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.

Wedding Playlist 2011 Wedding DJ Playlist For Rap & Top 40!

Here we go!  I just worked a "younger crowd" last night, and here is their top 40 wedding playlist and if you are into rap and top 40, this will be the wedding dj playlist for you.  The reason why I label this as a wedding playlist 2011 is because a lot of these songs will be used for many, many months to come. You will see some that are more wedding music and some that are more for the club.  Many of these tracks will not work for some wedding playlists due to the fact that they lean heavily on the hip hop.  Yes, they are not REALLY "wedding songs" that would work for your father daughter wedding songs, lol, but this is more for the late night, let's party and dance part of the wedding!

Some of these are borrowed from wedding playlists 2010 that I have used all year.  Many will have your wedding dj looking at you sideways!  A club disc jockey may have used many of these, but when it comes to doing your wedding planning, add these songs carefully.  Enjoy!

All I Do Is Win -- Dj Khaled F T Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg And Rick Ross
Love In This Club -- Usher F Young Jeezy


If you want love songs, this is probably the only one that comes close!

Young Forever -- Jay -- Z F Mr. Hudson
How Low (Adult) -- Ludacris F Shawnna
Watcha Say -- Jason Derulo
Bedrock (Adult) -- Young Money F Lloyd
Kiss Me Thru The Phone -- Soulja Boy Tell'em F Sammie
Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It -- Dem Franchize Boyz

By the way, this wedding playlist is basically in the order that I played them.  i was having a good time beat matching to keep the wedding reception feeling more like a club atmosphere.  Not a lot of announcements and such. 

Memories -- David Guetta F Kid Cudi
Sugar -- Flo Rida F Wynter
I Like It -- Enrique Iglesias F Pitbull
Gimme That -- Chris Brown F Lil Wayne
Drop It Low -- Ester Dean F Chris Brown
My Chick Bad (Adult) -- Ludacris F Nicki Minaj
Not Afraid (Adult) -- Eminem
Like A G6 -- Far East Movement F Cataracs And Dev
We No Speak Americano -- Yolanda Be Cool And Dcup
Shake My (Adult) -- Three 6 Mafia F Kalenna
You're A Jerk -- New Boyz
Outta Your Mind (Adult) -- Lil Jon F Lmfao
Tik Tok -- Ke$Ha
Sexy Chick -- David Guetta F Akon
Pro Nails -- Caspa & Rusko
Roll -- Flo Rida Ft Sean Kingston
Crank That(Clean Edit) -- Soulja Boy

This was about the time they wanted to do a little group dance so I threw on the Soulja Boy song, which is definitely a throw back to the wedding playlist 2010.  

No Love -- Eminem F Lil Wayne
You Belong With Me -- Taylor Swift
Billie Jean -- Michael Jackson
Journey With Jean -- Dj Sizzahandz
Girls On The Dance Floor (Adult) -- Far East Movement F 24 8
Shots (Adult) -- Lmfao F Lil Jon
Time (The Dirty Bit) (Radio Edit) -- Black Eyed Peas

The above song is basically a remake of I've Had The Time Of MY Life from Dirty Dancing, which is one of those big time wedding reception songs, found on just about every wedding dj setlist and it desperately needed to be redone!

Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor) -- Pitbull F T -- Pain
Magic -- B.O.B. F Rivers Cuomo

The above song sounds like something from an 80s alternative playlist.  It's mega-upbeat and bouncy.

Teach Me How To Jerk -- Audio Push
Signs (Clean) -- Snoop Dogg F C Wilson & J Timberlake
Get It Shawty -- Lloyd
Teach Me How To Dougie -- Cali Swag District F B.O.B. And Sean Kingston
Hot Tottie -- Usher F Jay -- Z
Ice Cream Paint Job -- Dorrough Music
Eenie Meenie -- Sean Kingston And Justin Bieber
Dynamite -- Taio Cruz
Last Night -- Diddy F Keyshia Cole, Yung Joc, Game, Big Boi & Rich Boy
A Milli (Adult) -- Lil Wayne
Mr. Postman -- Lil Wayne
Pop, Lock & Drop It -- Huey
Pro Nails -- Caspa & Rusko

Dub Step is the latest trend for the youngsters out there.  These are your down beat hip hop songs that work well for dancing (avoid using these for mother son wedding songs) but you should make sure you have guests who will dance to it.

