When it comes to music in general, one thing will always remain true: everyone’s taste is different. And, when it comes to wedding music, peoples’ tastes seem to become even more refined. Previously, we discussed tips on choosing the right style of wedding music for your special day and why its important to choose professional wedding musicians. In the aforementioned posts, I mentioned the importance of trusting your own musical taste and taking the advice on choosing wedding music from family and friends with a grain of salt. However, there is one thing almost everyone will agree upon: Songs Not to Play at Your Wedding. Let’s explore a few prime examples of songs which are either cheesy, overplayed, questionable or just plain inappropriate for an event as special as your wedding day.

Cheesy Dance Songs to Never Play at a Wedding

First, let’s take a look at some songs which are just too cheesy for any special event, let alone your wedding. While these may be fun dance numbers for your five-year-old nephew, none of these songs are classy, sophisticated or even remotely popular:

• The Macarena
• The Ketchup Song
• The Chicken Dance
• The Hokey Pokey
• The Locomotion
• The Cha-Cha Slide
• Limbo Rock
• YMCA
• The Conga

Again, these songs might seem fun, but, they’re really only fun for people under the age of ten! Save this playlist for your child’s birthday party, not for your wedding.

Inappropriate Songs for a Wedding

While these songs may be beautiful and moving in their own right, they are certainly not appropriate for a wedding! Most of these songs actually deal with break-ups, bad relationships or even death (like “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion). Do you really want to think about those things on your wedding day?

• The Police - “Every Breath You Take” (This song is about a bad break-up, and now he’s watching her wherever she goes!)
• Whitney Houston - “I Will Always Love You” (”I Will Always Love You” - even though we broke up!)
• Celine Dion - “My Heart Will Go On” (He’s dead and she will always remember him.)
• Eric Clapton - “Tears in Heaven” (Another song about death.)
• Gloria Gaynor - “I Will Survive” (If it isn’t obvious, this is about surviving a terrible break-up and moving on.)
• Billy Idol - “White Wedding” (Billy Idol stated that this song is about hating his younger sister’s fiance.)

Believe it or not, most of these songs are played by DJ’s at weddings all too often and many of them are featured in “Top Wedding Songs” lists on various websites. However, be sure to keep these off of your wedding music playlist and go with something more appropriate - and uplifting - instead!

Questionable Songs for a Wedding

While these songs might be fun and charming on their own, they just do not belong at a wedding reception.

• The Black Eyed Peas - “My Humps”
• The Baha Men - “Who Let the Dogs Out”
• Wang Chung - “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”
• Aerosmith - “Dude Looks Like a Lady”
• Trace Adkins - “Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk”
• Bryan Adams - “Cuts Like a Knife”
• Toby Keith - “She’s a Hottie”
• Billy Ray Cyrus - “Achey Brakey Heart”
• Sisqo - “The Thong Song”
• The Starland Vocal Band - “Afternoon Delight”

Okay, some of these songs are just plain bad!

At this point, you probably get the idea: some songs do not belong at your wedding! While they may be entertaining for a select few, it would be best to leave these out of your wedding music playlist. However, always trust your judgment; you know what’s best for your wedding day!

If you have any more “wedding music mistakes” to share with us, post a comment!