Play That Funky Music

Music is one aspect of our reception that we are definitely not taking lightly. Mr. Cupcake and I have been revisiting and revising our playlist for months, as we're determined to have music that (almost) everyone can enjoy.

Choosing the music has been a challenge, because a lot of the music that we like just won't work for dancing. Currently, the six-disc rotation in my car consists of She & Him, Justin Timberlake, Regina Spektor, the Broadway soundtrack to Wicked, Ingrid Michaelson, and The Beatles White Album. Aside from Justin and some earlier Beatles song, nothing is very danceable. We've had to get in touch with our inner dancing queens to compile a list that will (hopefully) have our dance floor packed all night with everyone from my 13-year-old cousin to Mr. Cupcake's 70-something grandmother.

First, the "important songs" — entrances, first dance, parent dances, etc.:


We are very, very excited about the song we'll be introduced to. You may know this as the song that is playing towards the end of the movie Notting Hill when Hugh Grant's character and his friends are racing through London to get to Julia Roberts' press conference. It's one of those songs that we both love and it always gets us pumped up, as dorky as that sounds :-)

For the rest of the "special" songs, we tried to pick upbeat songs that are recognizable but not necessarily the norm, at least at the weddings we have been to. We like to be a little different like that.

Next up, we have the cocktail hour and dinner music, in no particular order:


Between our cocktail hour and sit-down dinner, we'll need about two and a half hours worth of music, and if for some reason this list doesn't cover it, it gives our DJ a great idea of the type of music we are looking for: a mix of Rat Pack, classic rock, and more current randomness.

Then.... it's time to shake our groove thangs.


These are, again, in no particular order, with the exception of #1: "25 Miles" by Edwin Star. This song will hopefully inspire everyone to get their boo-tays on the dance floor, and the DJ will then be able to get a feel for how the rest of the evening should flow.

Since some of the older folks may head out before the reception ends at 11:00, we thought that later in the evening would be the best time to play the songs that will be more of a hit with our friends:


As you can see, we're not really including too many current songs, but hopefully some of these selections will get our friends excited and nostalgic :-)

If more dancing songs are needed, we put together a secondary list. Some of these are still up for debate between Mr. Cupcake and me (like "We are Family," which I insist is a necessary evil, yet he despises), but the DJ can see what the night holds and go with the flow depending on the crowd! Even though some of the songs get a little cheese-tastic, sometimes these are the songs that get the most people on the dance floor (and how can we have a September wedding without playing "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire?!).


I know that "Band of Gold" isn't the most appropriate song to play at a wedding reception, but I L-O-V-E this song. I don't know what it is, but this is one of those songs that I like to belt out in my car, and every time it comes on when Mr. Cupcake and I are together, he cranks it up for me because he knows "that's my soooong." We shall see!

We also chose a few slow songs that we wouldn't mind hearing throughout the night, but we don't care if we don't end up hearing all of them. Why slow things down if the dance floor is packed, right?


And finally, the totally necessary Do Not Play list. I know, I know — some of these are crowd favorites and I'm totally a meanie Bridezilla for depriving our guests of these songs. But we're just not a fan of organized dances or the super, super cheeserific tunes, and we don't think anyone will miss any of these songs if we've successfully chosen some other fabulous selections!

In red, for dramatic effect

Have you gotten really into planning out your playlist for the wedding, or are you giving your DJ or band full control? Are any of your favorite party songs missing from our list?