Playlist for DJ?

We gave our DJ must plays, do not plays, and then genres/artists we like. I feel like a completely curated playlist is way overkill. You hired a professional, let him do his job.

I am bit confused. Do you have a complete list, order and everything, of songs that you want the DJ to play. Or just a list of must have songs?

We're giving our DJ a list of "do not play" songs, a list of "definitely play" songs and the songs we want played for special dances and cake cutting. But we're leaving the rest up to him. As long as the DJ has a sense for the two of you, knows the kinds of music that you like to hear, let the professional do what you hired them to do.

I wouldn't try to do his job. It sounds like you pretty much made a list of every single song in order he is supposed to play. Give him what your special dance songs are, and give him some song requests, and any do not plays you have. But let him do his job. Let him read how people are responding to different types of music and adjust accordingly to get the party going.

You could have just played your iPod if you didn't want a professional DJ to do his job.

@BeachDreams it's not in order by any means, I just have a list of songs for cocktail hour and songs for dancing at the reception (and of course the important ones like father/daughter, etc.) I don't really care how he mixes them, how long he plays each of them, when, etc. It's essentially a long list of "must plays" but I wouldn't be too upset if he didn't play some of them.

@Miranda, please see above. I did not give him a list of songs in the order to play them. It's just a list of songs I'd like him to play during cocktail hour & dancing (and the important stuff like first dances)

We gave our DJ a few songs that we really wanted, and then we gave him a long list of artists that were OK.

If your list of must plays is long enough to fill the night, you should cut down said list. Beyond the spotlight dances I wouldn't have more than 2-3 must plays.

My dj actually asked us for any songs that are "must plays" and "do not" play, we also have just general songs list for which our dj is using to understand our general style. He said it's very common that people to even specify if they want a certain song at say the cocktail hour. By no means is it a min by min list however I think it's best to have a list that shows your style

@Miranda - someone could micromanage all they wanted, and it would still be a hell of a lot better than an iPod.

Our DJ wants a large list of songs other than the "spotlight" songs just so he knows that he has a lot of freedom in choosing music, and he knows he'll still be within the limits of what we like.

Our DJ wanted three songs for cocktail hour and three songs for dinner so he knows what kind of atmosphere we would like. He is going to build off of this list.

Our dj gave us the option to have a completely curated list, or to just give suggestions. Since we are both ballroom dancers we opted for a complete list, otherwise there is a good chance that we would have some styles that would get left out.

Trust your DJ to keep the mood going for the party. It's what they do day in and day out. By all means give them specific songs for highlights (dances, cake) but have faith in their ability to pick a good playlist. You hired them for a reason

A list of must have songs is okay. But the way you made it sound it sounded like you had his entire night song by song listed out for him. I wouldn't have my list of must plays be too incredibly long, because then you restrict his flexibility if he needs to adjust based on the crowd. Your must plays shouldn't take up the whole night

@ Mrs. Fall Bride I agree! I think it defeats the purpose too!

I agree with Miranda. That's a very good point. He or she will need the flexibility to play off of the crowd.

I would not recommend a completely curated list.

I know at least two DJ's, and I can tell you that they HATE to be micromanaged; let them do their thing. Give them about 5-7 suggestions, and that's it. FWIW, I'm telling my DJ I want Top 40 (which encompasses all genres), and I'm giving him about 2-3 actual songs that I definitely want played. FH is doing the same thing.

My DJ gave me a packet to fill out with what song I want for what part of the night. If I don't have a preference, he will just play one.

Finally met with my DJ in person on Saturday night and he gave me a packet to fill out. And there were huge spots for music for pre-ceremony, cocktail hour, reception... My MOH is gonna help me with this bc I don't know what ppl like to dance to. Lol