12/18/07 10:28pm

ORIGINAL POST:
As a wedding planner I have suggested to my brides if you have a half and half crowd of older and more younger guest, this is how we even out the music. During the cocktail hour play music that your older guest can relate to, and even during the dinner music hour. So that way when the partying really get going you can play some upbeat music that they like but as the reception carries on, you can lean more to the younger crowd music, since the older crowd usually is gone or in the process of doing so. Sincerely Savonia Adams www.rocquils.com

03/25/08 2:43pm

I've found that more often than not, the older crowd with no desire to party will pick up and leave on thier own, some once all the 'events' are done (pix, cake, 1st dance, bouquet), others mid-way thru the evening, leaving me with a younger demographic with each passing hour.

That does not mean some won't stay and enjoy themselves, and if you play the right music, they may stay until closing. The early portion of the dance should lean a bit towards some older music, but selections that the younger crowd would know, and dance to. It's use in movies has made more and more classic music recognizable to the younger crowd, and regardless of its age, you can always dance to a good song...and nothing beats having EVERYONE on the floor at once. I can play 7 different songs from 7 different decades in succession and keep the whole floor rocking.

Don't play music for one group or the other...play for both. With the odd current CHR or RnB hit mixed in with a good variety of other music, you can keep the under 30 crowd sufficiently pleased until later on, when they can cut loose.

Music is timeless...it recalls youth and reinvigorates, and as you get older, you get fewer opportunities to really enjoy it. Don't relegate the older music to Dinner, find a DJ who knows thier music (***and plays requests***), and you can keep young and old alike happy for the entire evening.

12/20/07 11:59am

No do not wait until they leave because you do not want to bore your younger guest, just set a time, and may have to juggle a little old and new, until it gets a little near the end than start with the younger crowd music!!! Need anything else let me know

12/20/07 11:18am

I am not having a cocktail hour, but I will be having a dinner, so I think that is a great suggestion. My mom has been a little concerned with how we are going to even out the music selection for our guests, as we will have a lot of more older people we want to feel comfortable at the reception. Do you think I should wait until most of the older guests are gone to start playing the more upbeat music, or would it be acceptable to just set a time with the DJ????

Thanks for the suggestion

Jen