What Music Do I Play?
Aim for a wide-ranging lineup so that all guests can enjoy the music.

If you decide to download your own playlist, spend some time thinking about your audience. Although songs by Sonic Youth and R.E.M. might thrill the old-college-friends crowd, they'll fall on deaf ears, so to speak, when it comes to your parents' generation.

Matthew Newell, who married in Knoxville, Tennessee, in May 2007, included '50s and '60s doo-wop. "The songs meant a lot to my wife and me," he says, "and I knew many of them had been first-dance songs for some of the guests." (Save your favorite songs that may be inappropriate at the reception for an after-party, where you can be more eccentric with your choices.)

Enlist Some Help
One more way to guarantee your guests will enjoy the music is to involve them in the selection process. Arthur Fournier, founder of Strange Magic Inc., a music consultancy firm in Manhattan, once worked with a bride who even included a song-request line on her R.S.V.P. card. Brilliant!

As for the length of the playlists, a good rule of thumb, says Allen, is to add at least an extra half-hour of songs to each phase of the reception.

"If, say, an hour has been allotted for cocktails, I'll provide music for an hour and a half," she says. "You just can't control how long people linger."

Once your lists have been nailed down, you'll most likely need to do a little tinkering and double-check that no song is either too loud or too soft. Most digital files are recorded at varying volumes, but there are software programs you can purchase to fix this.

"Editing systems such as iVolume can eliminate volume discrepancies and cut off intros and outros," says Jeremy Abrams, managing director of Audio-stiles, a company that customizes music for weddings and other events. "They are easy to use, and they produce a smooth, professional sound."