Another find on my search! Again not from me this was also taken from online

Tips to help choose your wedding music!
Will put a list of songs I found on as well!

Your first inclination when picking the music for your reception might be to reach for your favorite college dance party mix, the latest Fergie song you've been jogging to, or the top hits from the '80s. But most weddings include guests from all age groups and walks of life, and your music choices should be sensitive to their needs. Some of your favorite songs might seem harmless enough on your iPod, but they could make for some awkward situations when played for a big, age-diverse crowd. Think about chatting with your grandfather with Madonna's "Like a Virgin" on in the background — not so fun. Accidentally including the explicit version of a song that seemed so innocuous on the radio could also make things uncomfortable.


* If you're hiring a DJ or band, be clear about your likes and especially your dislikes. No "Electric Slide" or "Macarena"? Make it known — in writing.
* Think about the kind of feel you want your reception to have. Is it a high-energy party? Go heavy on the up-tempo tunes. Want a dreamier, more romantic tone? Include your favorite love songs from a variety of decades.
* It's usually impossible to please everybody, but music is one area where you can try. Know that your aunt and uncle love salsa dancing? Ask them to recommend a few tunes — and make sure they're willing to show off their moves. You could even include a spot on your response cards for guests to suggest their favorite dancing songs.
* Have a song that you absolutely must have at your wedding — but fear it could baffle or even offend older relatives? Save it for late in the evening, when most of the remaining revelers will be your friends.

Tips to Help You Choose Your Wedding Music for a Wedding Reception Less Ordinary

For most people, the wedding music is the main part, if not the sole source of the wedding entertainment. The main choices are a DJ who will play recorded music, or a band to perform the wedding music. Which you decide on depends on a number of factors, including your wedding music budget and your taste.

Music for the ceremony.
If you are planning to have wedding music played at the ceremony as well as the reception, odds are you will need to make two different bookings. The type of wedding music appropriate for a ceremony is generally different from that expected at the reception. Often the church or ceremony venue has musicians available to be booked along with your reservation for the ceremony time. They may even include wedding music as part of the ceremony package – be sure to inquire. It’s a good idea to ask to hear the musician perform prior to the wedding to be sure it fits your taste.

Choosing a band.
If you decide to have a live band provide your wedding music at the reception, there are a few things to bear in mind. Bands are generally more expensive than DJ’s, with higher fees, and may also expect a tip at the end of the night. They will also generally take more breaks than a DJ, meaning pauses throughout the night. Although there are wonderful wedding bands out there with a large repertoire of wedding music choices, you will still be limited in the type of music they can provide. A live band however does provide an ambience that a DJ can’t quite match.

Hiring a DJ.
If you decide to go with a DJ, ask for references from friends who have recently had weddings, or from the venue. They may have a DJ who provides wedding music there regularly. A DJ offers the advantage of a much wider selection of music from all genres. This will make it easier to include music from different eras and musical styles. It will ensure your music is varied. DJs are often less expensive, but may also expect a tip. Be sure to sit down with your DJ ahead of time to discuss the playlist and make sure you hear the music you prefer.

Wedding music for everyone.
At the average wedding the guest list will include people of all ages and varying musical tastes. While you can’t ensure that everyone enjoys all of the wedding music, you can make selections that will appeal to the widest range of people. Ask your DJ or band for their tips on crowd-pleasing music selections. They will know which songs generally bring people out on the dance floor. Try to aim for a mix of faster beats and slower songs, and choose well-known artists people will recognizse. If there are many people from an older generation, try to include some of the hits from their era. It will be nostalgic and special for them to dance to those songs.

The Garter Removal and Toss is a very fun and sometimes “risque” moment in a wedding. Depending on how sensitive your family and friends are, you may choose to leave it out of the Wedding Reception itinerary entirely, or you might simply tone it down a little. Other couples might want to really put on a show, but remember, this is YOUR wedding, do whatever you like!
Generally it’s a good idea to choose a song to accompany the Garter Removal and Toss, and the DJ will play the song and immediately the MC will ask all of the “single” or unmarried guys in attendance to come to the dancefloor and stand by as the groom prepares to remove the garter from the Bride’s leg. Once the garter is removed, the groom will wait for the MC’s cue and will proceed to toss or flick the garter into the group of single men, who will undoubtedly all fight to get as far away from the garter as possible! No matter who catches it, there’s always a lot of laughter involved.

