After your wedding ceremony, it’s time for the reception – a party for all the family and friends to get together and celebrate the happy couple. If you’re looking to create an impact on your wedding day and want to inspire a happy and joyful atmosphere, there’s a lot riding on your wedding reception playlist. The music that you choose for your celebrations afterwards will set the scene and the mood that you want, whether you opt for super-romantic or a fun family party. Read on for our top suggestions for your wedding reception playlist.
#1. Live Band:
Nothing comes close to having a live band perform at your wedding reception! Although this might be on the pricier end of the scale, if you have the budget, it’s definitely worth splashing out on a live performance for your wedding reception. To save money, you might want to consider asking music students or local non-professional musicians if they’d like to perform for a small fee to gain some popularity and show off their work.
There are several ideas that you might want to consider for a live performance – a big band is a great idea for a jazz-themed wedding reception, or a string quartet is perfect if you’re looking for classy and sophisticated. If you’re looking for more of a party atmosphere, an R&B, soul or pop band could be an ideal choice. For a more romantic feel, have a singer/songwriter write and perform a customized love song. Choirs can also be a great choice for live entertainment.
#2. DJ:
For most wedding receptions, a DJ is the most cost-effective option. Along with your wedding photographer, your wedding reception DJ should be something that you’re willing to budget more for in order to get a professional service. You may be able to save money by allowing a friend or family member to bring their sound system and wedding playlist, but you can’t always bank on the quality being too great. The music will really set the scene and atmosphere during your wedding reception, so make sure that it’s professionally done.
A professional DJ with experience working weddings will make your reception even better by reading the crowd and choosing the right types of music accordingly – is it time to put on a slow, romantic love song, or a golden oldie that grandma can’t wait to get up and dance to? A professional DJ will always be on hand to take requests and keep everyone happy with the music choices.
#3. What to Include on Your Playlist:
Putting together a playlist for your wedding reception can turn out to be more stressful than you anticipated. Although you want to play songs that mean a lot to the two of you for your special day, you might find that compromises are sometimes needed to keep your guests happy.
Once you’ve found a professional DJ for your wedding reception, it’s a good idea to speak to them about anything that they would recommend, particularly crowd-pleasers. After the first dance and other dance songs, create a playlist of popular love songs with a mixture of soft, romantic, and catchy. Don’t be afraid to mix it up with other genres – it’s your wedding reception, so the main thing is to play music that you enjoy.
#4. Guest Performances:
If your wedding guests are up for it, you can turn entertainment into a fun party game by having guest performances. Karaoke is a fun idea for a wedding party filled with light-hearted laughter and good fun. Or, if you and your guests are always up for fun and creativity, you could turn your wedding reception into a talent show and have guests compete for wedding-themed prizes. This is a great idea if your friends enjoy performing and are always up for something fun and different.
There are several other entertainment ideas that you may want to consider alongside music for your wedding reception. This could include anything from shock first dance performances to magicians, celebrity impersonators, and entertainers for young guests.
The music that you choose will set the scene for your wedding reception and can be one of the most memorable parts of your big day.
