The “No Cupid Shuffle” Policy: Breaking the Wedding DJ Crutch

Unless it’s your vibe, it’s not in my “library”.

I’ve officially retired the Cha Cha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle from my wedding rotations. The only exception? If it’s on your “Must Play” list.

Before you ask, “DJ Mikey, have you lost your mind? Those are wedding staples!”—let me explain. I haven’t lost my mind; I’ve just stopped using crutches. For too long, mobile DJs have relied on line dances to do the heavy lifting. To me, they’ve become the ultimate wedding trope.

The Fear of the “Cliche” Wedding

A few years ago, I started noticing a pattern in my consultations. Couple after couple expressed the same fear: a cheesy wedding. One pair asked me, “You aren’t going to play an hour’s worth of group line dances, are you?”

I must have looked mortified on that Zoom call.

First off, I didn’t even realize there were enough line dance songs to fill an hour (though I’ve since researched it and [linked the list here]—it’s true, and it’s terrifying). Secondly, I was horrified because there are so many incredible bops, bangers, and classics that get people moving. If I had to play the same repetitive choreography every weekend, I’d hang up my headphones for good.

My “Guilty Pleasure” (That Actually Works)

I’ll admit, I’m guilty of one thing: I play a remix of Earth, Wind & Fire’s September at almost every wedding.

Why? Because it’s a “Generational Bridge.” It’s one of the few songs that connects every person in the room. It has a funky beat that gets the oldest guests moving, but with a fresh DJ edit, it feels current. From there, I can pivot—maybe into Treasure by Bruno Mars, Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa, or the now-classic throwback Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon.

This sequence does two things:

It tells your friends: “This isn’t a ‘rinse and repeat’ wedding playlist.”

It tells Grandma: “You’re about to go on a fun musical carpet ride.”

Reading the Room > Following a Script

A great DJ doesn’t just play music; they read the room. It’s about being situationally aware. It’s knowing when to mix a high energy version of Usher’s Yeah! into Lil Jon’s Get Low, and then, if the energy allows flipping into an 80s classic “Redrum” edit.

It’s about the vibe and good times. Speaking of vibes and good time… if you’re reading this, take a 3-second dance break or longer to this song. Right now. 3… 2… 1… (Seriously, act silly. Life is too short not to have a 10-second fist-pumping session.)

Millions of Songs (But Not “Peaches” for Everyone)

Seriously, even if you aren’t a fan of Mr. Worldwide, there are simply too many incredible tracks out there to rely on the same old line dances.

Don’t get me wrong—they have their place. Some crowds need that structured choreography to get their feet moving. But let’s be real: most of your guests have heard these songs at every school dance, prom, house party, college rager, dive bar, and karaoke night they’ve ever attended.

If a guest has heard the Wobble or the Bikers Shuffle 500 times in their life, they aren’t “partying”—they’re just following a script. They’re over it, and honestly, so am I. That’s why I retired the “Wedding Crutches” unless you explicitly ask for them.

As The Presidents of the United States of America sang back in ’95:

“Millions of peaches, peaches for me…” (Yes, my ADHD brain just went there. Stick with me.)

While there are millions of songs out there with a danceable beat, most “mortal humans” only really recognize about a thousand of them at any given time. With a library that deep, there is zero reason to hyper-focus on the Cupid Shuffle at every single wedding.

I know I sure don’t! Your wedding deserves a soundtrack that feels like you, not a “Greatest Hits of 2007” gym class playlist.