Everyone loves a wedding. Everyone. Not just the gorgeous couple that are ready to sprint down the aisle, say “I do”, have a quick snog in front of their whooping friends and family and then skip into the rest of their happily ever after, but each and every one of your guests too.
It’s the getting dressed up. The rush to the church because they’re running later. Taking sneaky snaps of the decorations. The chitter-chatter that fills the time before the bride’s arrival. That moment when everyone turns around in their pews to catch a glimpse of you in your gown. The heartfelt hymn singing. The throwing of confetti and the tussling for the bouquet. The getting drunk and nibbling on nibbles and chatting to new friends and old-besties. The belly-laughter and memory-making. That’s what a wedding is all about.
But ask any seasoned wedding-goer one what their favourite part of the celebration is - their absolute favourite - and you’ll find a cheeky smirk climbs across their face as they shout the words, “the dancing, baby!”
Oh yeah. This is it. This will be the highlight of your big day. This is where all aisles leads. This is where all that champagne gets to do its thing as everyone follows you to the dancefloor in one giant conga, each guest absolutely desperate to get down and boogie. Yup. We aid boogie. But that’s because there is no other way of saying it. Your guests want to boogie. They want to tap their toes, sway their arms from side to side, sing along to some classic hits, donate their hips to the music and dance like no one’s watching - and to make this happen, you need to pull together an emphatic mix of songs.
The good news is: your wedding band-slash-DJ will know exactly how to do this.
The even better news is: you can chuck some of your own suggestions into the mix as well.
So, without further ado, here are some classic party songs that are so epic your guests will find the dancefloor more irresistible than a free bar stocked with champagne cocktails. Oh, and to help you tailor this playlist to your own wants and needs, we’ve divvied the songs up by decade, starting with the here and now.
And with that, it’s time you pulled on your red shoes and danced the blues because it’s party time…
The Twenty-Tens
You may not have the same taste as your friends, but there is something fail safe about popping a unhealthy amount of current songs into your wedding playlist. They’re the tunes in vogue right now, the songs playing out of speaker systems all over, and that means our guests will have no excuse but o get out of their chairs and onto the dancefloor (even if that means going via the bar one more time).
Justin Timberlake - Can’t Stop the Feeling
Pharrell Williams – Happy
Bruno Mars – Marry You
The Weeknd - I Can’t Feel My Face
Drake - Hotline Bling
Bruno Mars - 24K Magic
Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk
John Legend – All Of Me
Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne – Rather Be
Bastille – Pompeii
Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams – Get Lucky
PSY – Gangnam Style
Avicii – Wake Me Up
Jessie J ft. BoB – Price Tag
Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger
Lumineers – Ho Hey
Avicii – Hey Brother
Christina Perri – A Thousand Years
16. LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem
Rudimental ft. John Newman – Feel The Love
Sam Smith – I’m Not The Only One
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – Fancy
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Downtown
Charli XCX – Boom Clap
Adele – Rolling In The Deep
David Guetta ft. Sia – Titanium
Sam Smith – Money On My Mind
Rihanna – Diamonds
Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines
LMFAO – Sexy And I Know It
Tinie Tempah – Pass Out
Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – We Found Love
Coldplay – Paradise
One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud
Bruno Mars – Just The Way You Are
Katy Perry – Firework
Ed Sheeran – Sing
Nicki Minaj – Super Bass
FUN ft. Janelle Monae – We Are Young
Swedish House Mafia – Don’t You Worry Child
Taylor Swift – Shake It Off
Bruno Mars – Locked Out Of Heaven
Luis Fonsi - Despacito
Ed Sheeran - Shape of You
Rizzle Kicks – Mama Do The Hump
Khalid - Young, Dumb & Broke
Lilly Wood & Robin Schulz – Prayer in C
Meghan Trainor – All About That Bass
James Bay – Hold Back The River
Ellie Goulding – How Long Will I Love You
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Can’t Hold Us
Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know
Pitbull ft. Ke$ha – Timber
Lady Gaga – The Edge of Glory
Jason Mraz – I Won’t Give Up
Usher ft. Will.i.Am – OMG
Aloe Blacc – I Need A Dollar
Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand
The Noughties
Play any one of these songs from the noughties and you’ll find your dance floor area gets packed faster than a London tube at rush hour. This is because songs from the noughties are still sat right on the tip of your tongue and still bouncing around at the back of your mind, and that makes them the best kind of party-starters.
