Why You Should Play Soul Music at Your Wedding

Each week, we feature wedding music recommendations from Scratch Weddings, the nation's leader with the best wedding DJs at affordable prices. This week's post comes from DJ Center, who spreads his signature sound worldwide, rocking audiences from Los Angeles to Barcelona with infectious sets. He's performed with music icons like John Legend, Estelle and Digable Planets, among others, as well as for corporate clients like Adidas and Gucci. 

From funk, hip-hop, r&b, reggae, pop classics to Latin grooves, Center flows through genres effortlessly. As DJ Center puts it, "Weddings are very special celebrations and I'm honored to entertain on the couple's big day. I create a custom mix that will keep everyone dancing all night long and then talking about it for weeks to come.”

Photo Credit: Amanda Marie Photography

Few genres of music have the ability to connect with intergenerational audiences in the way soul music does. Maybe it’s the “feel good” nature of the music; maybe it's the funk in the back beat; or maybe it's the incredible songwriting that touches everyone and has separated these songs into a ‘timeless’ genre of their own.
 
Young and old rejoice, sing along, and can’t help but run to the dance floor during a classic soul set.  From the incredible Motown catalog that gave birth to the careers of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye, amongst others, to it’s modern day torch carriers—Adele, John Legend, and Raphael Saadiq—not a night goes by where I don’t play soul music in my set.
 
When I DJ a wedding, it’s all about connecting with the crowd in front of me. I aim to leave no person untouched by the music. Throughout the course of the evening, I may weave in and out of various genres, but the one that seems to reach everyone is soul. Early on, I may set the mood with the Temptation’s “My Girl” or Bill Wither’s “Lovely Day.” Later, I may transition into other dance floor sets with soul music selections that has been sampled by modern day hits, such as the Chi-Lites “Are You My Woman (used by Beyonce for “Crazy in Love”) or Ray Charles “I Got a Woman” (used by Kanye West and Jamie Foxx for “Gold Digger”).
 
People instantly recognize the sample in the modern song they know and the room lights up with smiles. The effect of the music reaches everyone, and the honesty of the songs touch their ‘souls’. It’s hard to beat the beauty of that moment, and what better place to celebration to experience than at your wedding? Here are a few choice selections I like to use at a wedding:
 
Cocktail Hour:

► “Love and Happiness” - Al Green
► “I Can’t Help It” - Michael Jackson
► "No Ordinary Love” - Sade

Slow Dances:

► “At Last” - Etta James
► “Lost Without You” - Robin Thicke
► "Spend a Lifetime” - Jamiroquai

Dance Songs:

► “I Want You Back” - The Jackson 5
► “Respect” - Aretha Franklin
► “Do I Do” - Stevie Wonder