Picking the Garter Toss Song is not always so easy, so we’ve complied this list from Grooms who we worked with in 2010, these are songs they chose for the Garter toss. If you need a reference to listen to, we suggest going to Youtube and searching for the song by artist and title, and hopefully you’ll find one of these that you like. If not, we encourage you to pick whatever song you want, cause it’s your wedding! Happy Planning and have fun guys!

1.) A Little Less Conversation- Elvis Presley
2.) Animals- Nickelback
3.) Another One Bites The Dust- Queen
4.) Are you Going To Be My Girl- Jet
5.) Baby Got Back- Sir Mix Alot
6.) Bad Things- Jace Everett
7.) Cherry Pie- Warrant
8.) Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?- Rod Stewart
9.) Danger Zone- Kenny Loggins
10.) Fever- Peggy Lee or Michael Buble
11.) Girls- Beastie Boys
12.) Highway To Hell- ACDC
13.) Hoochie Koo Rock & Roll- Rick Derringer
14.) Hungry Like The Wolf- Duran Duran
15.) I want You (She’s So Heavy)- The Beatles
16.) Indiana Jones Theme Song- John Willams
17.) Legs- ZZ Top
18.) Lets Get It On- Marvin Gaye
19.) Minnie The Moocher- Cab Calloway
20.) Mission Impossible theme song
21.) Naughty Boy- Gunther
22.) Oh Yeah- Yello (Theme from Ferris Buller’s Day Off)
23.) Peek-A-Boo- Siouxsie And The Banshees
24.) Playing With The Boys- Kenny Loggins
25.) Rocky Theme
26.) Sharp Dressed Man- ZZ Top
27.) Short Skirt, Long Jacket- Cake
28.) Smooth Criminal- Michael Jackson
29.) Steeler Tune
30.) Stripper – David Rose Orchestra
31.) What A Man- Salt N’ Peppa
32.) When I’m Sixty-Four- Beatles
33.) Who Let The Dogs Out- Baha Men
34.) Wild Things- Troggs
35.) You Can Leave Your Hat On- Joe Cocker
36.) You Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC

1. Don’t dance alone for too long!
When it comes to those traditional pre-arranged dances such as the first dance or father/Bride dance, you don’t have to stay on the dance floor in the spotlight throughout the Entire song. The DJ/MC or Band can do several things to make this moment a little shorter without being obvious. Have them make an announcement to ask others to Join you on the dance floor, or the Emcee will simply ask everyone to applaud you as the DJ fades the song and moves right on to the next scheduled dance. If you’re asking people to join you on the floor half way through a song, be sure to ask a few couples ahead of time to be prepared to get up there and get the rest of the crowd into it.

2. Silence isn’t beautiful
Every Wedding Ceremony needs music, especially the crucial period just prior to the start of the ceremony, approximately 20-30 minutes. As your guests arrive, you need to have music playing, possibly a hired musician or the DJ playing pre-recorded music. If you choose a DJ, you can play anything you want! Sometimes our clients choose classical chamber music, or strings arrangements of Popular songs such as the group “Vitamin String Quartet”. You can also choose acoustic music like Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, James Taylor, or Jazzy hits of the 20′s 30′s and 40′s. Either way, this sets the mood for what the evening is going to feel like, but Silence is not an option. Even in the most serene setting, a Wedding is a celebration and should be accompanied by great music!

3. Before you hire a musician, think about the Space!
If you are having a beach wedding ceremony and you hire a harpist to play, it’s possible and quite likely that unless the harp is amplified, the sound of crashing waves and wind will drown out the instrument. In fact, this could even be the case for a string quartet. Ask the Venue coordinator what the acoustic limitations of the venue are and instead of a harp, maybe you hire a DJ to play amplified pre-recorded music, or hire a sound system for the harpist to apply a microphone to her performance. These are things to consider no matter if you’re on a beach, a mountaintop, near a waterfall, or in a large church.

