Everyone will dance to this, I promise!

Every wedding has one. The well-meaning guest, usually somewhere between their fourth and fifth drink, who corners the DJ with absolute certainty that they hold the secret to the night. This song. This one will get everyone up. Trust them. They know.

And sometimes? They’re right. It’s a banger and the floor goes off.

But sometimes it’s a deeply personal track from their university days that no one outside their immediate friendship group has ever heard, and within thirty seconds the dance floor looks like the picture above. One person living their best life. Everyone else suddenly very interested in the bar or the photo booth.

Here’s the thing though, this isn’t really a problem for me to solve. It’s a problem for you to solve, before the day even starts. And it’s easier than you think.

Give your DJ permission to say “no”

This is the big one. Most couples never think to do it, but telling your DJ “use your judgement, you don’t have to play everything that gets requested” — changes everything.

Suddenly your DJ isn’t a jukebox, they’re the CEO of dancing. They can take the request, smile, nod, and quietly never play it. Or they can say “I’ll see what I can do” which translates to “I absolutely will not.”

Without that permission, a lot of DJs will play the request anyway, just to keep the peace. Then you’ve got a dead floor and a Bride who’s wondering why on earth Dave’s old rugby club anthem is blaring out at half nine.

The Do Not Play list is your secret weapon

Everyone knows about the must-play list. Far fewer people use a do-not-play list, and it’s honestly more powerful. If there’s a song you know your Uncle Terry will request, put it on the list. Now when Terry rocks up to the DJ booth, the answer becomes “sorry mate, the couple have specifically asked me not to play that one tonight” — which is a much harder thing to argue with than a vague “I’ll try and fit it in.”

It takes the pressure off everyone. Including Terry, frankly.

We could even come up with an A4 printed sheet of songs that are a hard “no”, together with pictures of family and friends who are repeat offenders when it comes to choosing dodgy songs! That makes it fun, and a bit more “official”.

Have a phrase ready

If a guest collars you about a song rather than the me, you don’t need to commit to anything. A cheerful “oh, have a word with the DJ, they’ve got the night planned out” hands it straight back over without making it awkward. You’re not saying no. You’re just not saying yes either. That’s my job.

The honest truth

After 25 years of doing this, I can usually tell within about four seconds of a request whether it’s going to lift the room or empty it. But I’d rather have a quiet word with you beforehand about how you want requests handled than end up in a situation where I’m reading the floor and trying to read your mind at the same time.

Have the chat. Make the lists. Trust your DJ. MOO, my online planner makes this really easy!

And if Dave from the rugby club promises everyone will dance to his song? Well. Look at the photo again.

If you’re looking for a DJ who’s got your back and will have these conversations with you and handle the tricky requests, I’d love to hear from you! Fill in my short contact form, drop me an email or give me a call on 07799 782764!