Top 5 Wedding Reception Music Mistakes – E152

Introduction

Are you a wedding DJ, or are you a couple planning your wedding music? Then I’m going to give you five tips to avoid for your wedding reception music, and how to avoid them. So stay tuned.

Welcome, everybody, to the Wedding Songs podcast. I am Matt Campbell. Today, I’m going to be giving you some tips on wedding reception music mistakes and how to avoid them. So let’s go ahead and get started.

Tip 1: Hiring the Right DJ

I think the first thing that you really need to pay attention to is the entertainment and the DJ that you hire. One of the mistakes that is made by couples is that the DJs don’t match their passion or they don’t know the music that the couple wants played. So if you have a Latin couple, they have to know the Latin music, and we’re not talking about the common songs like “Mi Gente” or “Despacito.” You have to know what’s popular right now and what the traditional songs are. You know what? It could even go more than that. Maybe they’re into heavy metal. How are you going to mix that into, and where are you going to mix that into the reception? You have to have a DJ or an entertainer that matches your passion. If you want somebody that’s going to not make any master of ceremony announcements, then that’s fine. Then that’s the type of DJ that you want to hire. Or maybe you want somebody that’s going to be the rah-rah hype that really gets everybody involved, that’s going to have this grand entrance that’s going to get everybody excited. Then that’s the person that you hire. For me to start, it’s going to be hiring the right wedding DJ or entertainer that’s going to be playing the music at your reception.

Tip 2: Trusting the DJ

My second tip is not trusting the DJ. Wow. Yes, I can tell you how many times that I hear stories of couples giving a list of 100 songs and wanting them played in order. If that’s what you want as a wedding couple, that’s fine, then that’s what you’re going to get. But then just realize that the timing could be off and you’re getting that 100 songs, and maybe that’s not what your guests are into. Maybe that’s only what you’re into. So for pro DJs, they will read the room, they’ll say, “Okay, they’re into the classic rock. Let’s play some of that.” Or they’re not into it, let’s avoid that. Let’s play some eighties hair bands. Are they into that? No, they’re not into that. But they’re into the nineties, you know, they’re into Paramore. They’re into Blink-182. You’re having conversations with the guests as they’re going to the buffet table, or even as you’re getting requests beforehand and even at the event. So make sure that the pro DJs, you trust them in creating the atmosphere and the excitement that you want for your reception. You know, it goes back to hiring the right DJ, but you also have to trust that you hire the right one. Why have so much more stress? There are some DJs that are okay with getting 500 songs and there are some DJs that are okay with getting 20 songs. You’re having that conversation beforehand, before you sign that contract. And I think that’s really important because then you will have that trust if you get those 20 songs like “Down” by Jay Sean or “Yeah” by Usher. So it just gives them an idea of what you want. If you say country, what kind of country? It could be George Strait, it could be Florida Georgia Line, it could be Patsy Cline. Just trusting that your DJ is going to know that music. And make sure that you’ve hired the right person, that you can trust them to play that music, but then also how to pivot from that. I think that’s what a professional DJ will really come in handy, because you’re saying George Strait, you’re playing the George Strait, classic Texas country or the classic. From Waylon Jennings to George Strait and nobody’s really responding, then you have to be able to pivot and know what music to play and to test hopefully before that party time.

Tip 3: Knowing the DJ’s Mixing Style

Number three is knowing the DJ’s mixing style. This could vary widely. Are they quick mixing? Are they going in and just playing a couple of the verses of the chorus, going from song to song to song? Is that the type of DJ mixing style that you want? Or maybe you want to have two verses or three verses. Maybe you’re going to play about 40 seconds of each song. That way you just get the essence of each song. I recently heard a DJ mix uploaded by Dan Carpenter in the Mix Cloud, and I really liked it because it was enough of the song that I kind of knew and I could sing along and it wasn’t, “Oh my gosh, this is a great song. Next song.” Uh, that’s not the style that I want, but if you’re a couple that likes that, make sure that you know the mixing style of the DJ. Check out their Instagrams, check out their Facebook posts, TikTok, you know, go in there so that way you can see them mixing. And I think that’s important for the couples and for DJs too, that when you’re on their social medias, you see them doing the work. It’s not just a camera version of the crowd. I want to see what my DJ is doing. And I think that’s vital just to make sure that, “Hey, this is what this DJ is doing and he’s doing what he’s saying that he’s doing.”

