However which way you’re envisioning music for your wedding reception—and we’re talking about four to five hours of music, which is around 80 to 100 songs if you’ve booked a DJ or 50-to-60+ songs with a live band—there’s a huge amount of collaboration that goes into the planning stages. The beautiful thing about your wedding reception music is that it can be a little bit of everything: You’re welcome to skip around between a lot of genres and decades and styles that you both love.
“I always say that the wedding playlist is the soundtrack to the couple’s love story. Couples should consider adding more songs that resonate with who they are,” says Keanna O’Quinn of Sonic Sommelier. “Any song that reminds them of why they love each other is a good place to start and incorporating songs that are tied to memories they have with loved ones is also super important. The music should be a culmination of songs that are linked to the best moments of their lives.” Whether you’re working with a band, a few musicians, or a DJ, after a couple of discussions everyone will have a crystal clear understanding of the overall roadmap for the day—including any asks for key moments during your wedding reception, such as first dance songs or must-play dance floor anthems. But at some point, you also have to trust the talent you’ve booked to read the room and make magic happen.
