20 Songs The Melbourne Wedding DJ Service Should Play at Cocktail Hour
A professional DJ needs to understand how to incorporate the right songs at the correct time. Whether they play Black Eyed Peas wedding tunes or Whitney Houston wedding tunes should depend on the timing, mood, and the bride & groom’s musical wishes.
But picking songs for the wedding cocktail hour is a little more challenging than selecting tunes for the couple’s first dance or even the after-dinner reception. These songs have to make guests feel comfortable while not putting them to sleep. They should start setting the mood for all your friends and family without going overboard. A Melbourne wedding DJ service is what you need to set the mood for the rest of the wedding reception.
This blog talks about 20 of the best songs the wedding DJ Melbourne should play at the cocktail hour. It also outlines how you will know whether your Melbourne wedding DJ service is doing their best to make the wedding entertainment as magical as it can be.
Matt Jefferies Entertainment is a platinum DJ service based in Melbourne that provides memorable wedding entertainment for every one of its couples. We do not just play music at the wedding–we take your musical interests into account & create a customized experience that wows your friends and family.
How You And Your Melbourne Wedding DJ Service Should Plan Your Cocktail Hour setlist
Picking your cocktail hour music is a big choice. You need a wedding DJ service Melbourne who will take it seriously & listen to your feedback & suggestions.
It is your wedding day, which means that everything you want is really up to you. However, the Melbourne wedding DJ service should act as the musical archive, coming up with the songs you want to hear without even thinking about them.
Your wedding DJ should come with a wealth of musical knowledge to understand the preferred music genres you want and be able to include them in a detailed cocktail hour playlist that keeps the energy of the moment moving.
Wedding DJ Melbourne Songlist Essentials
Every experienced wedding DJ songlist has these three essentials:
- Multiple genres.
- Varying tempos.
- A combination of crowd-pleasers & music that is a little more unknown.
The very best wedding DJ can intermix genres & still retain the songlist’s overall vibe, making friends and family enjoy songs they never thought they would.
Should You Include Dance Music In Your Cocktail Hour Playlist?
For the most part, you should try not to include dance hits during cocktail hour. This is because you want to keep the tunes with the most energy for when your friends and family hit the dance floor.
If you play all of the tunes that make guests want to dance before they eat their meals, what are you going to be able to play when it is time to get the party started? You should keep some groove on the cocktail hour playlist, but be careful you do not burn guests dancing energy too early in the night.
Create A Do-Not Songlist For Your Cocktail Hour Songlist
One of the best and easy ways you can make a songlist is by weeding out the songs you can not include. Eliminating the unwanted genres with your wedding DJ will let the DJ know where your musical tastes lie so that they can make much better suggestions.
If your wedding DJ does not know you are really opposed to country music, what will stop them from pressing play on some Lonestar when guests are getting ready to dance?
Your Melbourne Wedding DJ Service Should Always Do A Sound Check
Matt Jefferies Entertainment is always professional with his equipment. Part of being professional is performing a sound check before the wedding starts to ensure all the equipment is working perfectly. Without a sound check, you might not notice any misconfigured wires, poor connections, speakers not working properly, etc.
The soundcheck is the pre-flight check for DJ’s. It will let the wedding DJ know nothing is going to explode midway through the wedding.
Details Win the Cocktail Hour Playlist Game By Melbourne Wedding DJ Service
If you want the cocktail hour songlist to be unique, you need to get specific. What songs are must-haves for you to you include? After deciding the tunes you need to have on your cocktail hour songlist, your wedding DJ Yarra Valley will be able to fill in the blanks with songs that bring your songlist to life.
Soul Music – Melbourne Wedding DJ Service
Cocktail hours need soul music. They are upbeat with a sense of nostalgia woven into their fibres, the perfect combination for the wedding. Soul singers simply reach guests on a deeper, more romantic level. No guest can resist the power of love coming from Marvin Gaye’s silky vocal cords. Below are the top 20 songs for a wedding cocktail hour.