Rihanna ft. Jay Z – Umbrella
R. Kelly - Ignition
Edward Sharpe - Home
Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire
Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean – Hips Don’t Lie
Beyonce – Crazy In Love
Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
Flo Rida ft. T Pain – Low
Shakira – Whenever Wherever
Mika – Grace Kelly
The Killers – Mr Brightside
Scissor Sisters – I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’
Beyonce – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Tony Christie ft. Peter Kay – (Is This The Way To) Amarillo
Pussycat Dolls ft. Busta Rhymes – Don’t Cha
Timbaland – The Way I Are
Eric Prydz – Call On Me
Britney Spears - Toxic
Missy Elliott - Get Ur Freak On
Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
Amy Winehouse - Valerie
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
Black Eyed Peas – Where Is The Love
Adele – Make You Feel My Love
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
Atomic Kitten – The Tide Is High
Scissor Sisters – Filthy Gorgeous
Timbaland ft. Nelly Furtado – Give It To Me
Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out Of My Head
Shaggy ft. Rikrok – It Wasn’t Me
Enrique Iglesias – Hero
Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby
Nelly Furtado – Maneater
Sandi Thom – I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker
Gwen Stefani ft. Akon – The Sweet Escape
Plain White Ts – Hey There Delilah
Sean Kingston – Beautiful Girls
Kayne West – Stronger
Razorlight – America
Akon – Smack That
Infernal – From Paris to Berlin
Girls Aloud – Sound Of The Underground
Elvis vs. JXL – A Little Less Conversation
Baha Men – Who Let The Dogs Out
Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland – Dilemma
Justin Timberlake – Sexyback
Outkast – Hey Ya!
Wheatus – Teenage Dirtbag
50 Cent ft. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland – Ayo Technology
Cascada – Every Time We Touch
Nizlopi – JCB Song
Tatu – All The Things She Said
Arctic Monkeys – I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Nickelback – How You Remind Me
Kelis – Milkshake
Orson – No Tomorrow
Usher ft. Lil’ Jon & Ludacris – Yeah!
Lily Allen – Smile
Body Rockers – I Like The Way
Fedde Le Grand – Put Your Hands Up For Detroit
The Nineties
If you’re struggling to find songs that will lure people to the dance floor, then you need to revisit the 90s and pick a healthy dollop of songs because these classics will have people singing and dancing like it’s no one’s business. Come on, who doesn’t love getting a tad tipsy on the bubbly stuff and singing along to a medley of Spice Girls, Cher and Oasis songs?
Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
House Of Pain – Jump Around
Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around
Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You
Meat Loaf – I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)
Snap! – The Power
Madonna – Vogue
Celine Dion – My Heart Will Go On
Cher – Believe
Aqua – Barbie Girl
Robson & Jerome – Unchained Melody
Snap! – Rhythm Is A Dancer
Boyzone – No Matter What
The Spice Girls – Wannabe
The Prodigy – Breathe
Shania Twain – That Don’t Impress Me Much
UB40 – (I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You
Coolio ft. LV – Gangstas’s Paradise
Rednex – Cotton Eye Joe
No Doubt – Don’t Speak
Fugees – Killing Me Softly
TLC - No Scrubs
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop
Robbie Williams – Angels
Sir Mix-A-Lot – Baby Got Back
2 Unlimited – No Limit
Mark Morrison – Return Of The Mack
D:Ream – Things Can Only Get Better
MC Hammer - U Can’t Touch This
Ricky Martin - Livin’ la Vida Loca
Pulp - Common People
Ginuwine - Pony
All 4 One – I Swear
Rednex – Cotton Eye Joe
Boyz II Men – End Of The Road
Whigfield – Saturday Night
R Kelly – I Believe I Can Fly
Chumbawamba – Tubthumping
Run-DMC vs. Jason Nevins – It’s Like That
Culture Beat – Mr Vain
LeAnn Rimes – How Do I Live
Gina G – Ooh Aah Just A Little Bit
Chesney Hawkes – The One And Only
Right Said Fred – I’m Too Sexy
Gabrielle – Dreams
Britney Spears – Baby One More Time
Sinead O’ Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U
East 17 – Stay Another Day
Simply Red – Fairground
Pras Michael ft. ODB & Mya – Ghetto Superstar
Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5
Peter Andre – Mysterious Girl
The Rembrandts – I’ll Be There For You
Beats International ft. Lindy Layton – Dub Be Good To Me
Oasis – Wonderwall
B*Witched – C’est La Vie
The Prodigy – Breathe
Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince – Boom! Shake The Room
Savage Garden – Truly Madly Deeply
The Eighties
You’re probably rolling your eyes and shaking your head at the thought of any 80s music being played on your wedding day, and we get it. But you need some 80s hits. You’re guests need them. The holy sanctity of marriage needs them. That’s because - admit or not - everyone loves the 80s. From the dodgy dress sense right through to the addictively catchy hits - everyone loves the 80s.
Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
Bon Jovi – Livin’ On A Prayer
B-52s – Love Shack
Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Bryan Adams – Summer Of 69
Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up
Kenny Loggins – Footloose
Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax
Soft Cell – Tainted Love
Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger
Stevie Wonder – I Just Called To Say I Love You
Black Box – Ride On Time
Jennifer Rush – The Power Of Love
Culture Club – Karma Chameleon
The Human League – Don’t You Want Me
Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters (Who You Gonna Call)
Lionel Richie – Hello
George Michael – Careless Whisper
Kylie Minogue – I Should Be So Lucky
Berlin – Take My Breath Away
Tiffany – I Think We’re Alone Now
Men At Work – Down Under
Ultravox – Vienna
Sinitta – So Macho
David Bowie – Let’s Dance
Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love
Nena – 99 Red Balloons
Whitesnake - Here I Go Again
Chris De Burgh – Lady In Red
Adam & The Ants – Stand And Deliver
Europe – The Final Countdown
UB40 – Red Red Wine
Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen
Billy Joel – Uptown Girl
Irene Cara – Fame
David Bowie & Mick Jagger – Dancing In The Street
Yazz & The Plastic Population – The Only Way Is Up
Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach
Wham! – Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
The Flying Pickets – Only You
Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel – White Lines
Rod Stewart – Baby Jane
Queen - Under Pressure
Doctor & The Medics – Spirit In The Sky
Salt-N-Pepa - Push It
The Specials – Ghost Town
Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight
Chaka Khan – I Feel For You
Diana Ross – Chain Reaction
Billy Ocean – When The Going Gets Tough
Paul Young – Wherever I Lay My Hat
Foreigner – I Want To Know What Love Is
Pet Shop Boys – Always On My Mind
Van Halen - Jump
Marc Almond – Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart
Prince - When Doves Cry
The Police - Every Breath You Take
U2 - With Or Without You
Guns N’ Roses - Sweet Child O’ Miine
The Seventies
Every wedding bash needs a super-injection of nostalgia, the kind that reverberates in your heart and soul for some inexplicable reason; the sort of songs that you haven’t heard since vinyl was all the rage and every other movie was a musical. That’s the sort of sprinkling your wedding playlist needs. It needs everyone singing along to the biggest hits from the Grease soundtrack, before getting their air-guitar on to the sounds of Queen:
Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
The Kinks - Lola
Elton John - Tiny Dancer
Wild Cherry - Play that Funky Music
Sister Sledge – We Are Family
Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight
Boney M – Rivers of Babylon
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama
John Travolta & Olivia Newton John – You’re The One That I Want
John Travolta & Olivia Newton – Summer Nights
Rod Stewart – Maggie May
Middle Of The Road – Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime
The New Seekers – Never Ending Song Of Love
Dave Edmunds – I Hear You Knocking
Marvin Gaye - Got To Give It Up
T Rex – 20th Century Boy
Elton John & Kiki Dee – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
Boomtown Rats – I Don’t Like Mondays
Abba – Dancing Queen
Bay City Rollers – Bye Bye Baby
Donny Osmond – Puppy Love
Showaddywaddy – Under The Moon Of Love
Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights
The Commodores – Three Times A Lady
Norman Greenbaum – Spirit In The Sky