How to Create the Perfect Wedding Playlist: Advice from DJ Scotty J

Everyone who wants to have an epic dance party at their wedding—or even just some nice music throughout the day—knows how important it is to curate a great playlist. But it turns out it’s pretty difficult to create the best wedding playlist for your wedding. When your DJ asks what you want, how do you know what to tell them?

A great DJ knows how to create not only the best wedding playlist that will get even grandma on the dance floor, but also how to create the very best wedding playlist for you and your guests. Take it from DJ Scotty J, not only is he a pro at making your wedding day sound incredible and run smoothly, but he knows how to curate a playlist that reflects your and your guests’ preferences perfectly. He knows how to pack your dance floor!

It starts with figuring out what kind of music you like, and what you actually want to include in your wedding playlist. “A DJ will help guide you through good ways to find music for your wedding.”

Start With Your Own Playlists

Just take a look at the music you listen to every day. “I always start with Spotify wrapped and your Apple Music wrapped, you can go in and see who you’ve been listening to the most. I suggest to look at that, look at what they’ve been listening to, and that’s a great place to start.”

Here’s where a great DJ comes in—you may have a few top artists, but your DJ will have thousands, and therefore will know a lot of music that matches your preferences.

“A lot of people will listen to the same four or five artists throughout the year. If my couples are liking certain music, that’s what I listen to, and I really try to dig into that. I definitely have a lot of music under my belt, and so if they have five or six artists that they’re listening to on repeat, I know four, five, ten others that fit their vibe too.”

DJ Scotty will take what you already like and curate more based on that.

Music Isn’t ‘Wedding Music?’

It seems simple enough, just check out what your top songs are! But it gets much deeper than that—after all, you could be a ‘Sunday Afternoon Witchy Sadgirl’ or you could have a playlist called ‘Springtime Moonrise Metalhead,’ and you’re worried that your music taste isn’t “wedding music.” But Scotty says otherwise.

“I had one bride who said, ‘I love pop, punk, and metal music, but that’s not wedding music,’ and I said, ‘Whose wedding is this?’ And she said, ‘Well, it’s mine.’”

Scotty responded, “Then it’s wedding music. If you like that stuff, and that’s what gets you excited—we can do that.” And then they “partied so hard for that hour to that kind of music.”

Take it from a DJ who has done more than enough punk weddings—or country weddings, or early 2000s weddings—your music is part of what makes your wedding playlist yours. And what will get your guests to enjoy it with you. “Make it very personal to you, because your guests know you, and they’re going to party with you.”

Playlists and Do-Not-Play-Lists

Another tip DJ Scotty has is to create a place where your guests can send in song requests ahead of time. “Having a request list makes it so much easier as a DJ to see what your guests are liking, and what they’re not liking.”

You can have a “play” list, and a “do not play” list.

“Having a ‘do not playlist’ is just as important as having a ‘must-play.’” From line dances to Taylor Swift, Scotty sees every type of music on both lists.

But at the end of the day, it’s your wedding, and you get to choose. “Brides and grooms always have music priority. If they want a song played all the way through, perfect, we are doing that.”

“I also want to make it feel different than the other weddings that they’ve gone to, same as their guests. I want my couples to outshine like all of their friends’ weddings, so that when people come, they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I had so much fun at their wedding, they are absolutely awesome people!’”

Clean Vs Explicit Music For a Wedding Playlist

Part of your DJ’s job is also planning when certain songs will be played. If you prefer clean music over explicit music, DJ Scotty J will handle it. And if you want the explicit version, then he can make that happen too! But here’s where to take the timing of the night into consideration when you’re planning your wedding playlist.

“As the night goes on, grandma and grandpa, they’re getting tired, maybe they’re gonna leave, then we throw on more explicit music. Couples love the original versions of the song, but we don’t wanna shock grandma.”

Shocking grandma or not, it’s ultimately up to your preferences. “I would say be conscious of the lyrics, obviously, just for your guest’s sake. You wanna make sure that they’re taken care of too, but don’t overly stress about it either.”

That’s why it’s so important to meet with your DJ ahead of time to plan out your perfect wedding playlist!

Different Events, Different Genres

When it comes to music genres, the same ideas apply—your wedding, your music. But different parts of the night could call for different genres. “You really have to separate the night out into pre-ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, first dance set, second dance set, and anything in between to really help build the night, drop the night, and all of that stuff to make it not feel just stale.”

Your DJ isn’t just there to hype up the dance floor—they will set the background music for every moment. “Different parts of the night require different music. There’s some low-key stuff that we could play during dinner, maybe we save the high-energy ‘boom boom’ type of music for later. That’s where we find out what you like and what you don’t like, so we can fit in the genres and the different sections how you want them.”

Popular Wedding Playlist Songs in 2025

Lately DJ Scotty has been playing a lot of older Disney Channel music. An expected but awesome addition to recent wedding playlists.

“Jonas Brothers, Big Time Rush, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, it really gets people going. Whether it’s a slow song, or I throw on Year 3000. Disney Channel music hits different for a lot of people.”

Take this as your sign to add some of your favorite childhood throwback songs to your wedding playlist!

Make Time for the Slow Songs

One last piece of music advice from DJ Scotty J on creating the perfect wedding playlist is to include more slow songs than you think. “If you do have slow dances, do them more often, just so that people can really feel that it’s a wedding.” Slow songs give you more opportunities to enjoy the sweet moments with everyone at your wedding, and to take in the happiness of the day.

What it ultimately comes down to is choosing music that you love, and that represents your love story, for your wedding playlist. And that includes music that you know your friends and family will love. Whether it’s a song you and your college roommates used to scream out the car window, or an album you listened to on vacation with your family, or just plain punk rock, a great DJ will know how to mix and match anything to make sure your wedding day music is just as amazing as the rest of the celebration.

And once you’ve curated your ultimate wedding day music list, you can hand it off to the pro. “Find a good DJ who will play all the good music. An expert is way better than a phone playlist.”

Reach out to DJ Scotty J right now to have the best DJ mixing it up for your wedding!