Last night’s wedding was FUN. From the moment the guests walked in, you could tell they were ready to party. When I move guests from the cocktail area into the reception hall, I always play an upbeat, fun song, with the goal being to remind people they are walking into a party. I could tell it was working last night, because several people danced into the room before taking their seat for dinner. During dinner, I saw people dancing in their seats, so it was no surprise that when it came time to dance, everyone danced, and most of them kept dancing for the entire night.
There are several reasons that the dance floor stayed full last night:
- The guests were there to dance. Some groups are more into dancing than others, and this was definitely a dancing crowd.
- I read the room. If you look through the track list below, you’ll see that I moved from genre to genre, switched tempos, and kept things flowing all night. I don’t brag often, but I am really good at this, and last night is evidence of that skill.
- The MOST IMPORTANT REASON: the couple allowed ample time for dancing. Last night’s timeline was very simple:
5:30 Cocktail hour
6:30 Guests move into reception hall
6:40 Introduce the couple
6:42 First dance, parent dances, champagne tower
6:50 Dinner starts
8:00 Bride & Groom give think you speech
8:05 Group picture on dance floor
8:08 Dancing
10:50 Dancing ends
10:55 Private last dance
11:00 Reception ends
Note two important things: there were just under 3 hours allocated for dancing, and it was uninterrupted. There was no stopping to cut a cake, toss a bouquet, have an anniversary dance, serve a late night snack, or to do anything else. There were cocktails, there was a dinner, and then there was dancing, Lots of dancing. THAT is how you create a wedding day timeline that turns into a fun dance party.
Now that I’ve provide the recipe for a successful wedding party that you are all invited to copy, I’ll go back to writing about last night in particular. Many of the guests traveled to Austin to be at the wedding, primarily from Detroit and Boston. Knowing that there were guests from those cities helped me when it came to selecting the songs once dancing started. Different cities groove to different music, and some of my music choices were based on what I learned during the cocktail hour.
The reception took place at the Thompson Hotel, in Austin, Texas. This was my first time performing there, and I appreciate all the work Serafin and his team performed behind the scenes that made my job easy. I didn’t have to worry about anything other than being a DJ. I’m also quite grateful to Meek and Wild, the wedding planners, who are florists as well, who kept everything flowing on schedule, to the minute (a rarity in this industry), and made the room look beautiful.
In addition to DJ’ing, I brought a saxophonist who played for an hour during cocktails, and another hour during dinner. I also supplied a photobooth, so guests had printed pictures to take home as a remembrance of the night.
Finally, as always, I will share what I played, and in what order I played it.
Cocktail Music
Summer Wind – Frank Sinatra
Bei Mir Bist Du Schon – Janis Siegel
It’s Only a Paper Moon – Nat King Cole
Love and Marriage – Frank Sinatra
Hello, Dolly! – Louis Armstrong
I Left My Heart in San Francisco – Tony Bennett
I Can’t Get Started – Bunny Berigan
Anything Goes – Tony Bennett
Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby? – Dinah Washington
Angelina – Zooma Zooma – Louis Prima
Undecided – Ella Fitzgerald
Fever – Peggy Lee
Cheek to Cheek – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Sunday In New York – Bobby Darin
Sway (Quien Sera) – Dean Martin
Rags to Riches – Tony Bennett
Begin the Beguine – Andrews Sisters
Begin the Beguine – Ella Fitzgerald
Make Somebody Happy – Jimmy Durante
Takes Two To Tango – Pearl Bailey
Reception Music
Guests Move Inside: Rock With You – Michael Jackson
Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms) – The Detroit Emeralds
Unchain My Heart – Ray Charles
Couple’s Introduction: Bring ‘Em Out – T.I.
First Dance: Maybe I’m Amazed – Paul McCartney
Father / Daughter Dance: My Wish – Rascal Flatts
Mother / Son Dance: Even As You Go – Compass Road
Champagne Tower: How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – James Taylor
Dinner Music
I Can’t Help Myself – The Four Tops
Ooh Baby Baby – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Funky Drummer – James Brown
Lovely Day – Bill Withers
Saxophonist’s Set
Pictures of You – The Cure
Private Eyes – Hall & Oates
You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
What Is Hip? – Tower of Power
Somebody to Love – Queen
Fernando – ABBA
Dancing
I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
Copacabana (At the Copa) – Barry Manilow
Bizarre Love Triangle – New Order
Like a Prayer – Madonna
Show Me Love – Robin S.
Wannabe – Spice Girls
Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) – The Backstreet Boys
Poison – Bell Biv DeVoe
Apache – Sugar Hill Gang
Uptown Funk [feat. Bruno Mars] – Mark Ronson
Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
SexyBack – Justin Timberlake
Sarà Perché Ti Amo – Ricchi e Poveri
Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton
Cruel Summer – Taylor Swift
Teach Me How To Dougie – Cali Swag District
Tequila – The Champs
California Love [feat. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman] – 2Pac
Hypnotize – Notorious B.I.G.
Party In the U.S.A. – Miley Cyrus
…Baby One More Time – Britney Spears
Wobble Baby – V.I.C.
Dancing Queen – ABBA
Levitating – Dua Lipa
Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter
Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond
Pursuit of Happiness [Steve Aoki Remix] – Kid Cudi
I Was Made For Lovin’ You – Kiss
Be My Baby – The Ronettes
It’s Tricky – Run-D.M.C.
Low [feat. T-Pain] – Flo Rida
Levels – Avicii
I Love It [feat. Charli XCX] – Icona Pop
Tití Me Preguntó – Bad Bunny
Trap Queen – Fetty Wap
Mo Bamba – Sheck Wes
Sicko Mode [feat. Drake] – Travis Scott
Stanky Legg – GS Boyz
All I Do Is Win [feat. T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg & Rick Ross] – DJ Khaled
Without Me – Eminem
1, 2 Step – Ciara
Dancing On My Own – Robyn
Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
Livin’ On a Prayer – Bon Jovi
Baby Got Back – Sir Mix-A-Lot
Mr. Brightside – The Killers
All the Small Things – Blink-182
Toxic – Britney Spears
Friends in Low Places – Garth Brooks
Paper Rings – Taylor Swift
Yeah [feat. Lil Jon and Ludacris] – Usher
Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
Walk This Way – Run-D.M.C.
Intergalactic – Beastie Boys
Old Time Rock & Roll – Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
Twist and Shout – The Beatles
Footloose – Kenny Loggins
Take On Me – a-ha
As It Was – Harry Styles
Cupid Shuffle – Cupid
Fergalicious – Fergie
We Found Love [feat. Calvin Harris] – Rihanna
Last Dance: Closing Time – Semisonic
Private Last Dance: You – Miley Cyrus