Wedding Playlist 2012 Music For Your Wedding DJ: Is Old Top 40 New Again?

Looking forward to next year, there are a lot of songs that can be added to your wedding playlist 2012 without the worry of looking "dated."  There are quite a few wedding playlist 2010 songs that will even transfer over!  Still, with all the music I look at from my wedding playlist 2011 I can see so many songs that will last well into even the wedding playlist 2013.  So take a look at this past weekends wedding DJ playlist, and feel free to drag and drop some of this into your wedding playlist for your upcoming 2012 wedding music lists.

Sexy And I Know It                                           Lmfao

Party Rock Anthem                                            Lmfao

I Gotta Feeling                                                   Black Eyed Peas

Normally, I would have stuck with this top 40 wedding playlist, but believe it or not, the reactions weren't so great.  It's funny, I came out of the special dances, and you would never think going from mother son wedding songs to LMFAO would ever be a good idea.  Alas, I did what the client wanted.  I sold it, and it worked but died off quickly which is why I hit the Latin music right away, another client request.

La Carcacha                                                      Selena

La Vida Es Un Carnaval                                     Celia Cruz

Suavemente                                                        Elvis Crespo

(Oldies Motown Set of three songs here! You can get the full list at Wedding Songs Timeline Planner.  These are some standard wedding playlists tunes that I love using at just about every event...since they work so well!)

Look At Me Now(Extreme Warning Content)    Chris Brown F Lil Wayne And Busta Rhymes

Yeah (Clean)Warning                                         Usher F Ludacris & Lil Jon

Way I Are                                                          Timbaland F Keri Hilson

Boogie Shoes                                                     Kc & The Sunshine Band

Let's Groove Tonight                                          Earth, Wind & Fire

You Dropped A Bomb On Me                           Gap Band

We No Speak Americano                                  Yolanda Be Cool And Dcup

Latin Song 1

Latin Song 2

Latin Song 3

Some more Latin music was filled in here, three songs that rocked!  

Brick House                                                       Commodores
Play That Funky Music                                       Wild Cherry

Get Down Tonight                                              Kc & The Sunshine Band

An old classic disco wedding music set that just about every single wedding dj has put on their wedding dj setlist at one time or another.  These disco wedding reception songs simply mix right into each other, keeping the flow going strong!

6 Top 40 Dance Hits That Rock The Dance Floor The Entire Time!  Featuring Pit Bull, Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta and more!  NOW was the best time in the night to hit up the new dance stuff. And it worked.  Get the list at weddingsongstimelineplanner.com!

Kiss                                                                   Prince

Billie Jean                                                           Michael Jackson

Pump Up The Jam                                              Technotronic

Push It                                                               Salt-N-Pepa

When I Hear Music                                            Debbie Deb

Look Out Weekend                                           Debbie Deb

The above is a very cool 80's dance mix and filled the floor.  I did not include any 80s alternative playlist songs since this wasn't the crowd.  I will add an awesome Christmas Party playlist I recently used that really worked well, including the use of many 80's new wave tunes.

Only Girl (In The World)                                    Rihanna

Club Can't Handle Me                                        Flo Rida F David Guetta

Higher                                                                Taio Cruz F Travie Mccoy

Memories                                                           David Guetta F Kid Cudi

Fire Burning                                                       Sean Kingston

On The Floor                                                     Jennifer Lopez F Pitbull

Tonight                                                               Enrique Iglesias F Ludacris

My Way                                                            Frank Sinatra

Again, many of the above songs will translate well on a wedding playlist 2012 and I consider this to be one of the best dj playlist for wedding sets that I've come up with.  I didn't have too many love songs on this dj playlist and this is because I met with the couple long before the wedding day.  When we got together to do some wedding planning, we went over what wedding songs they wanted to include for their wedding reception.  We didn't just focus on their special dances like their father daughter wedding songs, but we looked at what would make the best wedding playlist for their particular wedding guest list. I refer back to that Christmas party list I will drop down here in a couple of days, because it was a completely different environment and would not be the best dj playlist for wedding success.  It worked for that party, but would not translate well into a wedding environment, even though many songs came right off of my wedding playlists 2010 and 2011. 

I bring this up because you need to know it is CRUCIAL you don't hire a DJ who "specializes" in Xmas parties, Birthday parties, Corporate events, etc.  Who can specialize in everything anyway?  Do doctors specialize in podiatry, proctology, AND general medicine?  Of course not!  Neither should your disc jockey. Hire someone who SPECIALIZES in weddings!  Yes, I do DJ Christmas parties, but I am NOT one that specializes in them.  Weddings is where I excel!  So be cautious of those who will pretend to be the best in everything and go for the wedding professional instead.

