How to plan your wedding music: must-plays, do-not-plays, and requestsComing soonThis guide explains how to build a must-play list and a do-not-play list that your DJ can work from on the night.
How-to guide
How do song requests work at a wedding?
The short answerA wedding song request is a guest asking your DJ for a song. You plan the music with your DJ before the night, and your DJ decides which requests play. Guests request songs from their phones with JukeJuke™, and your Elevate DJ weaves requests and votes into the set you planned together. 4,000+ events, 20+ Elevate-Certified™ DJs, 18 awards, 9.7 NPS and 4.9★ across 1,058 verified reviews, as of August 4, 2026.
4.9(379)
4.9(218)
5.0(305)
5.0(156)
Photo: Chrisman Manor, 2025, Aventi Weddings
The steps
How do song requests work at a wedding, step by step?
With an Elevate DJ, song requests work in this order: you plan the set with your DJ before the night, your DJ tells guests how to ask, a guest sends a song from their phone or asks at the booth, your DJ watches the requests as they arrive, and your DJ decides which ones play and when.
- Plan the set before the nightWhat happens: Decide which songs you want to hear and which you never want to hear.How it works with Elevate: A planning meeting with the DJ who runs your night comes with every DJ booking.
- Guests hear how to askWhat happens: Guests need to know where to send a song, and how.How it works with Elevate: Your DJ tells guests where the QR code is and shares the event code on the mic, a few times through the night.
- A guest requests a song from their phoneWhat happens: The guest picks the song they want to hear and sends it to the DJ.How it works with Elevate: With JukeJuke, your guest scans the QR code at your DJ’s booth. On the page that opens, they tap Request a song, pick your event, type in the event code and request a song from their own phone, then vote on the songs other guests requested.
- Or a guest asks at the boothWhat happens: Some guests would rather ask the DJ face to face.How it works with Elevate: Anyone who would rather walk up to the booth and ask still can.
- The DJ sees each requestWhat happens: The requests go to the person running the music.How it works with Elevate: Your DJ watches the requests as they arrive and gets them into the DJ software. Your DJ is also your MC, so the person reading your requests is the same person on the microphone.
- The DJ fits requests into the nightWhat happens: The DJ decides which requests play, and when.How it works with Elevate: Your DJ reads the floor and fits requests and votes into your plan.
Who decides which song requests play at a wedding?
You and your DJ do, at different times. You plan the set together before the night, and on the night your DJ decides what plays and when, guest requests included.
What is included
What comes with the Elevate DJ who takes your song requests?
Your song requests are taken by the DJ and MC you book from Elevate Entertainment. When you book a Wedding DJ, every DJ booking includes state-of-the-art, premium-grade equipment, dance floor lighting, a 150,000-song library, a planning meeting, the guarantee below and your MC, and the DJ and the Wedding MC are one Elevate-Certified™ person. Everything below comes with every DJ booking, on every tier.
Six things in every DJ booking
- State-of-the-art, premium-grade equipmentThe same state-of-the-art, premium-grade equipment at every level.
- Dance floor lightingIt comes with the DJ.
- A 150,000-song libraryMust plays and never plays locked in, all loaded before the night.
- A planning meetingWith the DJ who runs the night.
- Performance & Show-Up GuaranteeA matched backup DJ, full system backups and a 100% show-up record.
- The MCYour MC coordinates the night on the microphone, connects all of your vendors, and makes sure the whole night flows effortlessly and seamlessly for your guests. Your MC is your DJ: the same person, not an extra one.
Some couples skip a day-of coordinator. Your Elevate MC often fills that role, running the timeline, cueing your vendors and moving the night along.
Booking your DJ
How do you book the DJ who takes your song requests?
You book the Elevate Entertainment DJ who takes your song requests in three steps: see your price range above, design the night in one free conversation, and read the itemized number in your quote. Nothing on this page is a quote.
Elevate EntertainmentYour booking, three steps
See your price range
Tap what your night needs in the estimator above. It sorts your running order and shows one rough range for the whole night; your exact price still comes from your quote.
See your price rangeDesign the night in one conversation
Your free Entertainment Design Session: 60 minutes, video or phone, with the team behind 4,000+ events. You bring the vision. You leave with a complete plan.
If you would rather build your night with a person than on a screen alone, or want more guidance on what to choose, you can do it together here.
Book your Entertainment Design SessionGet your exact number
A real, itemized quote for exactly what you choose. Or skip ahead and build your quote online any time.
Pricing
What does a full wedding night with Elevate Entertainment cost?
Experiences begin at $1,500
Most couples spend between $2,500 and $7,500. Highly produced events can run up to $25,000. Where your night lands depends on how much of it you hand to one team: the DJ and MC alone, or the sound production, the lighting, the live musicians and the booth with them.
$1,500Experiences beginOne experience, done right.
$2,500 to $7,500Most couples spendA DJ who is also your MC, plus live music, lighting, photo booths and effects.
$25,000Highly produced events run up toEvery part of the night from one team.
Build your quote online
Build it online, or get your exact number in your free Entertainment Design Session. Klarna and Affirm financing are available.
Requests, in their words
What do couples and guests say about song requests at an Elevate wedding?
