Playlist Tips for Wedding DJs

An unforgettable wedding party hinges on the right music, which is why it’s not only important for wedding deejays to pick the right tracks, but play them in the right order. Read on and learn how to properly structure your playlists.

This humble guide is divided into four parts:

The power of acts: dividing the evening up into clear parts.
Dealing with requests: how to thoughtfully handle requests from the bride, groom and guests without losing control over your sets and striking a balance between your own creativity and the bridal couple’s wishes.
The importance of different playlists: differentiating between warm-up and peak moments.
Structuring the peak playlist: tips and tricks for compiling a list of the right songs to play during the climax of the wedding party.

Playlist Tips for Wedding DJs

The Power of Acts

A wedding DJ does more than just take care of the music. To get it right, you have to tell a story and evoke emotion — things that are best done by splitting your DJ set up into different acts, where each act lasts 30 to 90 minutes, represents a specific phase, and has its own build-up period and climax.

Chill Out

The start of the wedding, the wedding reception and the wedding dinner party are all moments when the music ought to be low-key and relaxed. Think soft jazz, tranquil disco and acoustic versions of popular tunes. Here, the music helps create a relaxed atmosphere and allows guests to chat and socialise without getting drowned out by it.

Warming Up

As the evening progresses, you’ll want to shift the focus towards more energetic music as you anticipate the first dance, which is a magical and often emotional moment. Pick songs that are close to the newly weds’ hearts and will resonate with the guests. This can vary from classic love songs to modern bangers, depending on the couple’s preferences.

Pedal to the Metal

The next act marks the moment when the party really takes off. Now, it’s time to hit the people on the dance floor with upbeat tunes, evergreen songs that everyone knows, and the couple’s favourite bands. The goal is to create a vibe that everyone – young and old – can subscribe to and invites them to let loose.

Quick Tips

Usually, you’ll want to go with three or four 30 to 90 minute sets.
Make sure that your playlists in Rekordbox or other software are compatible with those sets.
Sit down with the bridal couple beforehand and decide on a clear timeline or script.
Even if you don’t have a say in the timeline, always make sure that you’re familiar with the party plans well ahead of time.

Playlist Tips for Wedding DJs

How to Handle Song Requests

As a wedding DJ for hire, you have to strike a balance between respecting song requests and sticking to your plan. Here’s how I like to go about it:

The Couple’s Wishes

It all starts with a deep conversation with the bridal couple about their song-based preferences. Make sure to ask specifically about:

Must-play songs: a list of three to five songs that are essential for the bride and groom because they have a special meaning for them.
Appreciated songs: a longer list of songs that the couple loves but won’t necessarily mind if a number of them are skipped.
Requested songs: songs that are important to any close friends and relatives because they signify shared memories.

Your Authority as the DJ

While technically ‘the customer is always right’, ultimately, to play a certain song or not is always up to you. But, with great responsibility comes clear communication and a little expectation management.

Limited song requests: I like to limit the number of song requests. This way, I ensure I have enough time and space to do my thing as a professional wedding DJ and maintain the proper party vibe.
Smooth integration: skilfully and seamlessly integrating requested songs into the set, paying attention to the tempo, style, and the atmosphere on location.

This approach guarantees that the music is always calibrated to the bridal couple’s wishes while your professional insights remain a guiding principle — a solid recipe for an unforgettable event that’s both professional and personal.

Playlist Tips for Wedding DJs

The Various Playlists: Warm-Up and Climax

You’ll want to use the different playlists strategically to set the mood. I basically work with two main playlist types: the warm-up playlist and the climax playlist. These form the backbone for the evening and help me smoothly transition from chill vibes to a high-energy ambience while still reflecting the couple’s tastes and personalities.

The Warm-Up Playlist

The warm-up playlist is crucial for developing the ambience at the start of the wedding party. The songs serve as background music during the reception or dinner, so it’s all about picking less in-your-face songs that make people feel comfortable and allow them to chat.

The Climax Playlist

The climax playlist is specifically compiled to draw folks to the dance floor with upbeat tunes. The first dance usually marks the start of this playlist so it needs to be one carefully picked song (as discussed with the bridal couple) followed by danceable music.

Personalise Your Playlists

It’s important that the bridal couple’s personal music taste, including any special requests, are incorporated into your playlists. This way, you get tailor-made playlists but you still have room to steer the music depending on the dynamics of the party. For every wedding party, I copy a recent warm-up and climax playlist and tweak them based on the couple’s wishes.

Structuring the Climax Playlist

The climax playlist is the beating heart of every wedding party. I like to opt for songs that aren’t just popular and danceable, but resonate emotionally with the bridal couple and their guests. I focus on songs that go together well and pay attention to the following:

Tempo: I group songs based on tempo, with a maximum BPM difference of 5 to guarantee seamless transitions. This also helps me maintain consistent energy levels on the dance floor.
Style: Mashing up genres takes skill. I like to deejay in blocks, where each block of songs has a specific style. Doing it this way allows for variation while maintaining some consistency.
Key: The key of a song can hugely contribute to the emotional impact it has, which is why I try to ensure harmonious key transitions.
Grouping: Create batches of three to five songs that go together well. This way, you can always fall back on these core building blocks as needed.

Transitions Between Different Styles

Transitions are crucial when it comes to maintaining flow. When going from one style to another, say from disco to EDM, I tend to do the following:

Find a transitional song that has elements of both styles.
Gradually shift the tempo and style to keep the transition from feeling too abrupt.

Your goal is to always keep the dance floor occupied with energetic tunes while you tell a story, musically that is, that’s both surprising and danceable.

It’s Not a Trick

The secret to being a successful wedding DJ stretches beyond simply weaving beats. It requires a deep understanding of timing and mood-setting, and a personal approach for each bridal couple. And honestly, there’s only one way to learn the tricks of the trade, so grab your headphones, boot up your DJ software and get to work!