Alex B. Cann column - Thursday 21st August 2025

As a recovering wedding DJ, my attention is always piqued by articles about them, and a new study from One4all Gift Cards has found that almost half of those questioned (46 per cent) would prefer a buffet or grazing table over a formal three-course meal.

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that on occasions when the buffet looked decent, I would sometimes help myself to a sneaky plateful before announcing that it was open!
Other things that people would happily do away with at weddings include strict dress codes, never-ending speeches and formal sit-down dinners. Almost a third of folk (31 per cent) said they would axe the speeches altogether.

One in ten questioned would prefer street food or food trucks to a mass-produced meal. I have to say I’ve been to weddings where there’s been a pizza or chippy van, and it might take a bit longer to get the scran, but it’s worth the wait.

Guests’ favourite five aspects of weddings are...

1) Catching up with friends and family (53%) - weddings are a good excuse to have a natter over a beer or two, although you might find yourself shouting over Sweet Caroline and Love Shack.

2) Great food (52%) - a good quality buffet is worth its weight in gold. I’m not sure if there’s any science behind this, but mini food often tastes better. The same is true with Christmas party food and Maltesers in a box.

3) Music and dancing (38%) - as long as you don’t have a DJ who likes the sound of their own voice or plays Jive Bunny and Stars on 45, you should be onto a winner. I’d urge you not to be that person who staggers up to the DJ booth and slurs into their ear ‘mate, nobody likes this. Play something decent. Have you got something I know?’ Doing a ‘cut-throat gesture’ from the dancefloor to urge the disc jockey to skip to the next song should also be a punishable offence.

4) The ceremony (38%) - it’s not made the top three, but I suppose it’s the main reason you’re there. Make sure your phone is on silent.

5) Drinks reception (20%) - along with shortbread, I am firmly of the opinion that prosecco is massively overrated. It’s fine for a reception toast, although I’d much prefer a Black Sheep or a Campari spritz.

Also making the headlines this week, some of the unusual musical choices that people select for their funerals. Co-op Funeralcare’s annual survey has revaled that Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman has been named as 2025’s top funeral song. It’s followed in the chart by Frank Sinatra’s My Way and Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Eva Cassidy. In fourth spot, it’s You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers.

There are also some rather unusual choices, including the Countdown theme, Living In A Box by Living In A Box, Candy Shop by 50 Cent, and Last Dance by Donna Summer. Around a quarter (24 per cent) of UK adults say they have already told loved ones which songs they want played at their funeral, compared to less than a fifth (16 per cent) in 2016. Over a quarter of those quizzed by the Co-op said they would like their musical choices to make people laugh. A good friend of mine from Harrogate, Karen, chose Fog on the Tyne and I Got You (I Feel Good) for her funeral service earlier this year. I cried happy tears remembering all the laughs I had working with her.

Other surprising choices revealed by the survey include Another One Bites The Dust, Green Day’s Ha Ha You’re Dead, and Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead from the Wizard of Oz. I haven’t finalised my selection yet, but this survey has certainly made me think about it.

Back to weddings, and according to a recent Hitched article, Lover by Taylor Swift is the most popular first dance choice, followed by Elvis Presley Can’t Help Falling In Love With You, Ed Sheeran’s Perfect (his song Supermarket Flowers is also big at funerals!), Franki Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and Etta James At Last. I saw some unusual choices in my years of DJing weddings, including Whigfield’s Saturday Night, a ballroom version of Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go Go (they had even been to lessons and learned the dance!), and most unusually, Roxette It Must Have Been Love. It’s a break-up song, but perhaps they both liked Pretty Woman.