Music - the right music in particular is essential to the success of your event.
We all have music we love, music we don't like quite so much & music we'd much rather not hear at all. When I'm working for you, my personal taste won't (and rightly shouldn't!) come into it. What I'm working for is to make YOU and your guests happy. When that's done, it's a job well done as far as I'm concerned & that's what makes me happy.
It might be tempting to deliver your DJ a playlist detailing 70 or more 'must play' tracks but I'd like to suggest you resist. Don't get me wrong, request lists are often a very useful window into you & your guests' tastes & can provide a great starting point, but you can quite easily go too far. Often the most memorable parts of an event come from spontaneous requests, so deny them at your peril.
If you're even considering giving a DJ a rigid play order, I'll happily recount my experience to you of all the times I've ever seen that work. (hint: it's NONE). So you don't want dance action songs because you can't stand them - fine. If you don't like a particular artist - fine too. If you don't like heavy metal but know Uncle Ernie is a metal head & don't want him to mosh (what, not even just one little song, by himself?) .. that's fine as well. But please, PLEASE ... take your guests into consideration! Your guests are absolutely essential in making your event a success.
Having played at hundreds of events in the last few years I can safely say the most important aspect of the really memorable epic nights has been guest interaction. Guests request songs spontaneously & I follow the thread, leading things in new & interesting directions.
Sending out request cards in your RSVPs is a very quaint idea suggested by many a party planner or wedding blog, but who then has to collate all of those requests to hand to your DJ? YOU DO! Wouldn't you rather they just ask your friendly approachable event DJ instead & save yourself a lot of typing? Besides that, when is a better time to choose what they'd like to dance to - while they're sat down at home or when they're right in the thick of the party?
Let me be your musical muse. Run things past me. TRUST ME. I'm open minded & can fully appreciate the importance of not ploughing the same old party furrows a 'generic party' DJ might follow, week in, week out for 20 plus years.
It doesn't have to be all about hands in the air good times music either, but if you have any expectation of you & your guests ending up with videos, photos & memories of having a great time dancing try to limit the number of ethereal album tracks to a minimum.
Conventional thinking tells us that a party of any sort is a gathering where your family & friends help you celebrate something. Embrace that & you won't go far wrong.