How do you keep your dance floor packed at your wedding? The short answer: get a great DJ. The next answer? Great music, obviously!
Take it from DJ Scotty J, the best way to keep your dance floor packed all night long is to have the best blend of classic hits, firestarters that everyone loves, throwbacks, and anything in between. For Utah weddings, the music that gets the night going at any given wedding lately consists of all of the above.
According to Scotty, a song that will always be a hit on the dance floor at a Utah wedding is, “Anything that has catchy lyrics, is popular on social media, or is a family fav!” So whether it’s the number one song on your family’s boating playlist or the one that gets stuck in your head every time you turn on the radio, it’s bound to be a crowd favorite.
Start With Your Roots
When it comes to wedding music trends for Utah, no matter the couple, it all comes down to the music they loved when they were teenagers. “A lot of couples love to relive high school bangers at their weddings. They want to actually party to the music that might have been risque or looked down on as high schoolers.”
So maybe you had to secretly turn that one song on in your mom’s minivan before second period, but now you can party to it all day long with your brand-new spouse! And to Scotty’s point, the music you loved from that time of your life is likely the music all your friends loved too, and the songs that have the best memories attached to them.
It’s a throwback to the time you were rocking out at prom with your maid of honor, or to that moment you locked eyes with your high school sweetheart turned husband!
But not everyone will have those exact music tastes, or have graduated the same year as you or your spouse. That’s where a great music mixer like Scotty knows how to balance everyone’s music preferences.
“It is a real finite business here! I would say that anytime you kick off dancing with music that the older generation likes, they are more willing to dance to newer music as the night goes on.”
Start with a crowd-pleaser, then add in those niche favorites of yours.
Top Ten Utah Wedding Songs
But there really are those certain songs that can get anyone on the dance floor, even grandma. Here’s Scotty’s list of the top ten songs that are guaranteed to pack the dance floor at any Utah wedding:
- Taste – Sabrina Carpenter
- Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar
- Beautiful Things – Benson Boone
- Die with a Smile – Bruno Mars
- Nokia – Drake
- TV Off – Kendrick Lamar
- Pink Pony Club – Chappell Roan
- I Had Some Help – Morgan Wallen and Post Malone
- A Bar Song – Shaboozey
- Sports Car – Tate McRae
We can’t be held responsible if any of these end up in your head after this!
Take it from a DJ who knows his way around a dance floor himself (this one even knows how to do the splits), these are the ones that will get your party moving. Feel free to just add all of the above to your wedding playlist.
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Bride
Along those same lines, Scotty has a love for, along with the rest of us, our favorite Midwest Princess. When it comes to surprising songs on his go-to party starter list, Scotty didn’t expect to be playing her so much. “Anything Chappel Roan always pops off! I am always in awe that people love to dance to her stuff!”
Let’s be real, who wouldn’t want to take it H-O-T-T-O-G-O with their closest friends when given the chance?
Those might be some recent favorites, but Scotty has another list of hits in his back pocket; classics that simply never fail.
- I Want It That Way – Backstreet Boys
- Low – Flo Rida (“Not called Apple-Bottom-Jeans!”)
- 24k Magic – Bruno Mars
- Hooked On a Feeling – Bjorn Skifs and Blue Swede
- Swag Surfin – F.L.Y.
- London Bridge – Fergie
Like we said, if these songs mysteriously end up in your head later today… Join the club. We can definitely say from experience that this playlist is a certified dance floor magnet.
The Party Starts Earlier in the Evening
So how do you know when to play the biggest crowd pleasers? “I would say if we have an hour of dancing, we pull out the crowd pleasers throughout the entire night, but really kick it off about 10 minutes in to keep people’s attention.”
And keeping that energy going is just as crucial, but it starts way before the party does. “It all starts with the background music earlier in the reception. If the background music isn’t relatable or people don’t know it, then dancing seems to be harder!”
Get you a DJ who also rocks the rest of the wedding day music, not just the final fiesta!
More DJ Scotty Favorites
Here are some more fun sneak peeks into DJ Scotty’s song list. A song request he gets at every single wedding? “Low” by Flo Rida. It’s no secret why that one made the never-fail list!
But here’s an even better peek: songs that Scotty secretly loves to play are “Breaking Free” from High School Musical and “i2i’ from The Goofy Movie. Suddenly, we’re in the mood to get our heads in the game.
DJ Scotty has some great tips for couples who are nervous about getting people up and grooving on their wedding day.
“I would say invest in a good DJ that you trust and be super open about music. Sometimes people are not going to dance to the couple’s music, and that is fine. We can use their music as background music, but during dancing, we really want the couple and the crowd to get excited for the dancing. If your music isn’t working, a good DJ can transition into other stuff to see what sticks!”
Here’s your sign to get DJ Scotty himself to rock your wedding day from start to finish!
Good Utah Wedding Songs, Better Utah DJ
And when it comes to keeping the dance floor full, it’s a balancing act between playing great songs and having a great DJ like Scotty.
“I would say it’s 50/50 between great song choice and my role as a DJ. Sometimes an absolute banger of a song won’t hit if you don’t build it up right. Being able to condition the crowd and prep them for dancing is just as important as the actual dance.”
One final tip from DJ Scotty J for couples who want to get that dance floor hopping all night long is to book your DJ far enough in advance. “A lot of the best DJs book anywhere from five months in advance to one year or more. So if you know you are getting married, don’t wait to reach out because having a good DJ can be the difference between an amazingly beautiful day and that plus a rager of a night that people will remember for a long time!”
Take it from us, a great DJ is one wedding vendor you’ll want to make sure you include on your list. After all, this is the party of your lifetime, why not go as all-out as possible to celebrate your love and excitement for your wedding day?
Photographer: Kimberly Crook Photography (#UVBVendor)