Tip 4: Playing the Original Songs

Number four, if at all possible, play the original songs. And going off of the mixing style too, are you missing your favorite parts of your songs? We say that a lot of couples, they know their songs from the radio. And if your favorite song is “American Pie” by Don McLean and it’s an eight-minute song or “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights,” and it’s a really long song and the DJ cuts it out and you wanted to sing it all the way with your friends. Make sure that you have those conversations to say, “Don’t be cutting these short.” Hopefully you’ve hired the right DJ, you’ve trusted them, and they’re going to be making those decisions. They listen to streaming. They’re not listening to the radio edits or the DJ cuts. Of course, there are great versions. I know there’s a great dance version cover of “Don’t Stop Believing” that drifts away from the classic rock song, but it’s a great dance song. But I’m telling you, most of the time you’re going to want the original versions, if at all possible. If you’re playing “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. For me, I want to play the original because I know everybody’s going to be singing along. Another take on that though is for non-blondes. If you’re looking for a slower version, then the original is great for the cocktail hour or even for dinner. But if you’re in the dance set, then the DJ Miko dance cover of that song is another great song. So you really gotta have that conversation of, “Do you want mostly original?” Because I’m going to tell you that the crowd is going to really relate to those songs and know what they are. Instead of having this massive intro where they’re wondering what song it is, and I don’t want to have that lull from song to song to song. I want them to blend well, so that way they know what each song is. And a great way to do that is to try to play as much of the original song as possible.

Tip 5: Playing the Wrong First and Last Song

Last up, number five. Playing the wrong first and last song. Wow. I bet you didn’t know I was going to say that. So playing the wrong song, what does that mean? Well, people remember the beginning and the end. If you’ve ever interviewed people during a day long of interviews, you always remember the first people, the last people, and also the ones that really stand out. So you always want to try to be at the beginning and the end. So for me, you have to know what song you’re going to start off with. And what song you’re going to end with. And you gotta make that epic because that is what guests are going to remember. Now, what’s funny is I am not saying the grand entrance. I’m talking about what songs are going to play when the doors open. When your guests first arrive, you’re really setting that tone. That’s what guests are going to remember. I’m not saying start off with “Uptown Funk” and “September,” I’m not saying that. I’m saying that making them memorable, making those great songs, because people are going to remember how that reception began. Even as they are entering, you’re going to have a reception of, let’s say a hundred people, maybe only 20 people are there. They’re going to be talking to the other people that are coming in. So, set that tone with those first songs. And finally the last song, some people like playing slow songs. Some people like to end on a high note. Of course, I’m going to talk to a hundred DJs and probably 90 of them will say, “End on a high note.” That’s great too. But if everybody’s circling the couple, congratulating the couple, they’re all singing along. Even if it’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” as an example, and they’re really into classic rock, or they’re really into Queen, then you know what? That’s a great way to end too. It doesn’t always have to be on that. “Now That We Found Love” by Heavy D and the Boyz, or it doesn’t have to be “Levels” by Avicii. It doesn’t have to be those really high notes. It can be those loving, just memorable, your wedding day is over. Let’s just end this as a connected moment with everybody that’s still left at the reception.

Conclusion

So those are my five tips. Stay tuned for the future episodes because I’m going to be doing a lot of one-on-one interviews of DJs and so much more coming up in the future episodes. So make sure you tune in for that. If you’re watching on YouTube, I appreciate it. Make sure you subscribe by clicking the subscribe button. If you don’t know our YouTube channel, it’s at MyWedSongs. The links are on our website at myweddingsongs.com. And make sure you give us a review or rating on your favorite podcast platform, Spotify, Apple Music. It’s much appreciated, just shows that you love what I’m doing here. Thanks for listening and have a great day.