Best DJ Playlist For Wedding Clientele Who Are A Little Older

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to break down my most recent wedding DJ playlist for you.  It was an EXTREMELY successful wedding in regard to having a packed dance floor all night, so this wedding playlist fit with the clientele.  You will notice there isn't a lot of the latest wedding music or dance songs, but it didn't matter as it wasn't what this group would have danced to.  A professional disc jockey understands that every wedding is unique and so should the music be!  Although you might get some ideas about this during the wedding planning meetings with the bride and groom, but in the end, all wedding playlists will be different and reading the crowd is crucial!  Some of the best wedding reception songs aren't necessarily Top 40, House, Techno, or even Disco.  It was the best DJ playlist for wedding clientele in their 40's and 50's.


Here's a video that shows you the anatomy of a successful wedding...This wedding!  You'll notice there's a lot more to it than "music."

So without further ado, here is my dj playlist from last Saturday!  Starting off after the special dances with some Motown & Disco!


My Girl Temptations
Respect Aretha Franklin
Boogie Shoes Kc & The Sunshine Band
We Are Family Sister Sledge

Notice how I stick to the rules and only play 2 to 3 from the same genre?

I Gotta Feeling Black Eyed Peas
Moves Like Jagger Maroon 5 F Christina Aguilera

I quickly got out of the top 40 wedding playlist because the guests weren't into it.  And notice I played some relatively played-out popular wedding playlist 2011 songs, too.

Brown Sugar Rolling Stones
Old Time Rock And Roll Bob Seger
Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison
Shout Animal House Soundtrack

I rocked these rock and roll wedding songs because by looking at the crowd, I could tell they would not be dancing to Hello by Dragonette!  I took note of their reaction to the above songs...STRONG NOTE for later.

Wonderful Tonight Eric Clapton

And now, this is one of those love songs that cuts through all generations, but it especially worked with the current crowd.

Cupid Shuffle Cupid

Bringing them back with a group dance.  It was a request, and it worked well!  I'll be honest, I wasn't ready for my next mix so I grabbed the next song out of desperation!

Don't Stop The Music Rihanna
We No Speak Americano Yolanda Be Cool And Dcup
Time (The Dirty Bit) (Radio Edit) Black Eyed Peas

I got a little better reaction with the above top 40 wedding dj setlist, but it still wasn't that super fun vibe, so I stuck to the rule. Even though I would have loved to play more music from something that would work with a  wedding playlist 2012, I realized it was less important to look cool and more important to keep them dancing!

You Shook Me All Night Long Ac Dc
Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynyrd
Down On The Corner Creedence Clearwater Revival
Pride & Joy Stevie Ray Vaughan
Some Kinda Wonderful Grand Funk Railroad
Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) Hollies

The above turned out to be the best wedding playlist section of the entire night!  Everyone was dancing and it was perfect for the crowd...Tells you how important it is to play to the crowd, not to yourself!

Suavemente Elvis Crespo
La Vida Es Un Carnaval Celia Cruz

A little latin was requested so I rotated my dance floor.

Margaritaville Jimmy Buffet

TERRIBLE reaction to the above song....I mixed out of it after 1 minute.

Kiss Prince
Billie Jean Michael Jackson
September Earth, Wind & Fire

Rock Lobster B-52's
Dead Man's Party Oingo Boingo

I should have played more of the above 80s alternative playlist and dance music but I simply ran out of time.

Last Dance Donna Summer
Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) Green Day


The above closing songs were also great, especially the Donna Summer.  So, there you have it.

Wedding DJ Playlist Goes Overseas!

Wow!  It's been a while since I've posted a new wedding playlist!  Well, it just so happens I had the great opportunity to put together an "overseas" wedding dj playlist!  What the H do I mean by that?!?!  A nice young couple approached me through the Wedding Songs Timeline Planner website and wondered if I would help them put together some wedding songs and wedding music for their nuptials.  They picked up a copy of the wedding planner mentioned above, but needed some additional services regarding their wedding planning and their wedding dj setlist.  I would have been happy to have been their wedding DJ (I make my living as a disc jockey!).  It turns out they are getting married in Vietnam and since they won't fly me out, ha ha, (Yes, I would be totally willing to go!) they wondered if I could put together some wedding reception songs which would include a top 40 wedding playlist (almost all of their songs were newer--an 80s alternative playlist is NOT what they wanted!) and other special wedding reception music, such as their father daughter wedding songs and the mother son wedding songs.

After about 12 hours of editing, I made 4 mixes of their dj playlist songs for their wedding overseas.  These mixes are real dance mixes, with transitions, beat matching, drops and the like.  Yeah, I'm pretty damn proud of my work!

