Wedding Itinerary

A week or two before your wedding, we will meet to go over all the details of your wedding. I will prepare an itinerary similiar to the one you see here. This is not a script, but I want to make sure you are comfortable with all the songs I am planning on playing. I also want to make sure that you have an idea of how the wedding is going to flow. It also gives you a chance to check that I am not playing something you don't want to hear. I will also take requests, (If you are OK with that) on the day of the wedding. Additionally, if you have a co-ordinator, I can send them a copy.

The list below is a master outline. I include examples of songs and notes on all aspects of the wedding. I also send out a sample CD of cocktail/dinner and dance songs, with 99 of the most popular songs in each category. Remember, these are recommendations, my job is to advise you, not to tell you. it is, after all, your wedding.

EXAMPLE:

Julie & Mick October 13th 2001

Ceremony & Reception: Seaside Room, Marina Village

Ceremony: 5:30 pm.

Reception: 6:00 - 11:00 pm.

The ITINERARY:

Between 2:00 and 2:30 pm., Mick will arrive. Ceremony set up complete by 3:30 pm.

Reception set up complete by 5:00 pm.

5:00 Pre Ceremony Music Begins

Suggestions:

  • Anything By The Vitamin String Quartet is Awesome!!!
  • Adiemus - Adiemus
  • Cavatina from the Deer Hunter
  • Coldplay - Clocks (Instrumental)
  • Enigma - Mea Culpa
  • Ennio Morricone - Chi Mai
  • Enya - A Day Without Rain
  • Massive Attack - Teardrop
  • Moby - Porcelain
  • Portishead - Sour Times
  • Sade - By Your Side
  • Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony (Instrumental)

5:30pm Wedding Ceremony

Processional Song Suggestions:

  • Bach - Air On A G String
  • Bach - Arioso
  • Bach - Jesus Joy Of Mans Desiring
  • Debussy - Clair De Lune
  • English Chamber Orchestra - Canon in D
  • Forrest Gump - Forrest Gump Suite
  • Satie - Gymnopadie
  • Vivaldi - Winter (Four Seasons)

Recessional Song Suggestions

  • Bob Marley - Is This Love
  • Beatles - All You Need Is Love
  • Etta James - At Last
  • Monkees - I'm A Believer
  • Stevie Wonder - Signed Sealed Delivered
  • The Cure - Just Like Heaven

Approx 6:00pm Cocktail Hour

You need about 20 songs for Cocktail Hour, here are 20 of my favourites:

  • Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved
  • Bobby Darin - Beyond The Sea
  • Chris Brown - With You
  • Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On
  • Dean Martin - You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
  • Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight
  • Gypsy Kings - Bambeleo
  • Louis Armstrong - A Kiss To Build a Dream On
  • Madcon - Beggin
  • Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It on (Remix)
  • Michael Jackson - Rock With You
  • Orleans - Still The One
  • Police - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
  • Pras - Ghetto Superstar
  • Simply Red - Sunrise
  • Snoop Dogg - Beautiful
  • Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke
  • Spinners - I'll Be Around
  • Steel Pulse - Brown Eyed Girl
  • Temptations - My Girl

Upon Completion of Cocktail Hour

Acknowledgement of Bridal Party. Introduction of Bride and Groom.

Suggestions:

  • Average White Band - Pick Up The Pieces
  • Barry White - Loves Theme
  • Crazy Frog - Axel F
  • Don't Fear The Cowbell!!!
  • Eric Prydz - Pjanoo
  • Fatboy Slim - Right Here, Right Now
  • Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger
  • Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft
  • Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back (instrumental)
  • Outkast - Hey Ya (Instrumental)
  • Thicke - When I Get You Alone
  • Timbaland - The Way I Are (Instrumental)
  • U2 - Beautiful Day
  • Yello - Oh Yeah

    • These are just a few examples. You really need something instrumental as you want to hear the names of the different parties announced clearly. I think it is better to have a separate song for the bride and groom from the bridal party.

