The 2000s R&B songs we play most at weddings are Craig David's 7 Days, Usher's Yeah!, Jay Sean's Eyes On You, Ashanti's Happy and Lumidee's Never Leave You. 7 Days made it into 68 of 181 wedding and private-event sets. Most of this era plays early, when a dressed-up room is still deciding whether to dance.
We counted it. We went back through Prit Nasha's Serato history since the end of 2020 and took the 181 sets that were weddings, pre-wedding nights and private events rather than club nights. Then we counted how many of those sets each 2000s R&B song made it into, for at least a minute, and where in the night it usually landed.
How we counted the plays
Each song counts once per set. Clean, intro and remix versions of the same record count as one song, credited to the original artist. Only songs released from 2000 to 2009 qualify, and rap records without a sung R&B hook are kept out, so this is an R&B list.
The 20 most-played 2000s R&B wedding songs
- Craig David, 7 Days (2000). 68 of 181 sets. Early. In 56 of those 68 sets it played in the first third of the night.
- Usher ft. Lil Jon and Ludacris, Yeah! (2004). 66 sets. The middle. The one R&B record we save for when the floor is already busy.
- Jay Sean ft. Rishi Rich Project, Eyes On You (2004). 66 sets. Early. British Asian R&B that plays to both sides of the family.
- Ashanti, Happy (2002). 59 sets. Early.
- Lumidee, Never Leave You (Uh Oooh) (2003). 58 sets. The middle.
- Jagged Edge ft. Nelly, Where The Party At (2001). 57 sets. Early.
- Mario, Just A Friend 2002 (2002). 56 sets. Early.
- Fat Joe ft. Ashanti, What's Luv? (2002). 55 sets. The middle.
- Damage, Ghetto Romance (2000). 54 sets. Early. UK R&B at its best.
- Ja Rule ft. Case, Livin' It Up (2001). 50 sets. Middle to late.
- Ruff Endz, No More (2000). 41 sets. Early.
- Cassie, Me & U (2006). 34 sets. Early or late, rarely the middle.
- Marques Houston, Clubbin' (2003). 34 sets. An opener. 32 of its 34 sets had it in the first third.
- Sunshine Anderson, Heard It All Before (2001). 34 sets. Early.
- Cassie, Long Way 2 Go (2006). 31 sets. Early to middle.
- Blu Cantrell ft. Sean Paul, Breathe (2003). 30 sets. Early.
- Nina Sky, Move Ya Body (2004). 30 sets. Middle to late.
- Mary J. Blige, Love @ 1st Sight (2003). 27 sets. Early. We play the Rishi Rich and Juggy D desi remix.
- Lemar, 50/50 (2003). 27 sets. An opener, every time but one.
- Rihanna, Pon de Replay (2005) and Ja Rule ft. Vita, Put It On Me (2000). 25 sets each.
When R&B plays in a wedding set
2000s R&B opens the night. 15 of these 21 songs played most often in the first third of the set. A record everyone knows the words to, at an easy tempo, is the gentlest way to start a room that is dressed up and not quite ready. By the time the bhangra and the peak-time records arrive, people are already dancing.
A few songs belong at peak time. Yeah!, What's Luv?, Livin' It Up and Move Ya Body sit in the middle of the night. They are the R&B records with the most energy, so they play next to the big songs rather than before them.
British Asian R&B has its own place. Jay Sean's Eyes On You ties for second, and Mary J. Blige's Love @ 1st Sight is on the list in its Rishi Rich and Juggy D remix. These records came out of the UK Asian scene, so at an Asian wedding they mean something a US record does not.
The 90s still win. One record beat every song on this list. Montell Jordan's This Is How We Do It played in 101 of the 181 sets. It is from 1995, so it is not here, but if you are building a throwback section, start there.
We have worked this era live. In 2008 or 2009 Prit Nasha DJed most of the night at a Jagged Edge show, with the group bringing their own DJ in for their set. Where The Party At still makes our top 10, all these years later.
What we keep off a wedding list
Some of the most-played party records never go on a wedding list. Pretty Ricky's On The Hotline played in 55 of these sets and Nelly's Hot In Herre in 63. Neither goes on a list we hand to a couple, because the title alone tells you what the song is about, and no clean edit changes that. Sisqo's Thong Song stays off for the same reason.
Any list, ours included, is a starting point. At a private estate event in July 2026 the brief was 40-plus UK classics, and the crowd turned out to be mostly Latina. We moved the set into Latin music and the guests filled the floor.
For R&B at your wedding or party, see our R&B and Hip-Hop DJ page.
Questions about 2000s R&B at weddings
What are the best 2000s R&B songs for a wedding?
In Prit Nasha's Serato history the most played are Craig David's 7 Days (68 of 181 wedding and private-event sets), Usher's Yeah! and Jay Sean's Eyes On You (66 each), Ashanti's Happy (59) and Lumidee's Never Leave You (58).
When should R&B play at a wedding?
In our sets most 2000s R&B goes early, in the first third of the night, to bring people onto the floor before the peak. Craig David's 7 Days came in the first third of the night in 56 of the 68 sets it played. Usher's Yeah! is the exception and sits in the middle.
Is a clean version enough to make a song wedding-safe?
No. A clean edit removes the swear words but leaves the subject. Read the title too. If it would embarrass you in front of your grandparents, leave it off the list, whatever version the DJ has.
Method: Counted from Prit Nasha's Serato history, 526 sets from 2020–2026. This list uses the 181 that were weddings, pre-wedding nights and private events: every set where at least a fifth of the music was desi, plus every private booking in our job records, with club residency nights taken out. A song counts once per set, and only if it played for at least a minute. Versions of the same song are merged and credited to the original artist. Release years are the original release.
Related reading: R&B and Hip-Hop DJ London · UK Garage DJ London · Fusion Wedding DJ London · Reading the room · The bhangra songs that fill a wedding floor