After sorting through countless songs for my upcoming wedding, I am pleased to say I have finally compiled a list for the DJ.

I didn’t think looking for the reception music would be quite as difficult as it proved to be, as it took over five hours. The most difficult categories to find music for were the father/bride dance, the bride and groom’s first dance, the dollar dance, and the bouquet and garter toss.

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The father/bride dance requires a very special song; it has to reflect what kind of relationship the bride has with her father. My cousin joked her song would be “Cleaning This Gun” by Rodney Atkins, which describes a father warning off potential suitors of his daughter by waiting up for her at curfew, cleaning his gun intimidatingly.

I wanted to choose a country song from the 1990s, because that’s what brings back the most memories of my father and I. After narrowing it down to four songs and listening to them over and over, I finally chose “Cinderella” by Steven Curtis Chapman, which is not country, nor was it one of the original four. This is a good example of keeping an open mind when it comes to music, because something better might come along, even if it’s unexpected.

The bride and groom’s first dance was easier, because I already had two options narrowed down. The problem was, both songs were great, but drastically different. After thinking about it for a month or two, I finally decided to have my wedding singers sing “Never Stop” by SafetySuit (wedding version), and “Kiss Me” by Ed Sheeran will be our first dance.

The dollar dance is a very important part of a reception. Out of the many weddings receptions I have attended, I’ve heard a lot of basic, generic slow songs. There is nothing wrong with “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith, but I have heard that song at many a wedding, as well as prom, snowball, homecoming, and any other dance that requires a slow song. I did end up choosing some generic songs that I’ve heard a lot, but of the six allotted slots, I tried to find some good slow songs that were also unique, yet fit my personality somehow, or brought back memories of people who are gone. After about two hours, I finally decided on “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” by Elvis, “Truly, Madly, Deeply” by Savage Garden, “Marry Me” by Train, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John, “Hungry Eyes” by Eric Clapton, and “Love is All Around” by Wet Wet Wet.

The bouquet toss was fairly simple to decide. Knowing right away I did not want “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé, because, for good reason, it is too commonplace at weddings, I looked up a list of 50 common bouquet-toss songs. I eventually settled on “Wanna Be” by the Spice Girls, because it was something I grew up listening to, and promotes girl-power very loudly. The garter toss was more difficult. After going over different songs with both my fiancé and my co-workers, and trying to find something that wouldn’t overshadow my fiancé’s personality but something that wasn’t too overdone, I finally decided on “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard.

After stressing about the song selections for too long, I realized not many people will remember the reception after a year, if not after a few months, so I just decided to have fun with it. Many people take the reception, and weddings for that matter, much too seriously. Of course we all want our weddings to be perfect, but in trying to reduce stress and enjoy the entire experience, sometimes we have to remember to just have fun, plan for some good dancing, and go with it.

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