A Study Reveals the 48 Songs Brides Never Want to Hear Again on Their Wedding Day

One of the most important aspects of planning a wedding is deciding on the type of music to play during the reception. Whether you book a DJ or a cover band, the music selection can make or break your wedding celebration. After all, who wants to attend a dinner party with boring music playing in the background?

Which is why it’s not all that surprising to learn that discerning brides are becoming more selective about the music they want their guests to bust a few moves to, as well as the song they choose for the first dance. According to a study conducted by fivethirtyeight.com, a site created by polling analyst Nate Silver, there are certain songs that are guaranteed to spark a mass exodus from the dance floor.

The site surveyed a random sampling of wedding DJs on the songs they’ve been specifically asked not to play at weddings. Of course, you’ll find the usual suspects here like instructive dance songs, sappy love ballads, overplayed radio hits, and risqué jams with explicit lyrics. One look at the results and you can see that most brides are over dancing to songs in unison, hustling in step during line dances, and holding back their tears during power ballads such as Celine Dion’s "My Heart Will Go On."

We know that Queen Elizabeth II loves "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. But, judging by this list, you won’t find many brides who are eager to twirl on the dance floor to the disco classic. Below, you’ll find the rest of the songs (ranked in order from most to least hated) that wedding DJs have been asked to put on the banned list. Take them into consideration when finalizing your picks for your reception setlist. Your guests will thank you.

WATCH: 6 Things Southern Wedding Guests Really Care About

1. “Chicken Dance”

2. “Cha-Cha Slide” – DJ Casper

3. “Macarena” – Los Del Rio

4. “Cupid Shuffle” – Cupid

5. “YMCA” – Village People

6. “Electric Boogie (Electric Slide)” – Marcia Griffiths

7. “Hokey Pokey”

8. “Wobble” – V.I.C.

9. “Happy” – Pharrell Williams

10. “Shout”– Isley Brothers

11. “Love Shack” – The B-52’s

12. “We Are Family” – Sister Sledge

13. “Blurred Lines” – Robin Thicke

14. “Celebration” – Kool & The Gang

15. “Cotton Eye Joe” – Rednex

16. “Dancing Queen” – ABBA

17. “Don’t Stop Believin” – Journey

18. “Single Ladies” – Beyonce

19. “Sweet Caroline” – Neil Diamond

20. “Turn Down for What” – DJ Snake & Lil Jon

21. “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” – Silento

22. “Hot In Herre” – Nelly

23. “Mony Mony” – Billy Idol

24. “All About That Bass” – Meghan Trainor

25. “Baby Got Back” – Sir Mix-A-Lot

26. “Booti Call” – Blackstreet

27. “Gangnam Style” – Psy

28. “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” – Big & Rich

29. “Stayin’ Alive” – Bee Gees

30. “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

31. “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars

32. “Wagon Wheel” – Nathan Carter

33. “What Do You Mean?” – Justin Bieber

34. “All of Me” – John Legend

35. “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen

36. “Brown Eyed Girl” – Van Morrison

37. “Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen

38. “Footloose” – Kenny Loggins

39. “Get Low” – Lil Jon

40. “Hey Ya!” – Outkast

41. “Hotline Bling” – Drake

42. “I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor

43. “My Heart Will Go On” – Celine Dion

44. “SexyBack” – Justin Timberlake

45. “Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift

46. “Sugar – Maroon 5  

47. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – Bonnie Tyler

48. “You Shook Me All Night Long” – AC/DC