Over the past 25 years, we have worked with thousands of amazing couples across the world. Recently we have seen many couples spend a lot of time, effort and energy trying to figure out what songs they need. Across the world we have seen Indian wedding receptions online and in person that might've really benefited from this blog. Although we can't help them, we would like to help you in your music planning process. We have some great suggestions that will make everything smoother and better.
When making this blog we kept our Gujarati couples in mind. Most of the Gujarati weddings we DJ are with both the bride and groom being Gujarati and Hindu. Some of the weddings we do are mixed or fusion weddings where one person is Gujarati Hindu and the other is not South Asian (White, Black, Hispanic or Asian). A few weddings each year will have a Gujarati Hindu marrying another South Asian culture (Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Rajasthani, Punjabi, etc) or another person that is South Asian but is from a different religion (Christian or Muslim).
8 songs you need for a Gujarati Wedding Weekend Notes:
- This will cover what most couples will need
- The music suggestions reflect many of the couples taste (but not all).
- This should help you figure out what you need and like
8 songs you need for a Gujarati Wedding Weekend are placed in order of when it happens
All the events leading up to the wedding (satak, mehndi, pithi, grashanti, garba, sangeet) usually don't have a need for an entrance song. That doesn't mean you can't pick one if you want it, but most people don't. These events are usually casual and an entrance may seem forced. The baraat (also known as jaan) is where the groom gets to shine. We will share a short video of one of our mobile baraats.. After this, is where you need the first song.
8 songs you need for a Gujarati Wedding Weekend
1) The grooms entrance to the mandap
This is not long but needs to happen. Most of the weddings, people will play shehnai music or other instrumental Indian music in the background. Everyone is seated and the groom is walked to the the mandap with the brides family. Here are some suggestions for the grooms entrance. Next will be the ganesh pooja. Some people will also have the grooms side giving gifts to the bride (often refereed to as pallu). If you are doing this, than you can pick another song from this list for that. Fill out the form on this page and we will send you one suggestion for all of the songs you need.
2) Bridesmaids/groomsmen entrance to the mandap
Not everyone has bridesmaids and groomsmen enter the mandap. But if you do, here are some suggestions. You can also use this for the pallu mentioned above for the grooms side gifts.
3) The brides entrance to the mandap
This is one of our favorite moments of the weekend. When the bride enters, everyone stops what they are doing and happily watches the bride enter. Its almost like everyone wants to saw "aww" at the same time. We have suggestions for entering your mandap on a song with lyrics or with music only. Check out both to find the best choice for you. Most brides pick songs and some pick instrumentals. Fill out the form on this page and we will send you one suggestion for all of the songs you need.
4) The Vidai/Bidai
Hands down, the absolute worst part of our job. Worse than sleepless nights. Worse than missing occasions with our loved ones. Worse than being hungry and not being able to get food. Worse than being outside for a wedding in the cold or heat. As a good DJ, you want to see people celebrate and have the best time of their life. Making people cry isn't what we signed up for. But it's a part of the job, and we will put our big boy pants on and push through it. Here are some suggestions to help with the tears. On a side note, do this right after the wedding is done and you have taken pictures at the mandap. You will look your best and the staff can start setting up the reception sooner. During the wedding there are some key moments to play songs. This all depends on your tastes and what your priest/maharaj is okay with. Most of the weddings we do are Gujarati Hindu weddings so we have everything you need. If you need a DJ for your wedding, reach out to us here.
5) Reception Entrances
This needs to be fun and energetic. Here are suggestions for many different people that you can have enter.
Parents This can be used for grandparents also
Siblings with kids
Sister This is good if she is single or married without kids
Brother This is good if he is single or married without kids
Bridal Party entering together in pairs
Bridesmaids in one big group
Groomsmen in one big group
The Bride and Groom The Main event, pick a hype song
6) First Dance
After you make your entrance, most couples will do their first dance. Here are some suggestions for first dance songs. We also have a great blog that helps couples plan on their sequence of events. If you think, this is something that can help you make things run smoother, check it out here. There is a lot of great suggestions in this blog. Pick a song and plan on dancing for 2 to 3 minutes and not the entire song. If you are starting to feel overwhelmed with music choices, fill out the form on this page, and we will send you our 1 suggestion for each of these categories. Also check out this video to see how we make first dances even more epic!
7) Cake cutting
For some reason, many couples forget to pick this song. The advice that we usually give them, is to pick the song you were debating between for your first dance. Here are our suggestions.
8) Dancing with your parents
Father/Daughter Dance Let him know how much you love him and what he means to you. Some brides will even slow dance for a while and transition into a fun dance song.
Mother/Son Dance A great time to tell your mom thanks for everything she has done for you in your life and this weekend.
Some couples choose to combine them but its better to keep them separate so the photo/video teams can capture it correctly. Most people will dance for 60-90 seconds. Check out these blogs in case you need a photographer or videographer.
A wedding is the happiest moment in your life and you should have vendors that you love. Over our 25 years of bringing joy to thousands of couples, the DJ Riz Entertainment team has been a part of thousands of couples dream wedding weekends. Given these points, if you would like to talk about music and lighting for your wedding contact us here. Check out this short video from some of our recent weddings.
If you liked the 8 songs you need for a Gujarati Wedding Weekend blog, check out our blogs focused on Venues, Vendors, and Music. 