    First Dance TBC

    Don't worry about how long your first dance is, have a signature move, like a dip and a kiss, when I see that I end the song!!

    Dinner (Approx 7:00)

    As with Cocktail You need about 20 songs for Cocktail Hour, here are 20 of my favourites:

    • 311 - Amber
    • Beatles - When I'm 64
    • Colbie Callait - Bubbly
    • Dave Matthews - # 41
    • Five For Fighting - 100 Years
    • Jack Johnson - Upside Down
    • Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
    • Jason Mraz & Colbie Collait - Lucky
    • Foo Fighters - Everlong (Acoustic)
    • Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight
    • Izzy - Somewhere Over The Rainbow
    • Monkees - Daydream Believer
    • Nat King Cole - LOVE
    • Neil Diamond - Forever In Blue Jeans
    • Randy Travis - For Ever & Ever Amen
    • Richard Cheese - Baby Got Back
    • Sublime - Badfish
    • Tom Petty - Free Falling
    • Travis Tritt - It's a Great Day To Be Alive
    • Turtles - Happy Together

    Toasts

    In my opinion, the best time to do the toast is towards the end of dinner. I recommend pouring the toast after the last guest has gone through buffet/been served their entree. This way, by the time the toast is poured, everyone making a toast has finished eating, as they are served first, and you have everyone else's attention. I would also limit the number of toasts.

    Upon Completion of Dinner

    Father Daughter Dance Suggestions.

    • Bobby Helms - My Special Angel
    • Loudon Wainwright - Daughter
    • Martina McBride - In My Daughters Eyes
    • Nickel Creek - When You Come Back Down
  • Paul Simon - Father & Daughter
  • Temptations - My Girl
  • Tim McGraw - My Little Girl
    •

    Mother Son Dance Suggestions

    • BJ Thomas - Mama
    • Boyz II Men - A Song For Mama
    • Celine Dion - Because You Loved Me
    • James Taylor - How Sweet It Is
    • Louis Armstrong - Wonderful World
    • Mary Wells - My Guy
    • Rascal Flatts - My Wish

    I would not recommend doing the whole song, people lose interest very quickly. Additionally (especially for the Mother & Son) choose a more upbeat song. I see a lot of uncomfortableness at this point. You can also use the same song for both.

    Another option is to start with the Father and Daughter, introduce the Mother & Son after a minute or so, and then a minute or so later, have the brides father dance with the grooms mother. Then bring out the grooms father to dance with the bride and the brides mother to dance with the groom. You can get some very good pictures.

    Start Dancing with a Slow Song

    It is important to start with a slow song. People will always join a slow song half way through, but you want to start the dancing with people on the dance floor.

    Anniversary Dance Yes/No

    An Anniversary dance is where you get all married couples to the dance floor and eliminate them by the length of the marriage. If you want to do an anniversary dance and can find out who the 'winning' couple will be, it is a nice touch to find out what their song was when they were married and (if I can find it) have me use this for the dance. It also helps to find out who the 'runner up' is to help me keep it going until the end of the song.

    • Alan Jackson - Remember When
    • Frank Sinatra - It Was A Very Good Year
    • Frank Sinatra - The Best Is Yet To Come
    • Kenny Rogers - Through The Years
    • Glenn Miller - Moonlight Serenade
    • Nat King Cole - LOVE
    • Nat King Cole - Unforgettable
    • Perry Como - Magic Moments

    Honeymoon Dance Yes/No

    Try and avoid songs that say I love you for this and bear in mind how long it may take. With the help of a couple of bridesmaids to keep the lines moving, we can usually get people through in 20-30 seconds each.

