By Mike Dow
Knowing what songs you want to hear at your wedding reception is just as important as the ones you don't.
When I meet with a bride and groom for the first time, I want to hear the vision they have for their wedding reception. We discuss the various events and special songs they have selected to go with them. Music is a key element for a successful reception and when the DJ or band plays the right song at the right moment, everything in the happy couple’s world at that moment is perfect.
While choosing the songs you WANT to hear at your reception is one of the fun parts of wedding planning, taking the time to put together your DO NOT PLAY list is also important. It may only include one or two titles, or possibly an entire genre of music (for example: no country music, no hip hop, no techno, etc). The point is, it’s your night and if there is a particular song or style of music that could momentarily zap that blissful feeling of joy, you should not have to hear it.
I have saved the itinerary for every wedding reception I’ve been involved with and have put together a list of songs that could be considered the biggest offenders. These are the most frequently requested DO NOT PLAY songs at my receptions. I was a little surprised to discover that they have one thing in common—they are ‘group dance’ songs. Whether it’s line dancing to The Electric Slide or the poultry in motion that is The Chicken Dance, they are all tunes designed for synchronized group dancing which is the big reason why they are simultaneously popular and unpopular. One caveat: One person’s wedding reception buzz-kill is another person’s ‘greatest reception song EVER!’
• YMCA: The Village People
• The Electric Slide: Marcia Griffith
• The Macarena: Los del Rio
• Chicken Dance: Henry Hadaway (and various other versions)
• Cha-Cha Slide: DJ Casper
• The Cupid Shuffle: Cupid
• The Loco-motion: Grand Funk Railroad, Kylie Minogue, Little Eva
Some people love group dance tunes and DJ’s typically don’t mind playing them, because a certain portion of the crowd will always respond by packing the dance floor Whether it involves shaking their tail feathers—like a chicken—or putting their arms in the air to spell out the letters Y.M.C.A. Some people will always love these songs.
The bride and groom should ask themselves, “Do we want to eliminate these potentially polarizing songs or allow them for our guests who can’t wait to get out there and do the Electric Slide?”
Ultimately, it’s your day, it’s your night, it’s your party. You do have final say over the music played at your wedding reception. The Cha-Cha Slide might be the song that you dislike more than anything on earth, but if you know it’s going to pack the dance floor, are you going to insist it isn’t played? You absolutely have the right to do that but if one of your goals is to provide a celebratory atmosphere where your friends and family feel all-inclusive, you may want to limit the number of banned titles at your reception.
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Photo by Russell Caron Wedding Photography
Mike Dow is heard each morning as part of “The Mike and Mike Show” on Kiss 94.5. He has been providing DJ and MC duties at wedding receptions, company parties and corporate events for over 20 years. More information can be found at www.mikedow.net.
