlist, and discuss with their partner at length. Obviously, spending some time listening to music on YouTube etc or going to see live bands you are potentially booking is extremely helpful. It is always useful to think of music that you definitely DON'T want played, and communicate that to your entertainment suppliers.

I hope that helps a little!! Rebecca, Les Trois Amies

As a client of Decibels Entertainment you will have access to our database of over 200,000 songs. There are also tabs which are helpful to help you choose specific songs for those signature moments throughout the night.