    • Barenaked Ladies - If I Had a Million Dollars
    • Beatles - With A Little Help From My Friends
    • Dave Matthews - Crush
    • Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon
    • James Taylor - You've Got A Friend
    • Koffee Brown - After Party
    • Louis Armstrong - Wonderful World
    • Otis Redding - Sitting On The DOck Of The Bay
    • Pato Banton - Groovin
    • Randy Newman - You've Got a Friend in Me

    Approx 30 minutes after dinner:

    Cake Cutting

    Suggestions:

    • Archies - Sugar, Sugar
    • Cake - Love You Madly
    • Dean Martin - That's Amore
    • Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me
    • Echo & The Bunnymen - Lips Like Sugar
    • Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
    • John Legend - Save Room
    • Lou Monte - Lazy Mary
    • Pat Benetar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot
    • Weird Al - Eat It

    I do not say anything during the cake cutting, except to get people to go over to the cake. Depending on the length of the song, you may need 2 songs. Allow 5 minutes to be safe.

    Approx 25 Minutes after Cake Cutting: Bouquet/Garter Toss

    Toss the Bouquet

    Suggestions:

    • 2 Live Crew - Hoochie Momma
    • Beastie Boys - Girls
    • Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies
    • Beyonce - Single Ladies
    • Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want to Have Fun
    • Ernie Doe - Here Come The Girls
    • Ludacris - Move
    • Tom Jones - She's A Lady
    For Groom to take off the Garter

    Suggestions:

    • 95 South - Whoot There It Is
    • Herb Albert - Love Potion # 9
    • MC Hammer - You Can't Touch This
    • Mission Impossible Theme
    • Salt 'n' Pepa - Whatta Man
    • Tone Loc - Wild Thing

    Toss the Garter

    Suggestions:

    • Geri Halliwell - It's Raining Men
    • Inner Circle - Bad Boyz (from Cops)
    • Quincy Jones - Soul Bossa Nova (Austin Powers Theme)
    • Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy

    Dancing:

    Every DJ has a 'go to' list of songs that wedding after wedding prove to be popular with all ages. Here is a list of 100 of my 'Go To' songs that have always worked for me. I bolded the songs I like to play at almost every wedding, but I think all of these (depending on your crowd and personal dislikes) would work at most weddings. I will stress every wedding is different, and a lot of these could very well end up on your 'Do Not Play' list but for a typical crowd these songs usually work very well. I have deliberately not included a lot of newer songs as they are changing all the time, and to be honest, not many new songs stay around for very long, although of course I keep current and always play a lot of whatever is popular at the time. I did leave off all of the 'Super Cheese' (see the Do Not Play List below !!! ) One thing to add is that everything is edited :-)