They had a few personal love songs by Train and Nickelback that didn't fit with this wedding playlist 2011, so I pulled those out.  Also, I am not revealing the order of the songs, i.e. which songs go well together and into one another...I will leave that up the YOUR professional DJ that you hired! So, take a look at these songs.  Some come from the wedding playlist 2010, but most are newer and fit in with the wedding playlist 2011.  What is crazy is that we are already needing to get prepped for wedding playlist 2012 songs!  I think the songs below can be put into the best wedding playlist and make it even better.

When putting together your wedding playlists out there, you could do a lot worse than the songs below.  I hope this list helps to make your wedding rock!

Best Friend	50 Cent
If I Had You	Adam Lambert
Rolling in the Deep	Adele
Beautiful	Akon, Colby O'Donis & Kardinal Offishall
No One	Alicia Keys
Cooler Than Me	Audiogroove
Don't Stop The Party	Black Eyed Peas
I Gotta Feeling	Black Eyed Peas
Just Can't Get Enough	Black Eyed Peas
Meet Me Halfway	Black Eyed Peas
The Time (Dirty Bit)	Black Eyed Peas
Till the world ends	Britney Spears
With You	Chris Brown
Yeah 3X	Chris Brown
Boyfriend - Girlfriend (feat. Keyshia Cole)	C-Side
All I Do Is Win	DJ Kahald
Tonight (I'm Lovin' You) [feat. Ludacris & DJ Frank E]	Enrique Iglesias
Club Can't Handle Me (feat. David Guetta) [From 'Step Up 3D']	Flo Rida
In My Head	Jason Derulo
Down (feat. Lil Wayne)	Jay Sean
Empire State Of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)	Jay-Z
Forever Young (feat. Mr Hudson)	Jay-Z
giving myself over to you	Jennifer Hudson
On the Floor (feat. Pitbull)	Jennifer Lopez
Body Language (feat. T-Pain)	Jesse McCartney
California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)	Katy Perry
Firework	Katy Perry
Hot N Cold	Katy Perry
Teenage Dream	Katy Perry
TiK ToK	Ke$ha
Knock You Down	Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Ne-Yo
Edge of Glory	Lady Gaga
Paparazzi	Lady Gaga
Poker Face	Lady Gaga
Just Dance	Lady Gaga & Colby O'Donis
Somebody Like You	Lil Tweety, MC Magic
All the Above (feat. T-Pain)	Maino
hello	Martin Solveig & Dragonette
Da MVP	Mary J. Blige Feat. The Game and 50 Cent
Night Is Young	Nelly Furtado
Raise Your Glass	Pink
Give me everything	Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer
Sexy Can I (feat. Yung Berg)	Ray J
Push up on me	Rihanna
Only Girl	Rihanna
Got Your Back	T.I.
Live Your Life (feat. Rihanna)	T.I.
Dynamite	Taio Cruz
Best Love Song (feat. Chris Brown)	T-Pain
Bottoms Up (feat. Nicki Minaj)	Trey Songz
Say Aah	Trey Songz
Love In This Club (feat. Young Jeezy)	Usher & Young Jeezy
DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love	Usher feat. Pitbull
Sway	The Pussycat Dolls

Okay, there is one really popular song that's not on here and that's LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem, so add that one in this list.

Signs You Are Looking At A Bad DJ! Plus, My Latest Wedding Playlist!

For those of you planning your wedding out there, I hope you find this helpful as you decide which DJ to hire.  It is very difficult to choose a DJ because you do not have an opportunity to see the actual product, the actual product being their abilities to get your guests involved, their actions to make your wedding fun, and, of course, their skills in mixing a great wedding DJ playlist--one that will satisfy everyone, young and old, while keeping the dance floor packed.

I have an easy way for you, the happy bride and groom, from making a mistake and hiring a DJ who most likely has no talents in the above mentioned areas.  Take a look at this ad I received today via email:

Wow, right?  What a deal, huh?  Not only do you get a DJ, but you get Uplighting, and a Video Montage, all for $1170!  First problem: Why is a DJ (music and entertainment) providing Uplighting (a design aspect)? How does this help get your guests involved and get them dancing?
Second problem, why is a DJ providing video services (the Video Montage)?  To see the problems with this, all you need to do is turn it around.  "I am ABC Videography and I will shoot your wedding with two cameras, provide you with a video montage, AND on top of all of that, I will be your top-notch wedding DJ!"

The answer is obvious.  This company is lacking so much in their entertainment abilities, they have to add these extras and upgrades to make themselves have at least some kind of value for you. 

In other words, they are sooo BAD at DJing , they need to add "stuff" so they can get business!  And in some other words, their clients will probably end up saying after their wedding, "Man, our DJ was awful, but at least we got that pretty uplighting and nice video montage!" 

