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Wedding Dinner Music Ideas

If there is a mixed generation of guests, all genres of easy listening music can work well during dinner. This list can include the favourite easy listening songs of the Bride and Groom also. If you have several generations attending your reception, try to have a variety of musical selections that will appeal to everyone. 

Your grandparents will appreciate hearing Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole in between selections by Coldplay. Playing 3 songs from each genre is a balanced amount of songs to create an interesting mix for the large generation of guests, family and friends.

The following are various modern easy listening favourites from all of the most popular genres...

Planning a Wedding Reception? Check Out the Wedding Reception Kit for Unique Ideas!

More about the Wedding Dinner

Your wedding dinner will feature food and drinks that you spent months agonizing over – what food would be served, how the tables would be decorated and what the seating arrangements would be.  You’re sure to want everyone to be able to relax, enjoy the food and socialize with each other. 

The focus should be on the food and pleasant conversation.  Music should be a background feature that enhances but doesn’t overwhelm, which is why most couples select a variety of easy listening or jazz pieces for the dinner interlude.

A good blend is to play three selections from one generation grouped together, then move on to three from another era and so on; it makes the transition less jarring and gives everyone a chance to really enjoy “their” music.  In most cases, vocal music is played, but if you are having an extremely formal black tie affair you may want to opt for instrumental music only and steer toward classical or instrumental jazz music.

Controlling the Volume of Wedding Dinner Music

The key to successful background music during dinner is volume control.  Be sure you talk to the band or DJ and have a clear understanding of what you expect.  The music should be loud enough to provide some atmosphere, but should not make conversation at each table difficult.  If people at each table need to shout at each other to be heard, the music is too loud.

It’s also important to pay a bit more if necessary to see that the speakers and sound system are balanced throughout the room.  You don’t want some diners seated close to loud, intrusive speakers and have their eardrums blasted with sound while others can’t hear the music at all.  You may have to have the speakers moved some between the dining and dancing portions of the evening to get the right balance, and that’s fine – it’s certainly preferable to people being uncomfortable during dinner.

Consider Wedding Dinner Theme Music

Does your wedding have a particular theme, such as a beach wedding or a Christmas wedding?  If so, the dinner music is an ideal time to tie your music in with your theme.  You can have a great deal of fun if you play some steel drum or calypso music during the meal for your beach wedding. 

A Christmas wedding will be even more festive if you enhance the meal with a selection of traditional Christmas carols.  And of course, an Italian wedding wouldn’t be complete without some Italian love songs by crooners like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra!

Start your dinner music on the mellow side at the beginning, then build toward more up-tempo songs as the meal progresses if you like.  This will get the guests in the mood for the dancing and festivities to come and keep them from getting too sluggish from all that wonderful food and drink!

For sample wedding dinner playlists, make sure to check out The Wedding Reception Kit.