start off with popular house/dance tracks, usually weddings have an older crowd and they love stuff like that... I would stay away from Hip-Hop, even the most mainstream like Usher - Yeah, but that's just from my experiences

LOL HAHAHAH. man look take take some 70's, disco, 80's and pop top 40 tracks. also you hsould know what kind of music they want and the type of people going to be there. i alwys in clude that in my contracts. i have done some weddings where it was all hip hop and r&b, some without any hip hop or r&b just take what you got on SSL and cd's and run with the crowd. you can also ask the bride and groom.

ive only done three weddings that I can think of, but from those, Ive played it different than most dj situations

first off, people really arent there to dance.... i usually find im more background music at weddings with the excpetion of about an hour long really cheesey dance party at the end

also, i always try to bring some really old music (frank sinatra, etc)..... there are always a good amount of parents and grandparents and whatnot who want stuff like that....

im sure it all depends on your friend though and how old they are?

Just don't play music about people losing their wives, divorces and stuff like that ;)

def. ask them what they want. but
usually everyone will get so wasted, they wont remember. :)

yes indeed Rev...haha

i was just at a wedding this past weekend and i can tell you what NOT to do... announce the song title on every track. OK, he didn't do it on every track, but seriously... if you're at a reception, you don't need to say "that's stayin alive by the bee gees." and the guy played with the flanger throughout the night--drove me nuts. it's like he just found the effect on his mixer.

www.usabride.com Check this out. It's "How to select a DJ", but I bet you can go the other way around too. It kind of give you some guidelines of what people expect.

I've done about 10 weddings (both black & white) and all are different.. ask the bride for a brief song list... That will kinda give you a clue to the vibe she is going for.

The groom and his friends will want to get drunk and hear some club stuff (i.e. goodies, yeah, ying yang..) during dinner play some cd101 type stuff (fourplay, anita baker, luther vandross..) I played 1 where the bride told me to play nothing but crunk music after the cake was cut (go dj, no problems...)and another bride wanted deep soulful house and old school jams (follow me, outstanding, encore...)

The bride will always recommend you for more weddings if you make her happy!!!!

NO MATTER WHAT... always have those damn electric slide songs...

Just buy the "Ultamate Wedding DJ Party 2005" CD....it's HOT!!! ;)

r u serious they have these? mean time i sit there and look for the music all singles. i can tell you having the Time Series from TV are great, the best of the 60's , motown, 80's they work out great too.

Na, I was just joking :)

I wanted to post something right away, but I was afraid that I would hurt your feelings if I started laughing (which I was at home).

:-)

Like Reality said, just make sure you have Electric Slide and every other variation :D

thanks everyone. I'm really thinking about those first 5 or 10 tracks, cross generation classics to get people up and dancing. i've got a pretty good idea of what the bride and groom want (a little later), but i've been asked to play some generic stuff at the beginning for the oldies.

start off with Celabration, then We Are Family then see whos on the floor from there.

We all know what they want later. You know what I'm saying? ;)

Check Mobile Beat Magazines website and see if they have posted there top 200 lists. www.mobilebeat.com

WOW thats an awsome list. i dont have some of those wedding gems.

#98 Magic stick Lil Kim and 50

I can see it now. Mommy whats a magic stick? *LOL

you would be suprised what older people like now adays. its always the grand parent or aunt who comes and asksfor freak a leak.

Or the five year old that requests Britney Spear's "Toxic".....yikes oO.

Yeha Mobile Beat is great on things like that. The lists are complied from DJ's all over the us and canada.

i've had grandparents asking me for 50's "In Da Club"...

Rule #1 - Stay away from weddings - Let those goofy dudes in bow-ties deal with that (They will learn to mix one day)

Rule #2 - Always observe rule #1 always.

If all fails, make sure you carry all the music you despise. You will need it, it's usually a staple at weddings.

be prepared to play as follows and NO SCRATCHING !! Grandma will ask what that noise is all about.

nb: These have to be played in this order

1. Dancing with my father - L. Vandross - For the bride
2. Whoop there it is - Tag Team - For the groom
3. Who let the dogs out - For the drunk grooms men trying to get fresh with the bridesmaids
4. I should be so lucky - Kylie Minogue - For the bridesmaids
5. Oh what a night - Frankie Vallie - For Granny (remember no scratching)
6. Step by Step - New Kids on the Block for the geeky teens
7. Oops I did it again - B Spears - For the teenage girls
8. Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice ( This is the Killer, it will be rolling off everybody's tongue at the end of the night

If this is too much see RULE #1

Good Luck

Nice rules, man ;)

My crates for weddings - 60's 70's 80's 90's Old Skool and dance.
If you get your hands on compilations of the decades, like 80'sdance party, you'll be way ahead of the game.
Don't forget the mushy/obscure stuff, for the special dances or entrances of people to rooms, I generally force the wedding party to come up with the tune(s) they want for the garter, money, etc. Dinner music is a must, take along a CD player and just let Kenny G, George Winston lul the party as they're grubbin. And when you actually have to use mixing skills for the ending party time. Forget it!!! Don't beat match long mixes and play the songs almost till they bleed out. Old folks know the songs, the words and want to HEAR the WHOLE THING!! No fast mixing, no scratching, no trick crossfades, again, I insist this is not wedding stuff, unless you have an exceptional crowd, called DRUNKS and they insist, even then keep it subtle, they don't know what the heck you're doing, they're just DRUNKS.

