Whether your wedding is a grand ballroom affair or an intimate close family gathering, it's almost guaranteed that music will play a major role in creating the perfect ambience. To help with any prospective big day playlists, Between The Lines Consulted FiveThirtyEight's "Ultimate Playlist of Banned Wedding Songs" to advise away from potentially groan-inducing tunes, along with a few wedding planning sources for advice on picking crowd-pleasing must-haves.
BOLD The Overplayed
Polling website FiveThirtyEight sampled 182 playlists of professional DJs in 2017 to get a taste of what "the most commonly prohibited songs and artists" by couples. Here's a taste of 15 selected from that list:
1. "Chicken Dance"
2. "Cha-Cha Slide" – DJ Casper
3. "Macarena" – Los Del Rio
4. "Cupid Shuffle" – Cupid
5. "YMCA" – Village People
6. "Electric Boogie (Electric Slide)" – Marcia Griffiths
7. "Hokey Pokey"
8. "Wobble" – V.I.C.
9. "Happy" – Pharrell Williams
"Shout" – Isley Brothers
10. "Blurred Lines" – Robin Thicke
11. "Bohemian Rhapsody" – Queen
12. "Get Low" – Lil Jon
13. "You Shook Me All Night Long" – AC/DC
14. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" – Bonnie Tyler
15. "What Do You Mean?" – Justin Bieber
Making the Perfect Picks
It's impossible to create a playlist that will please everyone attending a wedding, but it's certainly easier if one bears in mind these four tips.
1. Check What's Trending
It's easy to get stuck in a rut when planning out a wedding day playlist, so using resources like Spotify and other music streaming platforms can help. Simply searching up publicly created playlists on the platform will provide thousands of choices to include. And it never hurts to ask your wedding band or DJ what they recommend.
2. Ask Your Guests
One way to quickly build an overall appealing playlist, especially for larger ceremonies, is to ask each guest to submit a song to play. Of course, there's no obligation to agree to each and every pick — especially if there are repeats.
3. Don't Be Afraid of Multiple Genres
Whether it's in the realm of country, pop, rock or hip-hop, it's never a mistake to spend a little time venturing outside of your musical comfort zones. And when creating a playlist, putting in a little bit of every style is bound to have mass appeal and be massive fun.
4. Avoid Crowdpleasers That You Hate
If popular songs, old or new, that simply set your teeth on edge make their way into your special day's music selection don't be afraid to cut them out. Even if most of the guests are fans of a particular tune, it's your day and it's important to make sure every detail is to your preference.