Forget You -- Cee Lo Green
Black And Yellow -- Wiz Khalifa
Bulletproof (Adult) -- Raheem Devaughn F Ludacris
Birthday Sex (Super Clean Uptempo) (Adult) -- Jeremih
Gettin' Over You -- David Guetta And Chris Willis F Fergie And Lmfao
Omg -- Usher F Will.I.Am
Down -- Jay Sean F Lil Wayne
Dj Got Us Fallin' In Love -- Usher F Pitbull
Girls On The Dance Floor (Adult) -- Far East Movement F 24 8
We No Speak Americano -- Yolanda Be Cool And Dcup
Check It Out -- Will.I.Am And Nicki Minaj
Bottoms Up -- Trey Songz F Nicki Minaj
What You Know -- T.I.
Whip My Hair -- Willow Smith F Nicki Minaj

Lollipop -- Lil Wayne F Static Major


This dj playlist is going to be the best wedding playlist for a younger crowd.  Choose a few that you feel will fit with your idea of dance music.  Many of these can be converted into wedding entrance songs if you wish.  Like I said, this is the best dj playlist for wedding of the younger ilk and for a 2011 wedding dj playlist! Two weddings this weekend, highlights to come!

Wedding Playlist for a Ceremony and Reception

Here's my wedding playlist from Friday night's wedding.  I'm starting with their ceremony music and then moving into the wedding reception songs because it was a little different.  The prelude music wasn't boring classical  but a mix of love songs from adult contemporary artists like Jason Mraz and Dave Matthews.  We then start off the ceremony with a typical processional, but then move into more contemporary wedding songs for the bride to walk down to.  The Ben Harper, Jack Johnson duet was a live song, so I had to skip ahead past the crowd going crazy!  When we were doing their wedding planning they played me the track so we could choose the exact spot to start the song. They walked out to Forever for their recessional song and it was a lot of fun.

Canon In D Major (Quartet) - Johann Pachelbel
Over The Rainbow - Jason Castro
High Tide Or Low Tide (Live) - Ben Harper & Jack Johnson
Forever - Chris Brown

This was the wedding music for their ceremony. Some personal touches added to their wedding playlist that highlighted their style.

I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
California Gurls - Katy Perry F Snoop Dogg
I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) - Pitbull
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond

Sticking to my wedding DJ playlist rule of three songs in each genre, especially early on in the wedding reception. I made a bold jump to Sweet Caroline, a song you wouldn't typically find listed on any top 40 wedding playlist. It was a special request and the crowd loved it, singing along...Sweeeeet Caroline....BUM-BUM-BUM!!!

Tik Tok - Ke$Ha
Dynamite - Taio Cruz
Low Warning - Flo Rida F T Pain

Great little set right there from any standard wedding playlist 2010. Changing it up with some rock.


You Shook Me All Night Long - Ac Dc
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd

I have these two songs on a lot of my wedding dj setlist files.  I play these two together all the time. As a wedding dj, they keep most everyone on the floor. They work great back to back.

California Love - Tupac Feat. Dr. Dre
Yeah (Clean)Warning - Usher F Ludacris & Lil Jon
Omg - Usher F Will.I.Am

Went a little crazy with the BPM's here, I know, but I did a double shot of Usher and it went over well. Since OMG is a standard from any wedding playlists 2010 and since it is SO popular, it was a good time to try a new song immediately following on the dj playlist below.


Club Can't Handle Me - Flo Rida F David Guetta
In Da Club - 50 Cent
All I Do Is Win - Dj Khaled
Imma Be - Black Eyed Peas
Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz F Ludacris
Your Love Is My Drug - Ke$Ha

Okay, I know I broke the best wedding playlist rule of only 3 songs from each category, but we were at the end of the night. Any professional disc jockey can tell you that all of these mix well.   Even though I played most of each song, everyone danced to the very end.

Journey With Jean - Dj Sizzahandz

You won't find this song on a lot of wedding playlists because it's a special remix.  Everyone loved ot




Not a lot to add but the couple songs I did try went over great!  Many will bleed into your wedding playlist 2011 sets.  Then again, maybe the open bar had a little to do with it.  One song I played that I bought on iTunes in the middle of one of those sets was Palmdale by Afroman.  Another special request since a lot of the guests either lived there or were from there.

Notice there wasn't much from the 80s alternative playlist because it wasn't that kind of crowd.  Also, for the special dances, instead of trying to pick through all the father daughter wedding songs
and the mother son wedding songs they used one song for both dances.  And I Gotta Feeling was their wedding party dance song.


Coming up, my playlist for Halloween!  No event next week, so look for my next wedding playlist in two!