This page is dedicated to the Music Request form, going through section by section with some instructions and tips when filling it out. Download your own copy of the request form to fill out in .doc format here and .pdf format here.
Reception details
The top section of the request form is where we learn all the essential details for your reception. Your names, contact details, location, start time, venue and your MCs name.
ENTRANCE SONGS
In order for the DJ to get your entrance songs right the most important thing for us is that you give us the same order of entrance as the MC is going to announce. Your DJ will normally check this with the MC prior to entrance but it’s imperative if you want us to get this right that you get it right on your form.
If you need some help choosing entrance songs you can check out a list of all the entrance songs used in the 2nd half of 2019 and first part of 2020 here. There is also a lot more information on how everything works here for you if you need it.
FORMALITIES
The below graphic shows a basic description of the formalities. For a more details discussion on each of the formalities please use the links below the graphic.
background music
At a wedding reception. Background music basically refers to the music you want played from the beginning of the reception and at any time during the reception where there is no speeches or announcements going on right up until the dancing starts. When filling out this section you can give a specific list of songs/artists or just give us a few examples of artists and styles and we will do out thing to fill out this space with other similar songs. As with anything on the request form. If we aren’t confident in what you want we will ask some questions to clarify.
To help out if you need it here is a list of commonly selected background songs through the ages on spotify. Often people will choose to play songs from the popular first dance and cake songs playlists we have compiled as their background playlists. There is also a more in depth discussion and examples of background music here.
dance music
Your dance music section is often the most important section for you to fill out. We really want to ensure that your guests have a great time and we want as many people up and dancing for as long as possible so here is where you can help out.
The most important thing is to choose songs, genres and artists not only that you like and your guests will enjoy hearing but that they’ll dance to. There are a multitude of songs that you’ll love and listen to in the car, on your headphones or at home but they might not get you up to dance on a dance floor at a function. Your guests participation is also important here so make sure you think of them too.
As DJs what we like to see here from you is a decent idea of what you like and know will work and then we can read the crowd from that point on. Of course you might be a massive fan of music, and like to make a long list so that’s fine too. Here’s some ways we think works well from the 10 000 or so weddings we have had DJs at.
- Describe in sentences or point form what you’d like us to say. This can include mentions of genres, artists and particular songs. If we aren’t sure what you want we will call you and have that chat to make sure we get it right.
- Send us a list of songs you’d love to have. This can be listed out in the form, or in the form of a spotify playlist. Just an FYI typically at a wedding you’d be looking at about 40 - 60 songs played for the dancing section. You don’t need to select every song but you can if you like. If your list does contain more than 20 odd specific songs we suggest that you Prioritise your favorite 5-15 songs. You can also us know how stringent you are on the list (say something like only play songs from the list or on the other end of the spectrum you might say that the list is just a guide and you would like the DJ to use it, their expertise and crowd reading skills on the night). We’re even happy with you giving us a list of your 150 or so favorite songs and just asking us to pick songs from it based on how your guests are responding.
- Use our spotify playlists that we have curated (here) to throw some words at us like. “Play anything from your ‘disco’ playlist or your ‘Dance Classics’ playlist.
A combination of all of the above options is perfectly fine. We do find it works best when you give us a good idea of what you and your guests will dance to but try not to get too controlling about it.
You can also let us know if you’d like us to take requests from your guests or not. You can read our general policy with regards to taking requests and also censoring of songs here.
On to the example of a filled in section from the form.
FINAL DETAILS
The final section of the form is where you can let us know what music you don’t want played under any circumstances and then also any extra information you might have.
The music you don’t want played is often more important than the music that you do want played. However you don’t need to list every song ever made that you don’t particularly like. For example if your requests for songs are all RnB, Hip Hop and Soul music and you’ve asked for no requests from your guests to be played then it’s a safe bet we aren’t going to break out some trance, metal or country music. However if you like RnB but you don’t like Montell Jordan then list him down here. You can list artists, genres, or particular songs.
The final section is where you can let us know some extra information. It could be something like - at 9pm we will have a surprise dance act and they’ll need an RCA line in and use of the wireless microphone. Or it could be a request for a special song for a Father Daughter and Mother Son dance towards the end of the night. Just let us know here.