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough- Marvin Gaye
This upbeat crowd-pleaser will get your friends and family feeling the love in the room by the time they receive their first drink or appetizer. It will make sure the mood for the rest of the wedding and the vocals alone light up the reception room, prepping everyone for a fun night of dancing.
My Girl- Temptations
This popular love song deserves a spot in all cocktail hour playlist. It is the most romantic soul song on this songlist, and it speaks to the childish freedom & wonder of young love. Guests of all ages know the words to My Girl- it is the relatable love song that everyone knows and wants to listen to.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered- Stevie Wonder
If you would like to bring the dance energy to a fever pitch and never entirely to send it over the edge, then this uptempo, energetic ripper of a song by Stevie Wonder is sure to do just that. It will make your friends and family a little more talkative, a little more bubbly, and have them thinking about which jig they are going to roll out later on in the night.
Soul Man- Sam And Dave
Another beauty, “Soul Man” by Sam & Dave, has that visceral feeling we all look for in soul songs. You can feel it in the chest & you can not help but sing along.
Pop Songs – Melbourne Wedding DJ Service
You must include a few pop songs in the cocktail hour for good measure. You do not want the songlist to become monotonous with mainstream songs, but you need to incorporate them for a complete songlist.
These tunes ensure that you appeal to everyone for at least a few jammers. Songs like “Uptown Funk” also be sure to blend genres so that your friends and family can feel a little poppy & a little funky.
Uptown Funk- Bruno Mars
Who can resist that righteous bassline & the unrelenting drum hits on this song? “Cuz up town funk gonna give it to ya! Do not believe me, just watch.” It is hard to argue with these lyrics.
This song best serves as a transition tune. Play it at the very beginning of the cocktail hour or start of dancing time to start the energy off the correct way.
Lucky- Jason Mraz and Colbie Calait
We have covered the tunes that will get everyone feeling a little more energetic. But what about the laid-back love tunes? “Lucky” has heartwarming lyrics & a mellower tempo than some of the other tunes on this songlist. It is perfect for introducing some variety to your songlist.
22- Taylor Swift
This top 40 classic is a fun song about feeling free with friends and staying young no matter what your age(good vibes for a wedding reception). Though there are a couple of lyrics about feeling lonely, it’s Taylor Swift, & anytime you put on Taylor Swift, half the venue loses their minds.
Halo- Beyonce
Queen Beyonce lets her guard down a little on this one with a slower tempo tune about falling in love & losing all of her reservations about somebody. The beat is heavy, too, which will make your friends and family engaged.
Oldies – Melbourne Wedding DJ Service
You will want to incorporate some oldies into the cocktail hour for two reasons: they are classics & they symbolize the passing of the baton from 1 generation to the next. Besides, Frank Sinatra’s sonorous voice is all you need to class up any wedding reception.
Fly Me To The Moon- Frank Sinatra
“Fly Me to the Moon” hits at almost every wedding you may attend. “In other words….Please Be true!” Playing this tune at cocktail hour will have guests wanting to sing along while they are enjoying their drinks & appetizers. Guests will be toasting & throwing their arms around each other in no time once this classic crooner is played.
Just In Time- Dean Martin
This Dean Martin tune is a little off the beaten path when it comes to the 40’s singer. Most brides & grooms want Dean Martin somewhere in their wedding song selection. However, you really need to be careful when picking a Dean song because it can get a little mushy & bland. “Just In Time” bucks that trend.
At Last- Etta James
Some slow love tunes can kill the cocktail hour vibe, but as a Melbourne wedding DJ service, you still want to keep the romance in the room. Few singers are better at doing so than Etta James. Her sultry, dynamic voice has been making guests fall in love for 80 years, and it does not show signs of stopping.
