The music for your ceremony and reception provides the mood for the event. Think about every movie you've ever seen: How did you know when something bad was about to happen? During sad scenes, what made you cry even harder? When something funny was happening, was there anything that added to your hysterical laughter? The music!

Music can lighten a mood, underscore the solemnity of an event, or just make everyone feel good. The right music can make a wedding. The wrong music sends the wrong message and kills the mood. If the people at your reception just can't groove because the DJ is playing music sans rhythm, or if the band has taken umpteen bathroom breaks, then your guests won't be having fun on the dance floor. It'll probably too late to address these problems at the reception, which is why it's so important to hire the right musicians in the first place.

Because music is such an important contributor to the atmosphere of your wedding, you want to make sure that the music you choose is appropriate for both the occasion and your guests. While you may enjoy heavy metal at home, your wedding is probably not the place to blast these tunes. Your Great Uncle Milt is not going to appreciate having a wild song rattle his teeth, and any older guests who are wearing hearing aids won't be able to tolerate the noise.

In addition to very loud music, another thing that can chase away your older guests is an overabundance of music that they can't dance to. Your grandparents are probably of a generation that is used to dancing cheek-to-cheek, not crowd-surfing. It's your wedding, but it's smart to make sure that the playlist includes music that everyone will enjoy.