Imagine this frightening scenario:  You choose the music you love for your wedding reception, and your guests don’t dance!  Many couples are anxious about incorporating their own music tastes into their wedding playlist, because they don’t listen to “pop” music.  This has become a fairly common concern, but you need not fear – there are plenty of ways to accommodate any type of music at a wedding.

If you are really into a certain band or a certain genre of music, I personally think that you must incorporate that music into your wedding.  Music is such an important part of the reception, and it’s a place for you and your new spouse to express what you, and your relationship, are about.  Don’t worry about your guests, we can keep them happy – it’s all about timing and balance.

There are a few main strategies for working with non-standard music, and the time and place you play each song depends on one thing: “danceability.”  It’s pretty simple – if the song has a decent beat, a DJ should be able to work it into a dance set later in the evening.  If not, you’re looking at either using it as a slow dance, or placing it somewhere else.

For songs that aren’t danceable, cocktail hour and dinner are fantastic places to work in all the indie rock/80’s Euro pop/downtempo electronica songs you’d like. (You can even use a few for your ceremony music!)  The best thing about cocktail hour and dinner is that nobody is really actively paying attention to the music.  It’s mood music – it’s below the volume level of the crowd and it’s there to provide ambiance.   Anything that’s reasonably low-key will work for dinner, and just about anything at all will work for cocktail hour, whether fast or slow.

For songs that could work for dancing, you’ll have to give your DJ a hand-picked (reasonably short) list of the songs that are most important to you.  Playing songs that your crowd doesn’t know or recognize can be a risky proposition, but it can be successful if the song is placed correctly in a set of otherwise recognizable music.  This is an area where a DJ’s experience and ability to mix songs will make the difference: a great DJ will be able to seamlessly beatmix into (and out of) these non-standard songs without anyone noticing, much less returning to their seats.  Not that it works every time — a well-placed and well-mixed song can still clear the dance floor — but your chances of success are much higher if you’re working with a DJ who knows what he’s doing.  Be prepared for this to backfire at least once over the course of the night, and just make sure that your DJ knows that he/she can cut that song short and move to something else.  Remember, there’s no rule that says a song has to be played to the very end!

Probably the most important factor in getting your guests to dance to your non-traditional music choices is how much you dance.  Yes, you.  If the bride and groom are out there on the dance floor having a blast, people are far more likely to join them – even if they don’t know the song.

So, don’t be afraid to make your wedding music truly your own – just be sure to work closely with your DJ and discuss what you’re looking for, and get out there and dance!

~ Evan

Imagine this frightening scenario:  You choose the music you love for your wedding reception, and your guests don’t dance!  Many couples are anxious about incorporating their own music tastes into their wedding playlist, because they don’t listen to “pop” music.  This has become a fairly common concern, but you need not fear – there are plenty of ways to accommodate any type of music at a wedding.

If you are really into a certain band or a certain genre of music, I personally think that you must incorporate that music into your wedding.  Music is such an important part of the reception, and it’s a place for you and your new spouse to express what you, and your relationship, are about.  Don’t worry about your guests, we can keep them happy – it’s all about timing and balance.

There are a few main strategies for working with non-standard music, and the time and place you play each song depends on one thing: “danceability.”  It’s pretty simple – if the song has a decent beat, a DJ should be able to work it into a dance set later in the evening.  If not, you’re looking at either using it as a slow dance, or placing it somewhere else.

For songs that aren’t danceable, cocktail hour and dinner are fantastic places to work in all the indie rock/80’s Euro pop/downtempo electronica songs you’d like. (You can even use a few for your ceremony music!)  The best thing about cocktail hour and dinner is that nobody is really actively paying attention to the music.  It’s mood music – it’s below the volume level of the crowd and it’s there to provide ambiance.   Anything that’s reasonably low-key will work for dinner, and just about anything at all will work for cocktail hour, whether fast or slow.

For songs that could work for dancing, you’ll have to give your DJ a hand-picked (reasonably short) list of the songs that are most important to you.  Playing songs that your crowd doesn’t know or recognize can be a risky proposition, but it can be successful if the song is placed correctly in a set of otherwise recognizable music.  This is an area where a DJ’s experience and ability to mix songs will make the difference: a great DJ will be able to seamlessly beatmix into (and out of) these non-standard songs without anyone noticing, much less returning to their seats.  Not that it works every time — a well-placed and well-mixed song can still clear the dance floor — but your chances of success are much higher if you’re working with a DJ who knows what he’s doing.  Be prepared for this to backfire at least once over the course of the night, and just make sure that your DJ knows that he/she can cut that song short and move to something else.  Remember, there’s no rule that says a song has to be played to the very end!

Probably the most important factor in getting your guests to dance to your non-traditional music choices is how much you dance.  Yes, you.  If the bride and groom are out there on the dance floor having a blast, people are far more likely to join them – even if they don’t know the song.

So, don’t be afraid to make your wedding music truly your own – just be sure to work closely with your DJ and discuss what you’re looking for, and get out there and dance!