Guests say they liked requesting songs from their phones, and couples say their DJ handled their requests well. Filter the reviews by topic or by DJ, check whether we have played your venue, and read the rest on the reviews page.
Tap a question below.
Or pick a topic
Filter by DJ
Showing all 7 reviews
★★★★★“…I loved how we could request songs from our phone, and then the DJ was so nice and interactive with the guests!…”
★★★★★“I enjoyed attending a wedding recently with Elevate Entertainment DJing. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the ability to request songs and vote songs up on the list to be played. They did a great job getting the people to the dance floor.”
★★★★★“The wedding was so beautiful music was jsut great and we partied all night I love the feature that you can request songs straight from your phone the service was amazing”
★★★★★“…He had some incredible mixes and did a good job of playing songs we really wanted to hear. He managed requests well and just did an awesome job of keeping the energy up.…”
★★★★★“…Kalani had great energy and handled all of our requests with a smile.…”
★★★★★“…He was so easy to work with, flexible with our requests, and made sure our guests stayed out on the dance floor!…”
★★★★★“…He kept the guests entertained with games and playing songs requested.…”
No review on this page matches that yet. Show every review
Related guides
What else should you read about the music at your wedding?
Before your wedding, four other guides are worth a read: how the reception runs, how to choose your DJ, what a wedding DJ costs and whether you want a DJ or a band.
The wedding reception timeline, hour by hourThis guide lays the reception out in order, from the entrance to the last song.Read the guide →
How to choose a wedding DJStart here if you have not picked a DJ yet.Read the guide →
How much does a wedding DJ cost?This guide explains what moves the price of a wedding DJ and MC: the hours on site, the tier of DJ you book, the date and the drive, and what a booking covers before a single add-on. Its estimator shows a rough price range for your night.Read the guide →
DJ vs live band for your wedding: cost, sound and the hybridThis guide sets a DJ and a live band against each other on cost, sound and range, and explains the DJ-Band Hybrid, which brings both.Read the guide →
How to plan your wedding music: must-plays, do-not-plays, and requestsComing soonThis guide explains how to build a must-play list and a do-not-play list that your DJ can work from on the night.
First dance songs that work in a roomComing soonThis guide is a first dance list with what makes a song work in a room rather than in headphones, and how to pick one that suits the dance you are doing.
Grand entrance songs that actually workComing soonThis guide covers what a grand entrance song has to do the moment the doors open, and how to choose one that suits your room and your entrance.
Can you DJ your own wedding? Playlist vs professional, honestlyComing soonThis guide answers whether a playlist can run a reception on its own, what it does well, and what it cannot do once the room needs reading.Before you book
What do couples ask about song requests at an Elevate Entertainment wedding?
Couples ask whether guests have to download anything, which phones work, whether JukeJuke costs extra, whether they have to hand over a full playlist, whether the music runs off Wi-Fi and who built JukeJuke.
Do your guests have to download anything to request a song?
No, the QR code opens a web page on their phone.
Which phones can your guests request songs from?
Android phones and iPhones. Each guest requests songs and votes from their own phone.
Does JukeJuke cost extra with Elevate Entertainment?
No. JukeJuke is free, and it is included in all of our bookings.
Do you have to hand your DJ a full playlist?
No, give as much or as little as you like and your DJ builds around it, with your must plays and your never plays locked in.
Does your DJ's music run off the venue's Wi-Fi?
No, nothing runs off Wi-Fi. Your DJ's 150,000-song library is all loaded before we leave the office.
Who built JukeJuke?
JukeJuke was built by our team.
Your Event Made Perfect
How do I talk to a real person about song requests at my wedding?
You talk to a real person about song requests at your wedding by booking an Entertainment Design Session in the four quick steps here. One free conversation, 60 minutes, video or phone. You leave with a complete plan and an exact number, without any pressure on the call.
Complimentary · real numbers. A real person will text you within the hour.
Call or text(816) 477-4077
Step 1 of 4
Which event are we designing entertainment for?
One tap, then we check your date.
Pick the one that fits best and we’ll take it from there.
When and where is the celebration?
A rough idea is fine. Peak Saturdays go first.
Your date
Which of our locations is closest to your event?
Choose your closest market, and either a date or the no-date box.
Help us tailor your session.
Honest answers get you a sharper plan. There are no wrong ones.
Where are you in planning?
Which venue?
Optional. It helps your designer prepare for that room.
By when do you want to have found your best fit?
What do you feel is non-negotiable, if you had to pick one?
At its peak, how loud does the dance floor go?
Tap one answer in each row and you’re nearly done.
Tell us about the event.
Enough to bring the right ideas, nothing more.
What kind of event?
About how many guests?
Where is it being held?
Optional. The city is enough if the venue is not set.
When do you need this decided?
At its peak, how loud does the dance floor go?
Tap one answer in each row and you’re nearly done.
Tell us about the celebration.
Enough to bring the right ideas, nothing more.
What’s the occasion?
Where is it being held?
Optional. The city is enough if the venue is not set.
When do you need this decided?
At its peak, how loud does the dance floor go?
Tap one answer in each row and you’re nearly done.
Last step. Your details, so we can check your date.
Your designer reviews your answers before the session, so the conversation starts at your event, not at a blank page.
We need your name, a working email and phone, and the consent box checked.