…or in the case of John McCain, the disco. He’s admitted that the number one song on his would-be presidential playlist is Abba’s “Dancing Queen.” In the interest of bipartisanship, I’ll say, “no comment,” but that brings me to a popular trend. Many modern couples are foregoing the traditional wedding band in favor of do-it-yourself music.

Whether you use your own MP3 player and rent a sound system, corral a friend to act as emcee, or consult closely with a wedding deejay, there are many ways to create the soundtrack for your wedding that represents you as a couple in your natural habitat. The most important thing is to take the time to do it right. Make sure you have the entire evening celebration covered, from start to end.
Take into special consideration moments like the processional, recessional, introduction, first dance, cake cutting and last song. This is your chance to set your life to music. Other things to consider include having a range of music for the different generations that may be in attendance. To be a sport, Granny might shake it to “Sexyback,” but she might really appreciate a little “Mack the Knife.” Make sure that whoever is in charge of the playslist has a schedule and cues so they know exactly when to start each tune.

When you create the playlist, have the end of one song fade into the next to avoid any downtime between songs. If your venue has wifi, bring your laptop and access iTunes for on-demand requests. Remember that once guests hit the dance floor they may stay there for hours, so make sure that you have enough music and enough variety to keep the party going.

After the wedding, you can upload your playlist to iTunes for guests to download, or burn CD’s and give them to guests as party favors.