Experts: The Sound Mind

How do you keep multiple generations of guests on the floor at the same time? We haven’t met many grandmas who dig Lady Gaga or twentysomethings who like Neil Diamond.
I rotate my sets, breaking them into 15-minute chunks of one genre or another, rather than playing a whole hour of hip-hop or oldies. That way, Grandpa may get up to do the jitterbug and stay up for Usher.

Do you have any tips on choosing a lineup of reception music?
Let the DJ know what you like as individuals and as a couple, but don’t forget to include what your parents, sisters, and in-laws want to hear. If you just play what the bride likes, you may not get the party you want.

What’s one thing you always coach couples to do?
After you dance with your parents, stay on the dance floor. This gets people up and dancing, because the guests want to be where the couple is. If you leave to start going from table to table, it creates a negative reaction on the dance floor — no one wants to miss talking to you. If you want people dancing, stay out there for those first 15 minutes to prime the engine, and your party will run all night long.

Any sure-fire ways to kill the mood?
Don’t let your photographer take you and your groom away for photos during the dancing portion of the party; if you must, then don’t be gone too long. That kills the party fast.

Are there any songs you refuse to play?
None. There have been some that I thought were kind of wack, but the family loved it. The “Chicken Dance” is usually at the top of most brides’ “do not play” list. That and the “Macarena.” But if the bride wants to hear it, who am I to judge?

Entertainment Specialists, 60 State St., Ste. 700, Boston, 800-540-8157, entertainmentspecialists.com.