Also note that your actual dance time is not even a quarter the time you'll be the DJ, so advanced sets for dance time are not neccesary. A few requests will jack up anyhow. Forcing the wedding party to post-a-note their favorite dance tunes and give you the CD's is a nice trick, saves you some guess work.

If you should happen to do well, See the above RULES..... If you do not have a successful night, remind yourself of these rules the next time you are asked. Eventually you'll have a crappy wedding party (non-drinkers) and you'll be the jerk of the brides SPECIAL DAY.....

Done a few weddings, and refuse now to do them unless the cash is heaping or I know the people really well and have complete confidence going in that I can knock the roof off the Reception. Even then, I still think of the rules...
(Weddings suck.)

i disagreee FIND WEDDINGS, man i make alot for nothing work at weddings, and coperate events. think about it $1,000 for 5 hours of my time. play an hour long cd of some smooth jaze, light R&B for cocktails, some dinner music for another hour, a few key songs they need for dances, and 2 hours of mixing it up. then i usually still have time to make my club nights. don't know about you but thats well worth my time. and shit i grew up on alot of that music anyway so its nice to take myself back now and then.

We should write a manual on DJ'ing and MC'ing weddings. We could all stand to make some wedding money. Plus a lot of "Wedding DJs" although are very good at formalities of a wedding are very bad DJ's. OK I am straying from topic now. This usually works for me.

1.slow jams (dinning time easy listening)
2. smooth r&b (coctail hour)
3. formalities (you know all those special dances)
After the formalaties are over with like the dad dancing with duaghter couples first dance and and the grooms men and brides mades dance get into some more universal music perferrably 80's. I would more likely say black 80's because I think black 80's are a little more universal than white 80's.

4. Prime Time

Dont Stop - Michael Jackson
Kiss - Prince
Poison - BBD
Rythym of the Night - Debarge
Glamourous Life
September - Earth Wind and Fire
Into the Groove - Madonna
When Doves Cry - Prince
Toni Tony Tone - Feels good
Wild Thing - Tone Loc


Line Dancing
Cha Cha Slide 2
Chicken Dance (a wedding favorite)

Hip-Hop time Play the top 10 or 20 with no curses!
1,2 Step
Goodies without Pette Pablo
Joe Buddens - Pump it Up
Be Faitfull - Fat Man Scoop (Save The last Dance Soundtrack)
Crazy in Love - Beyonce
etc...

Truth be told that you will do very little actual DJ'ing at weddings. The best thing to do is feel people out and watch for crowd reaction.

Sam, if this is a kiwi wedding, have some big kiwi hits on standby. Like stuff from the Bliss CDs, or the Nature's Best CDs.

Kiwi Wedding ?


HAKA REMIX baby

1000? for 5 hours??? that's a lot of money for 5 hours set! I did a couple of parties but I charged only 350 for 4 hours :(

your selling yourself short man. make some calls around your area and see what other companies are charging for weddings. you will be suprised.

Oh man! I make only $ 200 in clubs for 4 hours ser! I think I am going to start doing weddings :)
Where can I get a list of songs for weddings?

A Wedding DJ is VERY different than a club DJ !!!

Don't think what synystr is saying is that it's EASY MONEY, it isn't. If you have the knack and love weddings, and telling/coaxing people into doing the CHICKEN DANCE or ELECTRIC SLIDE, talking in a wonderful voice like you just LOVE WEDDINGS and this is the best one EVER !!! (puke) The music selection is quite wide, the people attending are getting more and more diverse. It's no easy task. If you insist on taking a wedding on, I'm all for it, just be VERY WELL prepared and consider yourself warned. In my past, as a hired assistant DJ for weddings, we'd have 3 of 4 go over really well, but that 25% that didn't were SHEER HELL.

I know it's not easy, that's why I only have done a couple. I am not used to that kind of music or having request. It's not fun but it's good money right?

I never used a MIC... LOL

Musical Youth - Pass the Dutchie On The Left Hand Side!!!

LOL - The smokers at the wedding will dig that ;)

i have done black weddings, white weddings, italian, black and white and other mixed wedings. as long as you have your music collection up and can talk on the mic then yes it is easy. i guess im just so used to doing different events that they fall under the easy catagory for me. never the less i dont mind wedding money. i usually get 2 or 3 more gigs from a wedding because of my style. i don't stick the the normal format. i have had people come up to me after a wedding saying man i never had this much fun at a wedding. o you have any biz cards?

do they care about lights?

Generally, as a wedding DJ, you're seen as an entertainment package. So that includes lighting and the entire sound system. (And also hauling that gear up and down stairs when you set-up, and pack-up at the end of the night!)

the whole package. usually i have an assistant so the hauling part isnt too bad.

Looks like I am faced with this situation ... a friend (that I have been avoiding since he met that girl), just asked me to DJ at his wedding in 2 months time aaarrrgh !!! His favorite song is "Locomotion by Kylie Minogue" .... go figure ..

LOL...I had to put together a mix consisting of YMCA and some other shit for some girls in my class. I hate taking requests, especially when the mix has to be clean. Guess that's the way some guys want it.

you'd be surpised at how big of a "cheese" market there is. some of biggest clubs that get packed day-in and out are 80s retro.

whenever i frequent those places, it always feels like i'm at a wedding haha.

horny by mouse-t. there you go, youve cracked it!

ive never played a wedding but it sounds like if i did it would really hurt.....