    • 50 Cent - In Da Club
    • 2 Pac - California Love
    • Abba - Dancing Queen
    • AC/DC - Shook Me All Night Long
    • Aretha Franklin - RESPECT
    • Beach Boys - Barbara Ann
    • Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey
    • Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There
      •
    • Beatles - Twist & Shout
    • Bee Gees - Stayin Alive
    • Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing
    • Bel Biv Devoe - Poison
    • Beyonce - Crazy In Love
    • Bon Jovi - Livin On A Prayer
    • Bob Seger - Old Time Rock & Roll
    • Bob Sinclair - Rock This
    • Bryan Adams - Summer Of 69
    • Bryan Setzer - Gettin In The Mood
    • Bryan Setzer - Jump Jive & Wail
    • CCR - Proud Mary
    • Celia Cruz - La Vida Es Un Carnival
    • Chic - Good Times
      •
    • Chubby Checker - Let's Twist Again
    • Cure - Just Like Heaven
    • Daft Punk - One More Time
    • Daniella Romo - Todo Todo Todo (Cha Cha)
    • Darude - Sandstorm
    • Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
    • Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
    • Digital Underground - Humpty Dance
    • Dion - Runaround Sue
    • Earth Wind & Fire - Boogie Wonderland
    • Earth Wind & Fire - September
    • Elvis Crespo - Suavamente
    • Estelle - American Boy
      •
    • Flo Rida- In The Ayer
    • Flo Rida - Low
    • Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup
    • Four Seasons - December 1963
    • Four Tops - Sugar Pie Honey Bunch"
    • Funkytown - Lipps Inc
    • Grease Megamix
    • Guns'n'Roses - Paradise City
    • Guns'n'Roses - Sweet Child Of Mine
    • House Of Pain - Jump Around
    • Isley Brothers - Shout
    • Jim Croce - Bad Boy Leroy Brown
    • Joan Jett - I Love Rock & Roll
    • Juanes - La Camisa Negra
    • Justin Timberlake - Rock Your Body
    • Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back
    • KC & The Sunchine Band - Boogie Shoes
    • KC & The Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight"
      •
    • KC & The Sunshine Band - That's The Way I Like It
    • Kenny Loggins - Footloose"
      •
    • Kid Cudi - Day 'n' Nite (Crookers Remix)
    • Kool & The Gang - Get Down On It
      •
    • Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out Of My Head
    • Lady Ga Ga - Just Dance
    • Lil Jon - Get Low
    • Los Lobos - La Bamba
    • Madonna - Holiday
    • Madonna - Like A Prayer
    • Mark Morrison - Return Of The Mack
    • Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
    • Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough
    • Michael Jackson - PYT
    • Modjo - Lady
    • Mr C The Slide Man - Cha Cha Slide
    • Naughty By Nature - Hip Hop Hooray
    • Naughty By Nature - OPP
    • Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline
    • New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
    • Outkast - Hey Ya
    • Paperboy - Ditty
    • Pitbull - The Anthem"
      •
    • Prince - Kiss"
      •
    • Punjabi MC - Mundian To Bach Ke
    • Pussycat Dolls - Don't Cha
    • R Kelly - Step In The Name Of Love"
    • Rick James - Give It To Me Baby
    • Rick Springfield - Jessies Girl
    • Rihanna - Disturbia
    • Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music
    • Rolling Stones - Start Me Up
    • Run DMC - It's Tricky
    • Salt'n'Pepa vs Black Eyed Peas - Push It Humps
    • Sam Sham & The Pharoahs - Wooly Bully
    • Skee Lo - I Wish
    • Stevie Wonder - Signed Sealed Delivered
    • Stevie Wonder - Superstition
    • Sugarhill Gang - Rappers Delight
    • Temptations - Ain't Too Proud To Beg
    • Timbaland - The Way I Am
    • Tramps - Disco Inferno
    • Usher - Yeah
    • Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl
    • Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby
    • Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun
    • Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music

    Slow Songs

    There are so many slow songs it is really hard to select any. Everyone has their favourites, but here are a few that I play get requests for a lot

    • Al Green - Lets Stay Together
    • Ben E King - Stand By Me
    • Elvis Presley - I Can't Help Falling In Love
    • Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight"
    • Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight
    • Journey - Open Arms
    • Keith Urban - Making Memories Of Us
    • Lonestar - Amazed
    • Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman"
    • Rascal Flatts - Bless The Broken Road

    Last Song (Approx 6:15pm)

    I like to end on an upbeat song, absolutlely play a slow one, but end on an upbeat note is my recommendation, here are a few songs I like to play at this time

    • Bill Medley : "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"
    • Barry White : "My First My Last My Everything"
    • Club Nouveaux : "Lean On Me"
    • Gnarls Barkley : "Smiley Faces"
    • Journey : "Don't Stop Believing" (Dance Remix)
    • Michael Buble : "Save The Last Dance For Me"

    Do Not Play

    The Do Not Play List is very important to ensure the DJ does not play any songs you do not like. I would encourage to think about your guests when picking these songs, and try not to be genre specific (except maybe heavy metal and hard core rap). The following list are my most common 'Do Not Play's' although I will of course play any of these if you want them !!

    • B52's - Love Shack
    • Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart
    • Barry Manilow - Copocobana
    • Buster Poindexter - Hot Hot Hot
    • Chicken Dance
    • Gloria Estefan - Conga"
    • Kool & The Gang - Celebration
    • Los Del Mar - Macarena
    • Lou Bega - Mambo #5
    • Marcia Griffiths - Electric Slide
    • Sister Slewdge - We Are Family
    • Village People - YMCA