If you run into a company trying to either give you or sell you upgrades, run away.  Or, better yet, ask them this:  "What about your entertainment skills with my friends and family?  What do you do to get my guests involved in the celebration?"  If they have some fun and unique ideas (that are not the Macarena!), then awesome!  Not only do you get a great DJ but you get some extras, too.

Otherwise, tell that "DJ" to leave the lighting design to a lighting designer and the video montage to the videographer and stick to what they are supposed to be focusing on--your wedding entertainment!

A GREAT WEDDING PLAYLIST!

So here is the latest from moi!  On Sunday night (a Sunday night, mind you!) I had a packed dance floor all night until 11:30pm.  I know, 11:30...whoop-dee-doo.  But many people have to go to work on Mondays, so if you can keep a wedding going past 10pm, you are doing something right with your wedding music!  Like all wedding playlists I create, I want to make sure I please all the wedding guests, so you will hear wedding songs that parents will like all the way to music from a wedding playlist 2010 and beyond to a wedding playlist 2011!  Of course, wedding playlists 2010 are sooo last year, lol.  Still, when you are in the middle of wedding planning with a couple, you want to stick with music that you know will work.  These wedding reception songs will include a lot of music from my top 40 wedding playlist because this was what they mainly wanted.  There was nothing from my 80s alternative playlist ideas and only one or two love songs.  Hey, it's their wedding so I made sure they were happy with their wedding reception and me, their wedding DJ!

Stand By Me                                            Ben E. King

My Girl                                                    Temptations

Respect                                                    Aretha Franklin

Billie Jean                                                 Michael Jackson

I Gotta Feeling                                         Black Eyed Peas

I Gotta Feeling (Instrumental)                    Black Eyed Peas

Omg                                                        Usher F Will.I.Am

Disturbia                                                  Rihanna

Disturbia (Instrumental)                             Rihanna

Right Round                                             Flo Rida F Kesha

I Only Have Eyes For You                       Flamingos

Tik Tok                                                    Ke$Ha

Poker Face                                              Lady Gaga

Dynamite                                                  Taio Cruz

Dynamite (Instrumental)                            Taio Cruz

Dj Got Us Fallin' In Love                            Usher F Pitbull

In My Head                                              Jason Derulo

All I Do Is Win                                        Dj Khaled F T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg

A Bay Bay                                              Hurricane Chris

Poison                                                        Bell Biv Devoe

Thriller                                                  Michael Jackson

Journey With Jean                                   Dj Sizzahandz

Livin' On A Prayer                                 Bon Jovi

Way I Are                                              Timbaland F Keri Hilson

Circus                                                  Britney Spears

Just Dance                                        Lady Ga Ga F Akon

Break Your Hea                                  Taio Cruz F Ludacris

Rock That Body                                Black Eyed Peas

Closer                                                Ne-Yo

I Like It                                             Enrique Iglesias F Pitbull

Beautiful                                        Akon F Colby O'donis And Kardinal Offishall

Gettin' Over You                          David Guetta And Chris Willis F Fergie And Lmfao

World Hold On                                    Bob Sinclair

Somebody To Love                            Justin Bieber F Usher

Down                                                  Jay Sean F Lil Wayne

Shake It                                                   Metro Station

Shout                                                     Animal House Soundtrack

Just The Way You Are                            Bruno Mars

Because Of You                                        Ne-Yo F Kanye West

Teenage Dream                                      Katy Perry

One More Time                                      Daft Punk

Like A G6                                           Far East Movement F Cataracs And Dev

California Gurls                                    Katy Perry F Snoop Dogg

Only Girl (In The World)                        Rihanna

Evacuate The Dancefloor                        Cascada

Club Can't Handle Me                              Flo Rida F David Guetta

Dashboard                                                 Modest Mouse

At Last                                                        Etta James

You will notice a few interesting things about this wedding dj setlist.  If you are a DJ, you will ssee how close many of these songs are in BPM. Yes, I beat mixed all night long!  Man, it was fun!  Hey, again, it is what they wanted!  If you are a professional disc jockey or even an amateur, this is a great dj playlist for you to refer to if you plan on mixing (or practicing your mixing).  This was the best wedding playlist for my clients, Daniel and Lisa.  Most couples will be specific about their special dance songs, like the father daughter wedding songs and the mother son wedding songs, but for open dancing, they are usually "open."  Not this time.  Every one of these songs were on their list they gave me.  I made it work by doing the homework and setting it up to have the best mix possible.  Hope you likey!

Wedding DJ Playlist And Wedding Songs Timeline Planner Creator Featured!

Yours truly was featured in Brides Southern California Magazine!