Do you want something different to Whitney and Celine for your wedding reception? Veronica Stivala offers some tips on choosing your matrimonial melodies.

“And aaaayyyyyyyeeeaaayyyeee I will always love y...”. You know the rest. If this is the kind of music you would like to have played at your wedding then stop reading. While I hold nothing against the great Whitney and her beautifully powerful voice, I know some will agree that some of her big-ballad numbers may be a bit overdone now and, dare I say it, cliché for wedding receptions.

The same applies to Celine Dion who, while for some may induce swaying and swooning when they hear songs like It’s All Coming Back To Me and My Heart Will Go On, will make others wish that it won’t come back to them and that their heart will not go on, and stop right then.

So, for those of you who are looking for something a little different, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Know what you like

Everybody has different tastes in music so it can be tricky to find music that everyone likes. But of course, that is not the point. Your wedding is about you and you need to pick music that fits your style as a couple because it can give your wedding a sense of uniqueness compared to the rest.

Don’t feel that you have to adhere to a band’s or DJ’s playlist or make sure that the band and/or DJ you choose really does have a repertoire that you like, and not just one song that you liked, once, a while ago, when you were drunk, as a teenager.

Music for the ceremony

Picking music for you and your bridesmaids or groomsmen to walk down the aisle to is not always easy, especially if you are getting married in church. If you have a singer, then going for classical music or hymns is a good option. Others also prefer an instrumental piece.

Picking music to walk down the aisle to is not always easy

What you want is for everyone to focus on the bride or groom as they walk down the aisle and not be distracted by the words of a song or how loud it is. That said, ultimately this is your day so you get to decide what you want.

A site called Wedding Whoop (I think the name says it all) has suggestions for aisle music that ranges from Schubert’s Ave Maria, to Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love with You, to I Love the Way You Love Me (by Boyzone) to the theme music from Star Wars, Jaws and Close Encounters. Some people have a great sense of humour!

Songs that make them dance

A good way of finding the right music is to look up wedding playlists online. Why not look up wedding CD compilations and choose from their selection?

Of course you don’t need to stick to wedding music and can simply look up music you like. The digital music service Spotify has amazing algorithms for sorting music according to mood or event. So you might want to look into their playlists and look up different moods (party, afternoon or evening chill, etc) to suit the different stages of your wedding.

Try to stay away from songs that have a lot of profanity, because it could make some guests uncomfortable. People love to sing along and join in when they know the song so even if the rest of the music is your own personal taste, as it should be, throwing in a few oldies can be helpful.