Weddings can be stressful for a DJ. You want to make sure that you have the perfect wedding playlist to set the tone for the day. In this article, we will discuss the best wedding reception songs to help you deliver a great night’s entertainment.
Wedding Ceremony Music
You may be asked to play music during the wedding ceremony, or for the bride walking down the aisle. Some of the top wedding ceremony songs include traditional wedding hymns, classical wedding music, and romantic wedding ballads. Some popular wedding ceremony songs include:
- “Bridal Chorus” – Wagner
- “Ave Maria” – Franz Schubert
- “Canon in D” – Johann Pachelbel
- “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” – Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole
- “The Wedding March” – Felix Mendelssohn
- “Trumpet Voluntary” – Jeremiah Clarke
- “Ave Verum Corpus” – Mozart
- “A Midsummer Night’s Dream Op. 61: IX. Wedding March” – Felix Mendelssohn
- “Cello suite No. 1” – Bach
- “The Swan (Le Cygne)” – Saint Saens
Wedding Breakfast – Background Music
While the wedding party are enjoying their meal, or as the evening guests arrive, you will want some gentle music playing in the background. This will help to set the mood and make people feel relaxed. Popular wedding breakfast songs include:
- Don’t Know Why – Norah Jones
- Love Yourself – Justin Bieber
- I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
- Everglow – Coldplay
- I Miss You – Beyoncé
- Put Your Records On – Corinne Bailey Rae
- Warwick Avenue – Duffy
- (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman – Aretha Franklin
- Stay With You – John Legend
- I’m Not the Only One – Sam Smith
- Beyoncé – Halo
- Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love
- Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie – You Are So Beautiful
- Always Be My Baby – Mariah Carey
- Hold You in My Arms – Ray Lamontagne
- How Long Will I Love You – Ellie Goulding
- I Will Follow You Into the Dark – Jasmine Thompson
- Photograph – Ed Sheeran
- Skinny Love – Bon Iver
- The Way You Look Tonight – Tony Bennett
First Dance Song
The first dance is always a memorable moment for a bride and groom. If they don’t choose any music for the rest of the night, this is the one moment where they will want to ensure that the music is perfect.
Here are some of our top picks for first dance songs:
- Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
- You Are The Best Thing – Ray Montagne
- At Last – Etta James
- All of Me – John Legend
- A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
- Make You Feel My Love – Adele
- I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz
- Everything – Michael Buble
- Better Together – Jack Johnson
- Amazed – Lonestar
- Come Away With Me – Norah Jones
- First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes
- Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
- Lucky – Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat
- Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley
- Marry Me – Train
- Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
- What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
- Crazy Love – Van Morrison
- I’m Yours – Jason Mraz
Father – Daughter Dance
Often, the Bride will like to have a dance with her father after the first dance. It’s a tradition. The bride honoring her love and gratitude for her father, who has given her away. The father-daughter dance is a touching moment that can be made even more memorable with the perfect song choice.
Here are some of our favorite father-daughter dance songs:
- Heartland – I Loved Her First
- Tim McGraw – My Little Girl
- Bob Carlisle – Butterfly Kisses
- Rascal Flatts – My Wish
- Temptations – My Girl
- Chuck Wicks – Stealing Cinderella
- Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World
- Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely
- Dixie Chicks – Landslide
- Frank Sinatra – The Way You Look Tonight
- Zac Brown Band – The Man Who Loves You The Most
- Scott Thomas Laughridge – This Dance
- Celine Dion – Because You Loved Me
- Jason Blaine – Dance With My Daughter
- John Mayer – Daughters
- Lee Ann Womack – I Hope You Dance
- Phil Collins – You’ll Be In My Heart
- Paul Simon – Father And Daughter
- Camilia Cabella – First Man
- Jennifer Smestad – Half The Man
- Darius Rucker – It Won’t Be Like This For Long
- Krystal Keith – Daddy Dance With Me
- Al Martino – Daddy’s Little Girl
- Michael Buble – Forever Now
- Alan Jackson – You’ll Always Be My Baby
- Tom Petty – Wildflowers
- Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl
- Rod Stewart – Forever Young
- Sammy Kaye & His Orchestra – Daddy
- Nat King Cole – Unforgettable
Wedding Reception Songs
Now onto the main event: the evening reception. Not all couples will choose their music – they might just leave it up to you. It’s a good idea to have a playlist of go-to songs to pick from that will work at most general weddings, and get those guests on the dancefloor.
Read Next:
Here’s the top 100 requested wedding songs from 2021:
(Source: DJ Event Planner: – https://www.djeventplanner.com)
- Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
- Earth, Wind and Fire – September
- Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline
- Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk
- Usher – Yeah!
- Walk The Moon – Shut Up And Dance
- Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
- Killers – Mr. Brightside
- ABBA – Dancing Queen
- Cupid – Cupid Shuffle
- Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
- DJ Casper – Cha Cha Slide
- Flo Rida – Low
- Bon Jovi – Livin’ On A Prayer
- Spice Girl – Wannabe
- OutKast – Hey Ya!
- V.I.C. – Wobble
- Justin Timberlake – Can’t Stop The Feeling!
- Garth Brooks – Friends In Low Places
- Beyonce feat. Jay-Z – Crazy In Love
- Miley Cyrus – Party In The U.S.A.
- Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz – Get Low
- Backstreet Boys – Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)
- Bruno Mars – 24k Magic
- Bruno Mars – Marry You
- Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl
- Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling In Love
- Ed Sheeran – Perfect
- Chris Stapleton – Tennessee Whiskey
- Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee – Despacito
- B-52’s – Love Shack
- Kenny Loggins – Footloose
- AC/DC – You Shook Me All Night Long
- Toploader – Dancing In The Moonlight
- Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris – We Found Love
- Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen
- Shania Twain – Man! I Feel Like A Woman!
- Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby – Levitating
- Taylor Swift – Shake It Off
- Montell Jordan – This Is How We Do It
- Frank Sinatra – The Way You Look Tonight
- Beatles – Twist And Shout
- Nelly – Hot In Herre
- Chris Brown – Forever
- LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem
- Temptations – My Girl
- Sister Sledge – We Are Family
- Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud
- Maroon 5 – Sugar
- Pitbull feat. Kesha – Timber
- Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin – I Like It
- Sir Mix-A-Lot – Baby Got Back
- N’Sync – Bye Bye Bye
- Toto – Africa
- Old Crow Medicine Show – Wagon Wheel
- John Legend – All Of Me
- Daryl Hall & John Oates – You Make My Dreams (Come True)
- Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me
- Don Omar feat. Lucenzo – Danza Kuduro
- Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want To Have Fun
- Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)
- House Of Pain – Jump Around
- Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
- Backstreet Boys – I Want It That Way
- Lizzo – Truth Hurts
- Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of..)
- Animal House – Shout
- Jack Johnson – Better Together
- Luke Combs – Beautiful Crazy
- The Weeknd – Blinding Lights
- Beyonce – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
- Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama
- Diana Ross / Marvin Gaye – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
- Pharrell Williams – Happy
- Village People – Y.M.C.A.
- Beyonce – Love On Top
- Bryan Adams – Summer Of ’69
- Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
- Taio Cruz – Dynamite
- Pink – Raise Your Glass
- Pitbull – Fireball
- Wild Cherry – Play That Funky Music
- Ben E. King – Stand By Me
- Shakira – Hips Don’t Lie
- Kool & The Gang – Celebration
- Kygo and Whitney Houston / Steve Winwood – Higher Love
- Cobra Starship – You Make Me Feel
- Rednex – Cotton Eye Joe
- Queen – Don’t Stop Me Now
- DJ Snake feat. Lil’ Jon – Turn Down For What
- Zac Brown Band – Chicken Fried
- Etta James – At Last
- Natalie Cole – This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)
- Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
- Thomas Rhett – Die A Happy Man
- Foundations – Build Me Up Buttercup
- Kanye West- Gold Digger
- Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive
- Justin Timberlake – Sexyback
- Lady Gaga – Just Dance
Conclusion
These are some of the best, most requested songs at weddings that should be a great source for any DJ. Whether you’re looking for wedding first dance songs, background music, or simply wedding party songs to get the crowd dancing, there’s something here for everyone!
Read Next:
- Where do DJs get their music?
- Wedding DJ: Tips for Starting Out
- How To Read The Crowd; Be A Better DJ
- 10 Wedding DJ Equipment Checklist (The Essential Guide)
- How To Be A Wedding DJ
- The Best End-of-Night Songs
FAQs
Do I need to play background music at a wedding?
There is no requirement to play background music at a wedding, but many couples choose to include it as part of their wedding day activities. Playing music during the wedding ceremony or reception can help set the tone and mood for the event.
How do I choose the right wedding songs?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best wedding songs will vary depending on the couple’s personal taste and wedding style. Some key factors to consider when choosing wedding songs include the first dance, whether you want upbeat or slower-tempo music, and songs that hold special meaning to the couple.
What are some popular wedding songs?
Popular wedding songs vary depending on the couple’s taste and style, but some timeless classics include “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley, “At Last” by Etta James, and “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. Other popular wedding songs include modern hits like Bruno Mars’ “Marry You” and Justin Timberlake’s “Sexyback.”
What song gets everyone to the dance floor?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as the song that gets everyone to the dance floor will vary depending on the wedding crowd’s taste and preference. However, some popular wedding songs that are known to get people dancing include “Shout” by the Isley Brothers, “Y.M.C.A.” by the Village People, and “I Like It” by Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin.
What is the most played song at a wedding?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as wedding songs will vary depending on a number of factors, including wedding theme and crowd taste. However, some popular wedding songs that are commonly played at weddings include “At Last” by Etta James and “All Of Me” by John Legend. Other popular wedding songs include current hits like “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper and “Marry You” by Bruno Mars.
How many songs should I play at a wedding?
There is no magic number of songs to play at a wedding, as the number of songs will vary depending on the wedding timeline and the couple’s personal preference. However, a good rule of thumb is to play a few songs during the wedding ceremony and wedding reception, as well as several songs for the first dance and other wedding dances. Additionally, it is important to consider any special requests or must-play songs from the couple or wedding guests.
How do I make a DJ wedding playlist?
The most important thing is to speak to the couple well in advance, find out what they like and don’t like, what wedding songs are special to them and make sure you have a good selection of music to suit all tastes. You can use wedding song playlist tools like iWedPlanner and Spotify to help you create the perfect DJ wedding playlist.
How many songs do you need for a wedding reception?
The number of songs you need for a wedding reception will depend on the wedding timeline and the couple’s preference. However, a good rule of thumb is to play 15-20 songs per hour of reception time. This will ensure there is enough music to keep the wedding guests entertained throughout the event.
What are some do’s and don’ts for wedding DJs?
Some do’s for wedding DJs include being well-prepared with a variety of music to suit all tastes, making sure all equipment is in good working order, and being professional and courteous at all times. Some don’ts for wedding DJs include playing songs with explicit lyrics, drinking alcohol during the event, and becoming too involved in wedding activities.