~ Evan

Imagine this frightening scenario:  You choose the music you love for your wedding reception, and your guests don’t dance!  Many couples are anxious about incorporating their own music tastes into their wedding playlist, because they don’t listen to “pop” music.  This has become a fairly common concern, but you need not fear – there are plenty of ways to accommodate any type of music at a wedding.

If you are really into a certain band or a certain genre of music, I personally think that you must incorporate that music into your wedding.  Music is such an important part of the reception, and it’s a place for you and your new spouse to express what you, and your relationship, are about.  Don’t worry about your guests, we can keep them happy – it’s all about timing and balance.

There are a few main strategies for working with non-standard music, and the time and place you play each song depends on one thing: “danceability.”  It’s pretty simple – if the song has a decent beat, a DJ should be able to work it into a dance set later in the evening.  If not, you’re looking at either using it as a slow dance, or placing it somewhere else.

For songs that aren’t danceable, cocktail hour and dinner are fantastic places to work in all the indie rock/80’s Euro pop/downtempo electronica songs you’d like. (You can even use a few for your ceremony music!)  The best thing about cocktail hour and dinner is that nobody is really actively paying attention to the music.  It’s mood music – it’s below the volume level of the crowd and it’s there to provide ambiance.   Anything that’s reasonably low-key will work for dinner, and just about anything at all will work for cocktail hour, whether fast or slow.

For songs that could work for dancing, you’ll have to give your DJ a hand-picked (reasonably short) list of the songs that are most important to you.  Playing songs that your crowd doesn’t know or recognize can be a risky proposition, but it can be successful if the song is placed correctly in a set of otherwise recognizable music.  This is an area where a DJ’s experience and ability to mix songs will make the difference: a great DJ will be able to seamlessly beatmix into (and out of) these non-standard songs without anyone noticing, much less returning to their seats.  Not that it works every time — a well-placed and well-mixed song can still clear the dance floor — but your chances of success are much higher if you’re working with a DJ who knows what he’s doing.  Be prepared for this to backfire at least once over the course of the night, and just make sure that your DJ knows that he/she can cut that song short and move to something else.  Remember, there’s no rule that says a song has to be played to the very end!

Probably the most important factor in getting your guests to dance to your non-traditional music choices is how much you dance.  Yes, you.  If the bride and groom are out there on the dance floor having a blast, people are far more likely to join them – even if they don’t know the song.

So, don’t be afraid to make your wedding music truly your own – just be sure to work closely with your DJ and discuss what you’re looking for, and get out there and dance!

~ Evan

Imagine this frightening scenario:  You choose the music you love for your wedding reception, and your guests don’t dance!  Many couples are anxious about incorporating their own music tastes into their wedding playlist, because they don’t listen to “pop” music.  This has become a fairly common concern, but you need not fear – there are plenty of ways to accommodate any type of music at a wedding.

If you are really into a certain band or a certain genre of music, I personally think that you must incorporate that music into your wedding.  Music is such an important part of the reception, and it’s a place for you and your new spouse to express what you, and your relationship, are about.  Don’t worry about your guests, we can keep them happy – it’s all about timing and balance.

There are a few main strategies for working with non-standard music, and the time and place you play each song depends on one thing: “danceability.”  It’s pretty simple – if the song has a decent beat, a DJ should be able to work it into a dance set later in the evening.  If not, you’re looking at either using it as a slow dance, or placing it somewhere else.

For songs that aren’t danceable, cocktail hour and dinner are fantastic places to work in all the indie rock/80’s Euro pop/downtempo electronica songs you’d like. (You can even use a few for your ceremony music!)  The best thing about cocktail hour and dinner is that nobody is really actively paying attention to the music.  It’s mood music – it’s below the volume level of the crowd and it’s there to provide ambiance.   Anything that’s reasonably low-key will work for dinner, and just about anything at all will work for cocktail hour, whether fast or slow.

For songs that could work for dancing, you’ll have to give your DJ a hand-picked (reasonably short) list of the songs that are most important to you.  Playing songs that your crowd doesn’t know or recognize can be a risky proposition, but it can be successful if the song is placed correctly in a set of otherwise recognizable music.  This is an area where a DJ’s experience and ability to mix songs will make the difference: a great DJ will be able to seamlessly beatmix into (and out of) these non-standard songs without anyone noticing, much less returning to their seats.  Not that it works every time — a well-placed and well-mixed song can still clear the dance floor — but your chances of success are much higher if you’re working with a DJ who knows what he’s doing.  Be prepared for this to backfire at least once over the course of the night, and just make sure that your DJ knows that he/she can cut that song short and move to something else.  Remember, there’s no rule that says a song has to be played to the very end!

Probably the most important factor in getting your guests to dance to your non-traditional music choices is how much you dance.  Yes, you.  If the bride and groom are out there on the dance floor having a blast, people are far more likely to join them – even if they don’t know the song.

So, don’t be afraid to make your wedding music truly your own – just be sure to work closely with your DJ and discuss what you’re looking for, and get out there and dance!

~ Evan