What songs do I need to give my wedding DJ?

We often get clients asking us what songs we need for their wedding playlist. Many of our couples love this part of their planning process but some struggle to know where to start.

Read on for everything your wedding DJ needs from you to nail your wedding playlist.

Why you need to give your wedding DJ a playlist

We’ve had couples ask us why they need to give us a wedding playlist. Isn’t that what they’re paying us to do?

Yeah, but no, but sort of.

With over a thousand weddings under our belt we definitely know which songs are most likely to fill a dance floor. 

But what about those songs that mean something special to you? The songs that you guys loved to dance to at Uni, or the song from that movie you love, or your mum’s favourite song that makes her go crazy on the dance floor every time she hears it?

We want your wedding playlist to reflect you guys as a couple and appeal to those special people you’ve invited, which means you need to let us know which songs are meaningful to you and your guests.

Which songs do I need to give my wedding DJ?
Wedding Formality Songs
First up, we need your formality songs. If you’re not sure what the formalities are and which ones you need to do, we’ve written articles with everything you need to know about your reception formalities and your ceremony songs.

If you’re struggling to come up with songs for your Grand Entrance, Cake Cutting etc, we have a whole bunch of wedding playlist ideas to help you out.
Dinner Music
Next, your DJ needs an idea of what sort of vibes you want to hear during dinner. Although it’s background music, it still sets the tone for the night. An experienced wedding DJ will read the room during dinner, bringing the energy down a little while people are eating and lifting it back up between courses when the room gets a bit more lively.
 
A recent groom did a bang-up job of curating a dinner and garden party playlist. You can check it out here.
Your Dance Party
Now we get to the pointy end of the stick – your dance party.
 
If you want a packed dance floor, you need to have a think about what your wedding guests will jam to as well as what you want to hear. 
 
Let us know what your club throwback vibes are. RnB, dance music? Shooting Stars? Calvin Harris? Guetta? Biggie? Snoop? Chris Brown? Lil Jon?
What new songs are you and your friends into at the moment? (Click here to check out a playlist of what we see working at weddings these days).
 
Next, have a think about your Top Ten ‘Must Plays’.  It helps to have ten songs that your DJ can build their set around. These ten bangers are weapons your DJ can drop at crucial times to bring the vibe up or pull people back in.  Think of your guests here and don’t choose anything too edgy. These are bangers for the masses!
 
And don’t forget a good dose of old school throwbacks for the fam. Sometimes the biggest tracks of the night are the oldies. Think My Girl, Signed Sealed Delivered, Stayin’ Alive, Dreams, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Love is in the Air, September, Gimme a Man After Midnight, etc. 
 
  Another recent groom did an amazing job on their wedding playlists. You can check out his dance floor selections here.
Last Dance Song

Every wedding needs an epic last dance song. This song is your finale and needs to be one that everyone (including the oldies) can get around.

Not everyone is going to like every song that gets played at a wedding (they don’t have to – it’s a young person’s wedding after all), but getting everyone to come in and participate in a last sing-along song finale is an amazing moment that you won’t want to miss. 

Songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, Time Of My Life, You’re The Voice, Don’t Stop Believin’, Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, Sweet Caroline, New York, New York appeal to most people and put the best kind of bow on the night.

What about ‘Do Not Play’ songs

Please let us know which songs you don’t want to hear at your wedding. The last thing we want is to accidentally play a song that reminds you of your ex or that sets your teeth on edge.

But we also suggest you consider what your guests want to hear and what will get them on the dance floor. You may not want to hear the Nutbush (and it’ll never be one of our ‘go-to’ songs), but what if all your aunties come and request it because there’s nothing they like more than a good line dance?

Can you suffer through a few songs you don’t like so you can put a smile on Aunt Gladys’s dial?

We suggest splitting your ‘Do Not Play’ list into two – a ‘Play Over My Dead Body‘ list and a ‘Play Only if Requested‘ list.

Can we give you guests requests?

Absolutely! We find it really helpful to understand what songs your guests want to hear and will try to fit them into the night at the right time.

We do, however, reserve the right to not play a song if we believe it will kill the vibe or is generally just inappropriate for a wedding.

What’s the best way to give your wedding DJ song requests?

Creating Spotify playlists is a great way to get your song ideas to your wedding DJ. Be sure to scroll down and go through the ‘suggested songs’ underneath your playlist. The Spotify algorithm is excellent and will recommend songs based on your selections. If you refresh this list a few times you can add songs to your playlist that you might not have otherwise thought of.

When you book Cut a Rug for your wedding, you’ll get access to an online planner which is an easy way to add in your formality songs, guests requests and everything else you’d like to hear.

 

So by now you should have a pretty good idea of what songs your wedding DJ needs from you and why.

This will give a professional wedding DJ a great starting point and they’ll fill in the gaps on the night.

 
Need more inspo? We have more sample playlist you can check out below.