4. The Church has Rules!
If you’re having a Church Wedding Ceremony, remember, even if you’re a Member, it’s not just Your Church. There are almost always rules regarding music when it comes to churches and synagogues. Many locations require you to use their musician or pianist/organist. Some churches will not allow ANY secular music, meaning you’ve got to throw that strings version of Chris Brown’s Forever out the door and stick to traditional pieces like Pachelbel’s Cannon in D, or Bach’s Air on a G String, or Ave Maria by Franz Schubert! Before you assume, you should ask about any music restrictions at the church.

5. Take charge of the Music
You’ve hired a pro Band or DJ for the reception, the band has 200 songs in their repertoire, the DJ has 25,000. You have options! Make sure to tell the entertainment what you do and DO NOT want to hear. You don’t have to pre-program every last second of the reception music, but you shouldn’t just say “Have at it Mr. DJ” We like to have the guidance of the Bride and Groom because we play songs that say something about you as a couple, your personal music tastes are important! At the same time, maybe there’s a song you hate or that has painful memories associated with it, make sure to ask that the song is NOT Played. Beyond that, obviously you should trust the pro to play great music but don’t be afraid to step in and ask the band or DJ to play more of your style of music if that’s the feel you want your wedding to have and the entertainer is straying too far from it.

6. Don’t Blow your guests eardrums!
DJs and Bands LOVE loud music, maybe you do as well. But, it’s not a good idea to blow the speakers out at your wedding. Granted, as the night goes on and the dancing is really cranking, the music should be louder, but make sure you have a word with your entertainment beforehand to keep the music at a tolerable level as the evening progresses. We can say for sure that we always watch our volume levels, and there’s nothing worse than being asked to turn down the music, especially when we know it isn’t very loud…but, sometimes, DJs and Bands can’t tell with certainty if the music is getting too loud, especially if they’re into the dance set and working hard. It’s not a bad idea to ask an attendant to keep their ears open to the volume and if it’s a problem to assign them to ask the entertainment to turn it down so you and your fiance don’t have to worry about it! Either way, you want everyone to have fun and there’s a time and place for the music to progressively get louder.

7. Dirty Words Do Hurt You!
Your Wedding is no time or place for explicit language…whether delivered in a speech by the drunken groomsman or in the MUSIC. Keep in mind, older guests will be offended by foul language at your wedding, so there’s no reason to play it in the music, considering we have edited versions of songs. Most songs are edited for radio, but there are some that are still questionable and could offend some in attendance. Ask yourself if the song is Truly that important.

9. Heavy Metal is probably too heavy.
I love hard rock and classic rock. I also love some heavy metal and punk, but there’s an appropriate time and place for that music, and it’s almost certain that your wedding is not the place. If you MUST fit it into the evening, don’t have it played during dinner…and don’t stop the dancing just to appease your need to hear Tool or Slayer. I promise you, 90% of your guests will not appreciate it. Play that music at a planned time, maybe you and your buddies have a mosh pit routine you want to do and the guests will find it hilariously entertyaining and might even want to get involved, that could be interesting to see grandma in a pit! Either way, don’t insist on including it if it doesn’t fit the overall mood of the event, or just play it really late in the evening when most of the older folks have gone home. If however, you have a Heavier more edgy wedding planned, by all means, Rock On!

10. Don’t get stuck on one genre of music
You love 80′s New Wave, or you are a Hip-Hop connoisseur, Great! Now, just don’t play that music all night at your wedding and we’ll all be happy. Too much of a good thing is never good. Mix it up, that’s what DJs do really well. We want everyone to enjoy themselves and feel like they have a chance to dance to the kind of music that makes them move, so it’s best to play short blocks of 3 or 4 of the same kind of music and then mix out to something else. As the night progresses and we’re left with die hard dancers, then we can cater to whatever style of music they want to hear the most and stick to that for a while. In general the rule for Music Entertainers is, play a great mix, everyone has fun!

