Yes, they should. And here’s why.

Only the DJ knows what songs are on the “do not play” list. Bruno Mars and line dances commonly show up because they’re overplayed. Maybe a song is tied to a bad memory. Either way, the DJ should make the final decision.

It’s not a simple decision. Who is making the request? Someone in the bridal party carries more weight than an uncle who hasn’t touched the dance floor; they usually request an obscure rock song or something for their lady. Parents and grandparents get VIP treatment; i’ll go above and beyond to make sure their songs are played (if not on the “do not play” list).

It’s important to listen to the guests. Often, they’ll request a song that makes the dance floor go nuts. Sometimes a guest knows what their family and friends like.

There are a couple ways to make sure requests don’t clear the dance floor. One is to mix it in with other songs of the same genre. If I’m playing Hip Hop and someone requests Salsa, I can’t immediately jump to Salsa. I need to slowly transition, maybe play a Pitbull song first. Second, if the dance floor doesn’t doesn’t respond well to a request, I can switch to another song quickly by being prepared.

One final important point, I do my best to ensure guests don’t bother the Bride and Groom. Sometimes, an inpatient guest complains to the Bride and Groom their song wasn’t played. You don’t want to deal with this on your wedding day. A little tact from the DJ goes a long way, especially when someone requests “Confessions by the Dashboard lights” by Meatloaf.

I rarely see aisle runners work well at a weddings.

You don’t want it out while seating guests incase they kick it out of place or get it dirty. You could have some uncles roll it out right before you walk down the aisle, but are you giving them a time to practice? Some aisle runners are hard to unroll; you don’t want all the attention on them as they struggle to lay it out.

Aisle runners use to protect the bride’s dress from floors muddied by guests. Since this is no longer a real issue, one solution is to not use an aisle runner at all.

An alternative is to rely only on flower pedals, but will the flower girl just throw clumps and not spread the flowers out evenly? Can you give her good instruction and time to practice? Nice lanterns or flowers at the end of the pews often look nice.

If really wanting to use an aisle runner, I’ve seen brides block off the main aisle so guests must walk up the side aisles instead. To block of the aisle, they used a nice sign welcoming guests, surrounded by flowers.

Living in the suburbs of Cleveland and Akron, it seems everyone likes wearing bumming-around outfits to the grocery store. People don’t get dressed up like they used to. Some DJ’s mention in the on-line forums that it’s all about the music, and no one at the wedding cares how they dress; well I do.

A DJ should match the effort put in by the guests, or more. A DJ’s outfit, what their speakers look like, how clean the wires are, and even the smile on their face all lend to the overall environment that you, the bride, spent so much time curating.

Ask a DJ what they typically wear. I’ve seen a DJ recently wear jeans and white New Balance sneakers. You don’t need that at your wedding, you deserve better!

All your aunts are making cookies for the cookie table? Yes, you’ll have too many.

When DJ’ing weddings in Cleveland and NE Ohio, I often see cookie tables. And at the end of the night, I see brides and their mothers hocking cookies in pretty to-go boxes; even though most of the guests have left by that point. Ultimately, the cookies will get wrapped up because no one wants to throw them away.

In my humble opinion, you’ll have less work for yourself & family if opting for a smaller cookie table; though trying to tell family members not to make three dozen cookies each offers its own challenges :)