53 Songs Not To Play At A Wedding

Weddings are a time to celebrate the marriage of two people in love with one another. Wedding music sets the mood for the wedding ceremony and wedding reception. Not every song is appropriate for a wedding ceremony and reception. We provide the songs below as a guide. However, many of the songs are popular songs by many. So use your best judgment and your desired wedding. Below are our suggested

Songs Not To Play At Weddings

Last Updated: June 22, 2018

Why not play songs at weddings?

• Do not play music with explicit lyrics. We do not list any songs below in this category as this is self-explanatory. Be sure your music entertainer has radio version of all songs to be played at a wedding.
  
• Do not play songs that pertain to death. Do not play songs that reference suicide. Songs in this category include Don’t Close Your Eyes by Kix and Jumper by Third Eye Blind.
  
• Be sure the music selected fits the theme and style of the wedding and reception. Classical background music would not be appropriate for a country-themed reception. If at all possible, we recommend to have the widest range of music types as possible. This will keep the majority of the guests happy. Music entertainers must be given as much leeway on music selections for the dancing portion of the wedding reception. This is their specialty – to get guests dancing!
  
• Do not play music that is suggestive or offensive. Just A Gigolo by David Lee Roth is a great song for the garter removal or garter placement. However, is this song really appropriate for a wedding? Other song considerations with inappropriate meaning include Love Stinks by J Geils Band, Mother-In-Law by Ernie K-Doe and Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
• Songs that refer to the stressful wedding planning process. A Song example is I’m In A Hurry (And Don’t Know Why) by Alabama.
• Please add stalking songs to your do not play list. Song examples include the Police’s Every Breath You Take and Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell.
• Songs played that have an extended playing time. The average song length is about 3 1/2 minutes. Extended length songs include American Pie by Don McLean and Paradise By The Dashboard Light by Meat Loaf.

You must decide if both of you would like group dances to be played at your reception. Some people do not like such dances as they consider them goofy and/or well overplayed at wedding receptions. Popular group dance songs that are played at many wedding receptions include the Macarena by Los Del Rio, Chicken Dance and the Hokey Pokey. If you feel the same, add the songs to your songs not to play at the wedding.

Many people feel the money/dollar dance is inappropriate at a wedding reception. The reasoning is because guests are expected to bring a present and to ask for more money in the dollar dance is greedy. If you feel the same, add the songs to your songs not to play at the wedding. However, others feel it is a great way to have multiple one on one conversations with many guests.