The Mother/Son or Groom and Mother Dance is a very special but relatively new tradition at Weddings. This allows the Groom to honor his mother or another special lady in his life with a special dance. When it comes to choosing a song to dance with your mom, it can be a tricky, but we’re making it a little easier. Below is a list of 37 songs that over 98 Grooms we worked with in 2010, chose to dance with their moms. There are some great songs here!
If you aren’t familiar with one of the songs, we suggest that you go to Youtube and search for the song by title and artist and listen there, then come back to us for more Wedding Music Request tips. Best Wishes!

1.) 100 Years- 5 For Fighting
2.) A Song For Momma- Boyz II Men
3.) Amor De Madre- Victor Manuel
4.) Because You Loved Me- Celine Dion
5.) Blessed- Elton John
6.) Bop- Dan Seals
7.) Child Of Mine- Carole King
8.) Close To You- Carpenters
9.) Don’t Blink- Kenny Chesney
10.) Fascination- New 101 Strings Orchestra
11.) Fernando- Abba
12.) Hero- Mariah Carey
13.) I Hope You Dance- Lee Ann Womack
14.) I Will Be Here- Steven Curtis Champman
15.) I’m a Believer- Monkees
16.) In My Life- The Beatles
17.) In Your Eyes- David Chamberlin
18.) It’s Your Song- Garth Brooks
19.) Love Like Crazy- Lee Brice
20.) Memories- Elvis Presley
21.) Moonlight Serenade- Glen Miller
22.) My Wish- Rascal Flatts
23.) New York State of Mind- Billy Joel
24.) Open Arms- Journey
25.) Over The Rainbow- IZ
26.) Some Enchanted Evening- Perry Como
27.) Sunrise Sunset
28.) Sweet Child O’ Mine- Taken By Trees
29.) The Honey Trees- Edelweiss
30.) The Way You Look Tonight- Frank Sinatra
31.) Wedding Coat- Wedding Coat
32.) What a wonderful World- Louie Armstrong
33.) When You Come Back Down- Nickel Creek
34.) Wonderful Tonight- Eric Clapton
35.) You Decorated My Life- Kenny Rogers
36.) You Raised Me Up- Josh Groban
37.) Youl’ll Be In My Heart- Phil Collins

Hehehe i was going to but h2b doesnt want to lol

nice one Hails

Great post Hails, very helpfull :0) xx

BUMPING

Good post :)

Bumping for MrsRachelW2b

Ant soooooooo won't be up for the Garter toss!

Thanks for the tips! xx

No I'm not doing the garter toss either..............bit hard if i dont have one heheheh
as for the bouquet i'm getting a smaller version made so i can toss that and keep mine ;-)

I thought that Nicole. I wouldn't want it to get destroyed so soon.

Claire88 is this one any help??

Aha thanks girls xx

Omg so much info but thanks so much for posting it, lots of fab ideas :)

Won't be doing the bouquet toss as I'm putting it on my mums grave and the garter removal won't be happening either lol......not something I think is suitable for my kids, parents or grandparents to see :s

Bumping for Stacey!!!

bumb :)

We had cannon in d - took us a whole evening to find a version we liked!!!

On itunes hun. Will have a look and see which version it is/what it's called so you can have a listen x

We had canon in D major
Album - "worlds greatest wedding music - the only classical wedding ceremony album you'll ever need"
artist - Mainz chamber orchestra, gunter kher conductor
length 5.54

x

Okies x

We've chosen all our music except our walking out one - so hard to choose...

Yay, glad I could help Sijen, we didn't take 5 mins, but had someone fade it as well x

Jill, we're just going to have our cd on too (hopefully) with all the songs for ceremony and register signing. Then some songs for reception whilst we're off getting our pics done, really want a pianist as there's a gorgeous baby grand piano in the hotel which we are free to use but that is last on our list of non-essentials ;o(