A-Tisket A-Tasket- Ella Fitzgerald
Etta James & Ella Fitzgerald were two of the heavy hitters back in the 40s jazz scene, and they deserve a bit of love for their powerful voices during your wedding reception cocktail hour. You need to make sure that you space these tunes out because played in succession, they will sound cliche. However, when wedding DJ Melbourne intersperse these oldies songs, they create a powerful sense of nostalgia that adds to any wedding reception.
Dance Tunes – Melbourne Wedding DJ Service
While you do not want to play all of the dance songs at the cocktail hour, you will be able to get away with interspersing some lower tempo, less energetic dance tunes. This will create a laid-back atmosphere for your friends and family while getting the dance muscles all warmed up.
I Feel It Coming – Daft Punk & The Weekend.
The perfect precursor to starting the night of nights off right, “I Feel It Coming” combines The Weeknd’s tender falsettos and infuses it with Daft Punk’s funky electronic beats. It will get guests to tap their feet, but it will not have them doing the worm. You want friends and family to start feeling the energy during the cocktail hour, and “I Feel It Coming” accomplishes exactly this.
Latch – Disclosure ft. Sam Smith
“Latch” is on the same vein as “I Feel It Coming.” It has Sam Smith’s high falsettos & a warm electronic beat that is not too distracting from your friends and family holding conversations. However, its “wompy” bassline & heavy 808s will make your friends and family groove a little while they settle in.
Get Lucky- Daft Punk ft. Pharrell
This 2013 hit is very fast, turning into a classic hit. It is a perfect starter dance tune for when the appetizers are coming out. Everyone loves a familiar tune while they reacquaint themselves with the many wedding friends and family.
Roses- Saint JHN (Imanbeck Remix)
This tune adds a current hit to the songlist. It is a chill dance hit that makes you want to rock back & forth. The Imanbeck remix is an awesome driving tune that will translate well to social gatherings, including wedding receptions.
Rock Hits – Melbourne Wedding DJ Service
The following rock popular songs are staples at wedding receptions and cocktail hours and will ring bells for all of your guests. You can not go wrong with some Stones, Queen, Police, & Van Halen.
Miss You- Rolling Stones
This funky little groove will set the tone for the cocktail hour. It is a steady, bass-heavy tune that oozes coolness. It will also find Mick Jagger’s melodies a little toned down. You can save hits such as “Honky Tonk Woman” & “Start Me Up” for when it is dancing time.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen
No cocktail hour is complete without Freddie Mercury’s immaculate voice serenading your guests. “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” also finds Mercury in more of a subdued lyrical composition & vocal style. You can save the songs everybody sings to, such as “We Are the Champions,” and of course, “Bohemian Rhapsody” for dancing time.
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic By The Police
This fun-loving little diddy is not quite a dance song, but it has got the upbeat energy that will keep your friends and family in high spirits during cocktail hour. We all know how much everybody loves Sting’s voice, and why wouldn’t they? It is romantic & masculine at the same time, always a feat.
Jump- Van Halen
“Jump” is another fun, upbeat song that can be played at either cocktail hour or when it comes time to dance. It is not your stereotypical dance song, but it can get guests moving. “Jump” is an awesome song to play after a slow love song to keep the energy high.
Conclusion – 20 Songs The Wedding Entertainment Melbourne Should Play at The Cocktail Hour
These cocktail hour tunes are sure to get your friends and family in the right mood for the festivities they are about to experience. However, simply mashing these songs together will not affect wedding DJs who understand how to create ambience for each and every wedding reception.
The best wedding DJ Yarra Valley understands how to oscillate between the roles as MC & DJ effortlessly. They will also understand when to take requests for songs & when to knock them back. As with any other art form, there is an element of surprise to the best Melbourne wedding DJs’ work. It comes down to more than songs & playlists & includes being able to read the crowd.
Over lot’s of couples have rated Matt Jefferies Entertainment 4.9 stars on ABIA Awards. Do not leave your wedding entertainment music up to chance. Visit our web page today and experience the wedding entertainment of a lifetime with Melbourne’s #1 choice for a professional wedding DJ Melbourne.
