Nail the SECOND song: The first song is 100% yours and while your starting the night with the first dance all eyes are on you. Now, its the second song of the night thats sets the tone and can make or break the reception. Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” always works! It’s the perfect combination of fun, energetic, and well known without alienating anyone. You don’t want the most popular song on the radio, but you want something people know. It can’t be too fast or too slow.

Don’t worry about the words: Some songs that are really fun to dance to aren’t about how in love you are, and that’s okay! When we’re talking about wedding dance songs, the words don’t really matter.

Think about your guests: So yes, you had a hilarious experience at a bar ten years ago while “Nothing Compares 2 You” by Sinead O’Conner was playing, but no one else at your wedding (except maybe your best friend) was there, and they won’t think the song is nearly as funny as you do. You don’t have to make sure every single song will appeal to as many people as possible, but definitely leave ultra-inclusive inside jokes out.

Stagger the playlist for multiple generations: The beginning of the night should include Motown/Motown-era soul —think Aretha, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and so on, but with a few new jams sprinkled in so younger gusts can enjoy themselves. If you’re not using a good DJ (or not hiring a DJ at all), you’ll want to listen to the entire song before you decide on it. After forty-five minutes or so, a lot of the youngest and oldest guests will exit the dance floor, and you can transition to ’80s, ’90s, and current pop, hip-hop, and rnb. After another hour you’re usually down to your core group of friends and family who want to party, and anything goes!