How to Create a Great Wedding Reception

There is nothing more exhilarating than having all your wedding preparations in place: the flowers, your wedding dress, the bridal party, the venue, the catering … and the list goes on! So, what better time than any: than to create a beautiful, atmospheric wedding reception full of musical memories that has great meaning for you as a couple? Perhaps it’s now time … to create a great list of songs for your wedding reception!

Whether you hire a function band or a wedding dj, your music song list plays a huge importance for your evening: it puts a stamp on your wedding scene, brings personal meaning to your once-in-a-lifetime event, and most importantly … has the power to get your bridal party and guests shaking, rattling, and rolling on the dance floor!

Keen to know how to break down your wedding music playlist from top to bottom, to satisfy your multi- generational wedding guests? Here are the different genres that you can pick to create a spectacular evening!

Before your guests walk into the wedding reception room, create some stylish elegance with an effervescent buzz that delights and excites every generation on your guest list. How about evoking a lavish 50’s and 60’s cocktail party with a Mad Men-esque vibe? Choosing some swinging big band standards or romantic ballads for your exclusive band or wedding dj to play, will set your scene perfectly: Think Michael Bublé. Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett. Slide some toe-tapping’ Harry Connick Jr. into the mix and your guests will be smiling from ear-to-ear!

Keen to level the mood while your guests are eating dinner? Play some soft dinner music, so your guests can feel free to talk amongst themselves! So, what better way to make this ‘sultry-worthy’ moment happen, than to create a wedding playlist featuring some lounge-inspired Burt Bacharach, topped with some soothing Bossa Nova? Clinch your glasses and relax with songs like Girl from Ipanema or The Look of Love tinkling in the background, and you’ll soon make your guests feel like they are relaxing on the beaches in Rio!

After raising a toast to the bride and groom, listening to some memorable speeches, and cutting the wedding cake, it’s time to press start on your wedding celebrations with some cutting-edge dance moves! Cue the music; the choreography, and your ballroom dancing positions- your bridal waltz is here- and boy, have we got some great song choices for you. Is modern music your thing? All of Me by John Legend or Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran are great choices. Like more of an old-time classic? Think Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley or Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Franki Valli. Fancy some good ole country music? How about From this Moment by Shania Twain or Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers? Whatever you choose, make sure that your wedding song stands the rest of time, and remains a favourite long after you say, ‘I Do!’

Which then leads to …

Cue the disco ball, smoke machine, multi-coloured lasers, and purply-pink spotlights … we are leading into your wedding dance sets, and we are going full-steam ahead! Start by sending waves of dreamy lighting followed by the supersonic beats of your wedding DJ’s live music mixer and pioneer decks, beating loudly by a bevy of party speakers and an out-of-this-world audio-visual music sound system! Start the ball rolling with some funky 70’s classic songs, with Love is in the air, I Love the Nightlife and Blame It on The Boogie on the agenda. Then, segue-way into a 1950’s Rock n’ Roll extravaganza, followed by some of Queen’s Crazy Little Thing Called Love, finishing with a bit of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and a much-loved Grease Medley, finishing with an all-out rendition of Summer Nights.

With fireworks lighting up the skies, you also need the help of a second dance set with just the right mix of tracks, to set the right party mood for your elated wedding-goers! Start with Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go for some eighties fun: followed by some Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and Tears for Fears. Add in some Prince, Phil Collins and finish with Oh What a Night and We Are Family, and your night will surely be unforgettable!