Creating the Mood: A Quick Guide to Wedding Reception Music

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Creating the Mood: A Quick Guide to Wedding Reception Music

Music forms the soundtracks to human life. Whether we’re working, playing a game, cooking, out with friends, or anything else, music moves us emotionally and mentally. Your wedding day is no different. Just like colors and brushstrokes craft a painting’s finer details, music can shape the mood and color of your event. This short guide explains what you need to know about reception music. You’ll also see some great tips for picking songs you and your guests will love.

Tunes for Your Cocktail Hour

Cocktail hour is a transition between your ceremony and reception dinner. With that in mind, the music should help your guests get into the mood. Expert Kristi Kellogg suggests selections that are uplifting but still promote a more relaxed vibe. Keep the slower songs for dinner hour or key moments on the dance floor. Faster songs are best after dinner hour’s over.

You’ll need about an hour’s worth of music, depending on your event’s schedule. Ideally, the cadence, speed, and volume should allow your guests to easily carry on conversations with the music going.

A Little Dinner Music, Maestro

Your budget may have room for music during dinner, supplied by your DJ or band. Martha Stewart Weddings mentions that it can add ambiance to the meal. Your guests can relax and enjoy their cuisine — just like you do when you’re dining out. When booking your entertainer of choice, you should inquire about additional costs for live music or a dinnertime playlist. Make sure it’s reflected in your price and your contract before you sign on the dotted line.

While you’re negotiating with your entertainers, don’t forget to discuss how dinner music will impact breaks and meals for your entertainers. This vendor etiquette guide from Brides offers useful advice on scheduling. Entertainers may want to eat during your cocktail hour and take shorter breaks during your wedding toasts. Another Martha Stewart Weddings piece suggests coordinating with your wedding planner and vendors on a break schedule.

Once you’ve elected to play dinner music, you must next decide what to play. You can collaborate with your entertainer to come up with ideas. If you’re working with a live band, the members may have some dinner standards they like to play. DJs also have some go-to selections for mealtime music. Avoid anything that’s super-loud or energetic — jazz, instrumentals, romantic songs, and anything with soft vocals are good choices.

Songs for Important Moments

Cocktail hour and dinner help create the mood. But specific songs punctuate key moments during your reception. The best way to choose those songs, says Wedding Wire Canada’s Alice Prendergast, is collaborating with your band or DJ. Don’t try to select all this music on your own. What’s more, you don’t want to finalize your selections without chatting with your entertainers.

When you’re picking special songs for your event, having a checklist can be helpful. In another Wedding Wire Canada article, Prendergast provides a comprehensive list of key moments during the reception. You have the entrance plus the first couple’s and parent-child dances. Meanwhile, you’ll want to keep some other reception music details in mind. You can combine the entrance and first dance, for instance, and use one song for this vital moment. Of course, that depends on if or how your DJ or bandleader introduces the rest of your entourage — your parents, the wedding party, and so forth. Certified wedding planner Judit Covarrubias Garcia clarifies that these introductions are optional.  

Music to Your Ears

Details are key when you’re designing your wedding. If you’re like many couples, you’ll take time and care picking your music. Work with your DJ or band to construct playlists for cocktail hour and dinner, plus vital moments like the first dance and cake cutting. Keeping the mood and moment in mind will also help your special day be even more memorable.

Creating the Mood: A Quick Guide to Wedding Reception Music

Music forms the soundtracks to human life. Whether we’re working, playing a game, cooking, out with friends, or anything else, music moves us emotionally and mentally. Your wedding day is no different. Just like colors and brushstrokes craft a painting’s finer details, music can shape the mood and color of your event. This short guide explains what you need to know about reception music. You’ll also see some great tips for picking songs you and your guests will love.

Tunes for Your Cocktail Hour

Cocktail hour is a transition between your ceremony and reception dinner. With that in mind, the music should help your guests get into the mood. Expert Kristi Kellogg suggests selections that are uplifting but still promote a more relaxed vibe. Keep the slower songs for dinner hour or key moments on the dance floor. Faster songs are best after dinner hour’s over.

You’ll need about an hour’s worth of music, depending on your event’s schedule. Ideally, the cadence, speed, and volume should allow your guests to easily carry on conversations with the music going.

A Little Dinner Music, Maestro

Your budget may have room for music during dinner, supplied by your DJ or band. Martha Stewart Weddings mentions that it can add ambiance to the meal. Your guests can relax and enjoy their cuisine — just like you do when you’re dining out. When booking your entertainer of choice, you should inquire about additional costs for live music or a dinnertime playlist. Make sure it’s reflected in your price and your contract before you sign on the dotted line.

While you’re negotiating with your entertainers, don’t forget to discuss how dinner music will impact breaks and meals for your entertainers. This vendor etiquette guide from Brides offers useful advice on scheduling. Entertainers may want to eat during your cocktail hour and take shorter breaks during your wedding toasts. Another Martha Stewart Weddings piece suggests coordinating with your wedding planner and vendors on a break schedule.

Once you’ve elected to play dinner music, you must next decide what to play. You can collaborate with your entertainer to come up with ideas. If you’re working with a live band, the members may have some dinner standards they like to play. DJs also have some go-to selections for mealtime music. Avoid anything that’s super-loud or energetic — jazz, instrumentals, romantic songs, and anything with soft vocals are good choices.

Songs for Important Moments

Cocktail hour and dinner help create the mood. But specific songs punctuate key moments during your reception. The best way to choose those songs, says Wedding Wire Canada’s Alice Prendergast, is collaborating with your band or DJ. Don’t try to select all this music on your own. What’s more, you don’t want to finalize your selections without chatting with your entertainers.

When you’re picking special songs for your event, having a checklist can be helpful. In another Wedding Wire Canada article, Prendergast provides a comprehensive list of key moments during the reception. You have the entrance plus the first couple’s and parent-child dances. Meanwhile, you’ll want to keep some other reception music details in mind. You can combine the entrance and first dance, for instance, and use one song for this vital moment. Of course, that depends on if or how your DJ or bandleader introduces the rest of your entourage — your parents, the wedding party, and so forth. Certified wedding planner Judit Covarrubias Garcia clarifies that these introductions are optional.  

Music to Your Ears

Details are key when you’re designing your wedding. If you’re like many couples, you’ll take time and care picking your music. Work with your DJ or band to construct playlists for cocktail hour and dinner, plus vital moments like the first dance and cake cutting. Keeping the mood and moment in mind will also help your special day be even more memorable.

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