šµ How to organize wedding DJ crates (virtual folders)
Streamline Your Music Library for Unforgettable Wedding Performances!
Organization is key to a successful event. This is not different for wedding DJs.
Hundreds of thousands of songs are being added to streaming platforms every day. This can lead to decision paralysis on what songs to play.
Something else to consider is limiting the number of songs that you have access to at events will also assist in making better decisions in track selection on the fly.
Here are some practical tips for organizing Wedding DJ crates to ensure seamless performance and easy song access during weddings.
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Tips to Organize Wedding Crates
Table of Contents:
Use DJ Software Playlists/Crates
Organize by Wedding Timeline (Wedding Crates)
Create Crates by Genre or Theme
Categorize by Decades or Eras
Tag Songs for Key Moments
Prepare Backup Options for Each Key Song
Create 'Mood Crates'
Test the Flow and Transitions
Stay Flexible with Crowd Reading
Video Tutorials
Use DJ Software Playlists/Crates
Utilize DJ software like Serato, Virtual DJ, Traktor, or Rekordbox to pre-organize your crates. Features like cue points, loops, stems, and filters make it easy to jump between songs.
Yes, some DJs now rely on streaming platforms like TIDAL or Beatport for live events. Being a DJ from Montana, some locations, like ski resorts, do not have Internet streaming available. Thus, I will save organizing music on these platforms for another time.
1. Organize by Wedding Timeline (Wedding Crates)
First, create a folder with the coupleās name and wedding date: Matt & Sharon September 28, 2025.
Next, structure your wedding crate folders around key moments of the wedding day. Then, create subfolders by wedding segments and distinctive song choices.
Ceremony: Prelude, Processional, Unity, Recessional
Cocktail Hour: The chosen vibe: Yacht Rock to Rat Pack to tropical house.
Dinner: The chosen vibe: Classic Motown to boy band love songs to mid-tempo sing-alongs.
Reception:
Grand Entrances
First Dance
Parent Dances
Other special songs/dedications
Open Dancing (early, peak, late night)
Last Dance/Private Last Dance
This method makes it easy to follow the flow of events without scrambling for songs.
Another suggestion is to prepare a ādo not playā sub-crate. Couples often provide a list of songs they don't want to hear. Store these in a dedicated crate to avoid any mishaps. You can also accomplish this by color-coding the songs.
Whether or not you DJ other events besides weddings, you can create a master āweddingā crate that has subfolders by wedding moments for quick ideas. These should be no more than 50 songs per folder to keep to your favorites and quick access. Example: Prelude, Cocktails, Dinner, Dancing, Slow Songs, etc.
What about pre-wedding song requests? You can add them to the individual folders created above. You could also create a ārequestsā folder too.
2. Create Crates by Genre or Theme
These genre-based crates help cater to diverse crowds and requests.
Classic Hits: eg. Motown, Funk, Disco, Yacht rock, Old-school hip hop
Modern Hits: The top songs trending on TikTok, Billboard, etc. This crate is everchanging.
Country: eg. Classic country, Texas Country, Line Dancing, Bro Country
Rock: eg. Pop Punk, classic rock anthems, modern rock tracks
R&B/Slow Jams: eg. Party songs, slow jams
International: eg. Latin (Salsa, Cumbia, Bachata, Reggaeton), Bollywood, Afrobeats
EDM: This genre is hot right now. Know the classic hits to whatās trending now.
3. Categorize by Decades or Eras
I would not combine eras. I would keep them all separated to create a certain vibe for each crate. You donāt want to try and remember what was in the 50s or the 60s from the same crate if you want to stay in the same timeframe.
1950s: Oldies but goldies (kids in high school during this time are now in their 80s)
1960s: Singalong anthems and classics (kids in high school during this time are now in their 70s)
1970s: Know the big hits! (kids in high school during this time are now in their 60s)
1980s: Backtracks still popular in your area (kids in high school during this time are now in their 50s)
1990s: Throwback hits (kids in high school during this time are now in their 40s)
2000s: Not that long ago but very popular (kids in high school during this time are now in their 30s)
2010s: Modern bangers and chart-toppers (kids in high school during this time are now in their 20s)
2020s: This could be combined with the Modern Hits crate above.
