As a professional wedding DJ, I have performed at hundreds of weddings and have had all sorts of requests for songs. I know what works and I know what doesn't! In this article, we will discuss some of the things that I have learned over the years working as a DJ.

Dinner Time Is NOT Dancing Time

Quite frequently, it becomes very obvious who has never been to a wedding before. These are the people that come up over dinner, (while nice ambient music is setting the mood) and ask for something upbeat that people can dance to! Don't come up to the DJ and ask for something upbeat over dinner. It is dinner. It is not appropriate to dance yet anyway. In fact it is extremely rude and poor etiquette to dance before the bride and groom have had their first dance. So keep your requests for dancing music until dancing time starts later in the night. Sit back, relax and enjoy your meal and the company of friends.

No Nutbush or Macarena please ...

We are frequently told by the bridal couple to make sure we don't play the Nutbush or Macarena or any of "these type" of songs. Why not? To a professional DJ (who's job it is to get people on the floor and having fun), this translates to "Please don't play songs that you know people will love to hear and dance to". I personally very much dislike these sort of songs and would NEVER play them at home, but for the sake of a 3 minute song to use as a tool to get the dance floor packed with your guests and having a great time ... isn't it worth the 3 minutes?

No Old Stuff

My company frequently turns down work from couples that are not flexible with the music that will be played. We are often told that the couple only wants current Top 40 and dance or R&B. Sorry, but if it is typical wedding your guests will include parents, aunts & uncles, grandparents and other older guests. By saying you only want new songs you are being extremely inconsiderate and rude towards your guests. Don't be surprised if a professional DJ turns down your job because your guests won't realize he is only playing what he has been told to play and assume he is a bad DJ with limited scope of music.

A DJ is not a Jukebox

Don't provide the DJ with a list of songs to be played throughout the night. It's great to give him the songs you want for the special times of the night (Bridal Dance, Cake Cutting etc), but your DJ is a professional who knows what wedding music to play to get everyone up and having a great time. Feel free to tell the DJ any specific songs or artists you don't want to hear, that's fine. You might think you know what songs to play but even a professional wedding DJ does not know until the night. Each and every wedding is different and what you think might work might be terrible. It's great to come up and make requests, but don't treat the DJ like a jukebox, let them weave their magic and relax and enjoy the night. If you insist on a set playlist, hire a jukebox.

Hopefully this article has helped you to think about a few common things from the DJs perspective.