10 Tips to Planning Your Wedding Music

How to Plan Your Wedding Music – My Wedding Songs – Bridal Musings – allison-heine-unsplash

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Brides, in 2021 not only can you be your own wedding florist, wedding planner, or stylist – we also give you full permission to plan your own wedding music like a professional DJ.

So, let’s kick off the music planning crash course! Meet My Wedding Songs, a site dedicated to helping you discover songs for every moment in your wedding. My Wedding Songs will help color the moments of your day and keep the energy flowing. Search by genre, artist, or categories like “Modern Love Songs” and “Father-Daughter Dance Songs.” It makes searching easier, organized, and inspired.

They also include helpful articles with information and tips on how to go about making your selections. Trying to choose a first dance song? Read along with their helpful tips as you make your selections (and no, you don’t have to pick a slow song!) We love how they’ve also compiled these into Spotify playlists as well, which makes listening to their suggestions even easier.

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With the right music selections, you’ll set the tone for the wedding ceremony, a chilled-out cocktail hour, a groovy night of dancing, a live-streamed event, or however your celebration is playing out. A choice wedding day playlist is easy to DIY, and whether you’re a musician like me or just a music lover, know it’s something easy you can DIY for your own wedding.

At Bridal Musings, we’ve spent years working at weddings and as professional wedding guests – so It’s only fair we share our well of planning tips with you! Here are our top 10 tips to planning your wedding music to guarantee the day goes off without a hitch.

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1. Outline The Day

Not all ceremonies are the same. How you plan your day will determine the events that need to be set to music. Do you want an entrance song when you and your partner arrive at the reception? Consider all the special moments and jot them down. And if you need extra help defining these moments, check out My Wedding Song’s list of wedding moments to set music to.

2. Chat About Taste

Where do you and your partner’s musical interests match? Do you have a few songs that are “your song?” If so, start there! Decide what style of music you and your partner want for the ceremony and reception. And we promise, there’s no wrong answers. You can get creative and find instrumental versions of your favorite songs for walking down the aisle, too!

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3. DJ or DIY

Whether your event is an elopement or a larger gathering, choosing between a DJ or DIY’ing your playlist will carry a different vibe for the evening. Whichever way you decide to go, know you can still create a “must play” list of songs for your DJ to best understand what type of party you want. If you’re doing a first dance or anything to that sort, you’ll want to already have those tunes selected.

Either way, we highly recommend you select a friend or industry professional be in charge of the music. This guarantees you won’t have to worry about keeping the evening flowing if anything goes wrong, and also that an indisposed guest won’t try to take over the tunes. Leave no playlist unattended!

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4. Live Band

Maybe you want live music, and that’s great too! From a funk band to a classical string quartet, live music can capture every mood across the spectrum. Do your research and find an ensemble that fits the style you’re going for as well as the covid guidelines in your area. We recommend creating a playlist of any specific songs you’d really like them to play. Often, groups know popular songs or are willing to make arrangements to accommodate your taste. Don’t be afraid to ask!

5. Craft Your Playlists

You get to be the mastermind of your day. Create a playlist for getting ready with your besties to alleviate any pre-wedding nerves. Or, create a playlist of happy music to play while guests are arriving. By making your own playlists, you not only avoid having to deal with any sort of “do not play” songs, but you also get to personalize your entire day.

My Wedding Songs is a huge help to compile the best music for each moment of your wedding day, with great resources like their Hottest 50 Wedding Songs picks. Lists like these get updated at the beginning of each month to include the freshest new songs to keep you feeling inspired.

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6. Music Rentals

Find out what type of sound system your venue has in place. Even if you don’t understand all the jargon, it will be helpful to communicate that list to your wedding DJ or the person in charge of running the sound. If you are going the DIY route (especially for outdoor celebrations) it might mean renting a PA system with speakers, a microphone, and equipment to amplify your sound. This is especially important for any locations that are off-the-grid (so consider electricity and cell reception, too!) If there’s on on-site coordinator for your venue, utilize them as a resource in planning out these details. Odds are they’ll have plenty of recommendations to help!

7. At Home Party

Having an at-home wedding? You can go more minimal on sound equipment! Depending on your setup, you may even be able to utilize a Bluetooth speaker connected to someone’s phone or computer. The great part about throwing an at-home wedding is that you can test out the sound plenty of times beforehand to see what works and what doesn’t. If you’ll be outdoors, consider a more ample speaker setup because the sound doesn’t always carry as far outdoors.

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8. Share Your Playlist!

This is such a fun perk of hosting any sort of virtual wedding! Share your playlists for the guests attending virtually, for anyone who can’t attend the wedding, or even for those who want to relive the memories. By saving the party playlist and sharing it with your guests it’s a fun gift they can enjoy whenever they need the pick-me-up. Speaking of, I would do anything to relive the evening playlist of Editor Claire’s Baja sun-soaked beach dream.

9. Keep Your Vision

Don’t feel pressured to make everyone happy with your wedding music. Anything from Jazz to R&B hits are appropriate as long as you know it makes you happy. And yes, My Wedding Songs has every style of music you could think of, in every decade, to get you started! Your guests are there because they love you and your partner. Odds are, they’ll be happy to celebrate however you have planned.

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10. Add A Surprise

This one’s completely up to you. But, as a bride who loves music, (and who got to play bass in my own wedding band) I’d recommend making sure there’s a musical moment that’s just for you.

Add a ridiculous song that doesn’t make sense on your playlist but that you know will make you smile. Maybe it’s a favorite from your childhood, or maybe it’s a song for your partner that you slipped in without them knowing. In a moment like that, just the two of you get to enjoy the feelings, and that’s completely priceless. Who doesn’t love a moment-turned-sing along to Cher’s “Believe?” You get the idea.

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Essential Info

Get started with My Wedding Songs to discover the best wedding songs for your day from start to finish. Sign up for their free newsletter to receive updates as new music is added, and be sure to catch their podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Follow My Wedding Songs on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Spotify to have access to hundreds of exclusive music lists.

This post was made in partnership with My Wedding Songs.