This ensures you have a broad range of options for multi-generational guests.
4. Tag Songs for Key Moments
Use metadata or color-coding tools (e.g., Serato, Rekordbox) to tag songs by energy level, vibe, or moment. For example:
Green: Ceremony vibes (romantic)
Yellow: Dinner/background songs (Chill/mid-tempo)
Orange: Early dance floor warm-ups (party starters)
Red: Bangers (Party dance floor-fillers)
Blue: Slow dances
Another option to color coding instead of key moments, is to use the colors for energy level.
Color-Coding and Tagging for Energy Levels
The process of color coding is further explained in this article by Mixed In Key. Here is a video walking you through the process.
Video: Use Color Codes to Assign Energy Levels to Tracks in your DJ Library -- Find the Best Songs Fast!
Two options to help your performances be more smooth and create less stress when looking for the next song.
5. Prepare Backup Options for Each Key Song
Not every song works as planned. Have alternatives ready. As I have said in the past, be thinking three songs ahead.
First Dance: Couple may switch their chosen song at the last minute
Dance Floor Hits: Backup tracks if the floor doesnāt respond
Special Requests: Have crowd-pleasers for impromptu requests
6. Create 'Mood Crates'
Prepare crates based on mood or energy level to quickly adjust to the vibe:
Chill/Background
Romantic/Love Songs
Party Starters
Peak Energy
Singalongs & Crowd Favorites
Line Dances
Afterparty hits
7. Test the Flow and Transitions
Before the wedding, test song flow within your crates:
Practice transitioning between key songs (e.g., slow dances into upbeat tracks).
Know your best mixing points and energy shifts.
8. Stay Flexible with Crowd Reading
Even with perfectly organized crates, flexibility is key. Be ready to pivot based on the crowdās energy and song requests. Read my article about how to read a room.
9. Video Tutorials
If you are more of a visual person, I hand-selected a few videos to watch to help with the process of organizing your wedding crates.
Video: How to Move and Organize Your DJ Music Library
Creator: Jason Jani
Notes: Even though the video mentions moving your music library from one computer to another, there are many hidden tidbits for organizing your crates.
Remove low-quality songs
Remove all non-music files
Create smart crates
Video: How I Organize My Dancing Crates
Creator: Nick Spinilli
Notes: Creating dancing crates by theme with quick screenshots of the folders.
Have a party starters crate
Girls will get the party started and play songs from chick flicks.
Create Latin crates by subgenres
Video: The BEST Way to Build Killer Crates in Serato in 2024
Creator: The DJ Connect
Notes: I like the examples of how he works with new songs from record pools instead of automatically adding them.
Honestly, I think there are too many folders but you can be the judge of what works best for you.
Video: Getting Organized with Virtual Folders in #VirtualDJ
Creator: DJ Rachel Lynch
Notes: Donāt bounce on this video because it was posted 6 years ago.
Donāt have any folders by individual years. Think more broadly.
Mark folders as Favorites
Examples of party theme folders
Video: Powerful Tips For Organizing Your DJ Library
Creator: DJ Lou Paris
Notes: Offering shortcode tips to help further organize your wedding crates. This helps create customization above and beyond folders/crates.
Crate Hackers is a platform to help you organize your crates. I am not affiliated with the software, but it has some key features, like importing a coupleās Spotify playlist and creating a playlist from the record pools you are a member of and in your music collection. Another cool feature is the ability to remove duplicate songs.
I organized my website My Wedding Songs just as I mentioned above. You can see my wedding playlist library for inspiration.
Do you have a favorite tutorial video or have something that should be included in this list, please reply to this email or add a comment.
Thanks for reading!
Matthew Campbell
Wedding MusicLetter
P.S. The 2024 āWedding DJ Songs Plannerā is now available!