Good morning Esquire Photography HQ in Huntington Beach, California! Before I leave shortly for my beautiful bride and Guest Writer; Ashley & her amazing and cool fiance’; David for their wedding up in Monterey – I just had to share a great Wedding Tip Of The Week with you from my awesome friends at Elegala.com. This wedding tip is about helping you chose the right music for your guests, your family & ultimately you for your wedding and reception.
I’ve had the honour of working with a TON of DJ’s around the country and having planned my own wedding at the Muckenthaler Mansion in Fullerton, where Jason Jason from Visions Entertainment exceeded every detail and neurotic need I had for our wedding – I think that this article is really creative and will help you relieve yourself of some of the stress or at least help you deal with choosing a terrific variety of music for your wedding. Or at least help you get away from the same ol, same ol cookie cutter music that we’ve all heard at so many other weddings.
But before I present you with this week’s wedding tip and you’re thinking… Hey – I’d really like to get to know this Orange County Wedding Photographer in Huntington Beach, California that wants to enjoy life to the fullest and share a toast with his couples celebrating a phenomenal day, feel free to get in touch with me anytime.
I’m available just about 24/7 via Twitter, Facebook, the form on my contact page, or the old fashioned phone as well at 888.ESQ.PHTO (888.377.7486) or 562.225.5915.
And without further ado, here is the article from Elegala.com, have a super Baby Friday and I’ll see you when I get back from Ashley & David’s wedding – cheers!
I think the best weddings have romantic and beautiful ceremonies, and receptions that feel like great all-out parties. Wedding music is perhaps the most important element of making your guests go home saying, “Man, that was a fun wedding.” If you want to ensure that your guests are dancing and having fun all night long, here are my tips for great wedding music.
Variety is Key in Wedding Music
What appeals to your high school friends is not going to be exactly the same as what appeals to your business colleagues. So mix things up and play some of each. If you do it right, the guests who come to the floor for KC & the Sunshine Band will stick around for Beyonce.
Know Your Audience
In some circles, line dances like “Electric Slide” are hugely popular. Amongst my friends, it would go over like a lead balloon – that’s why I have it on my personal Do Not Play List. On the other hand, my family has a soft spot for “Copacabana”, so even though it’s cheesy, it might just be played. Bottom line, you know your friends and family better than any DJ or bandleader. If there’s a song that will really get your guests dancing, or keep them from dancing, don’t hesitate to make that known.
Ask Your Guests About Their Favorite Wedding Music
On your reply card, ask guests to name a song that will be sure to get them up and dancing. It will help guests get excited for dancing, and ensure that the wedding music appeals to a wide variety of people.
Taking Care of Older Guests
Sure, you want your friends to have a good time, but don’t ignore Grandma and Grandpa. Older guests will tend to be among the first to leave, so tailor your music selections accordingly. Towards the beginning of your reception, play more 40’s, 50’s and 60’s hits, mixed with current selections. In the last hour, you can stick to current music. Some oldies that appeal to many generations: Elvis – “Teddy Bear” or “Hound Dog”, Supremes – “You Can’t Hurry Love”, Jerry Lee Lewis – “Great Balls of Fire.”
Get the Dancing Started a Little Early
Traditionally, dancing wouldn’t start until after the cake is served. But today’s brides and grooms want to have more lively and fun wedding receptions. So they’re kicking off the dancing shortly after the main course is served. In fact, at one of the more fun wedding receptions I’ve ever been to, the dancing started as soon as the bride and groom were announced. (The only time the dancing stopped was for the toasts!)
Stack the Dance Floor
Hey, you’re the bride (or groom). You get to boss the bridal party around, at least a little bit. Careful scientific observation tells me that guests are more apt to dance when there are already people dancing. So tell the bridal party that part of their job is to dance, and to ask other people to dance. Plus, the pictures of your 20-something-year-old roommate dancing with your 80-something-year-old great uncle will be priceless.
Play the Good Wedding Music, Not the Bad Wedding Music
Even if you have a DJ, spend some time thinking about your wedding music. Put together a do not play list, and a list of songs you definitely want to hear. Then throw in some ideas that you think will get your guests on their feet. Rather than sticking to the tired and tacky “Macarena”, here are my suggestions for great wedding music:
Current Hits
Beyonce — “Crazy in love”
Christina Aguilera — “Ain’t No Other Man”
Christina Aguilera — “Beautiful”
Ciara — “One Two Step”
Emotions — “Best of My Love”
Gretchen Wilson — “Redneck Woman”
Justin Timberlake — “Summer Love”
Mary J Blidge — “Family Affair”
Outkast — “The Way You Move”
80s
Duran Duran – Rio, Hungry Like The Wolf, Ordinary World & so many many more (I just had to throw that in!)
Billy Idol — “Dancing With Myself”
Commodores — “Celebration”
Commodores — “Easy”
Earth Wind & Fire — “Shining Star”
John Cougar — “Rockin In The USA”
Kool & The Gang — “Get Down On It”
Kool and the Gang — “Jungle Boogie”
Madonna — “Burning Up”
Madonna — “Material Girl”
Madness — “Our House”
Michael Jackson — “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”
Modern English — “Melt With You”
Pet Shop Boys — “West End Girls”
Romantics — “What I Like About You”
The Clash — “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
The Cure — “Love Cats”
The Weather Girls — “It’s Raining Men”
Tommy Tutone — “Jenny (867-5309)”
Violent Femmes — “Blister In The Sun”
70s
Chic — “Good Times”
Commodores — “Brick House”
Grand Funk Railroad — “Some Kind Of Wonderful”
Jackson 5 — “ABC”
KC & The Sunshine Band — “Get Down Tonight”
KC & The Sunshine Band — “Shake Your Booty”
Lynyrd Skynyrd — “Sweet Home Alabama”
Ramones — “I Wanna Be Sedated”
Rolling Stones — “Miss You”
Sly and the Family Stone — “Dance to the Music”
Sister Sledge — “We Are Family”
The Isley Bros — “It’s Your Thing”
60s
Al Green — “Lets Stay Together”
Aretha Franklin — “Respect”
Beatles — “I Saw Her Standing There”
Beatles — “Twist & Shout”
Blues Brothers — “Soul Man”
Credance Clearwater Revival — “Proud Mary”
Four Seasons — “Oh What A Night”
James Brown — “I Feel Good”
Mitch Ryder — “Devil With A Blue Dress”
Mitch Ryder — “Good Golly Miss Molly”
Otis Redding — “Hard to Handle”
Rolling Stones — “Jumping Jack Flash”
Rolling Stones — “Satisfaction”
Supremes — “You Can’t Hurry Love”
The Archies — “Sugar”
Van Morrison — “Into the Mystic”
Young Rascals — “Good Lovin'”
50s
Chubby Checker — “The Twist”
Chuck Berry — “Johnny B. Goode”
Contours — “Do You Love Me”
Elvis Presley — “Blue Suede Shoes”
Elvis Presley — “Can’t Help Falling In Love”
Elvis Presley — “Teddy Bear”
Platters — “Only You”
Sam Cook — “You Send Me”
The Angels — “My Boyfriend’s Back”
The Kingsmen — “Louie Louie”
Wilson Picket — “Mustang Sally”
40s
Frank Sinatra — “It Had To Be You”
Frank Sinatra — “The Way You Look Tonight”