Ways to Get People Dancing At Your Wedding
How to Get People Dancing at your Wedding (even Grandma!)
10 Tips for Getting the Party Started Right & 5 Dancefloor Killers To Avoid
Let me guess, you already booked your wedding venue, began dress shopping, and maybe even sent out your invites. Now it’s probably around that time when you start to think: What if no one dances at my wedding? What if my guests don’t have fun? Should I have booked my wedding for Saturday rather than Sunday?
Think back to some of the best wedding receptions you’ve been to. A lot of them were probably fun because guests stayed energized and danced throughout the celebration. Couples will often ask me for ideas and advice on keeping the party going. I’ve been doing this long enough to get a genuine understanding of what works and what doesn’t. The good news? There are things you can do to keep the party spirit alive all night – even if your guests have to go to work the next day!
I’m giving you my 10 tips to ensure your guests dance the night away and 5 surefire ways to kill the wedding buzz immediately.
1. Know Your Audience
Ask for guest music requests ahead of time. Some couples even do this on their wedding invitations or website! One of the best ways to gauge music interests is to ask. You don’t want your wedding DJ to spin Drake all night when 90% of your guests are Country Music fans – you get the idea. Once you have a better understanding of the crowd, you can pass the music suggestions to your wedding DJ. Even better, you can veto any of the requests you don’t like ahead of time!
2. Choose A Good Wedding DJ
Your wedding DJ can make or break your reception. It’s important to do a little research and find a DJ that clicks with your vibe and vision for your big day. Pick a DJ who already has an excellent reputation, understands how to mix music, and one that’s easy to work with. After all, it’s up to the DJ to play tracks that get people out of their seats and on the dancefloor.
Sometimes the right wedding DJ for your party isn’t the cheapest one; instead, it’s the DJ who understands your vision. Usually, spending a couple of extra hundred dollars on a better DJ makes a huge difference.
3. Consider The Floorplan
Some venues have a set floorplan, while others may have some flexibility. It’s worth asking if you can move things around!
Floor Plan Checklist:
- Have a big enough dancefloor for your crowd size. Too small, and your guests will feel like sardines, but too big, and the dancefloor will look empty, even if there are a decent portion of people dancing.
- Try to have a bar near the dancefloor. If guests have to leave the room to get a drink, they might not come back for a while.
- Have the DJ close to the dance floor. Your wedding DJ needs to see the guests to feed off their vibe and keep the party going. The last thing you want is a DJ who can’t even view the dancefloor!
Click to Enlarge
4. Get People On The Floor Early
Some ways you can get the party started right away are:
Have your guests come on the dance floor during the last parent dance. If your final parent dance is the mother-son dance, have the DJ ask your guests to join in halfway through. This way, more people will already be on the dance floor once the parent dances finish. If your DJ plays a hit for the first open dancing song, usually they’ll stick around!
Get a group photo of everyone at the beginning. Tell your photographer you want to have a group picture of EVERYONE on the dancefloor right before the open dancing starts. The DJ can ask everyone to join on the dancefloor for the photo, and directly after it’s taken, start with an upbeat tune to get everyone in the mood to party! This sneaky trick not only gets everyone out of their seats, but you’ll also have a big group photo to commemorate your special day!
5. Choose Your Anthems Wisely
When you plan your DJ’s requests ahead of time, think about the songs that might have extra meaning to your crowd. Many people have affections for songs that were big around the time they graduated from high school or college. Whether it’s an old Backstreet Boys song or The Beatles, people always connect to music around that time in their lives.
Don’t forget to ask your parents and grandparents for any meaningful songs they’d like to hear. Remember, this day is just as important to them as it is to you. Picking a few tunes just for them is a sweet way to honor your loved ones during the reception.
6. Provide Comfortable Footwear
If you’re hosting a formal affair, your guests probably won’t be coming in the most comfortable shoes. There’s only so much dancing you can do in 4-inch heels before your feet feel like they’re going to fall off. Consider purchasing inexpensive flip flops or flats your guests can use. You can leave them in a basket by the DJ table for easy access.
7. Add Some Flavor
You don’t have to get cheesy, but you could spice things up by having a dance-off or Soul Train line. Sometimes even the good old classics like The Macarena or Cotton Eye Joe get the party going. Some couples also give out light-up jewelry, foam sticks, headbands, leis, and blow up props to keep things lively!
8. Stay In The Mainstream
Being a DJ, I have a passion for underground, out-of-the-ordinary tracks, but believe me, a wedding is not the time to expose people to a lot of music they don’t know.
You don’t want to shock grandma or embarrass your new mother in law with obscure music only you and a couple of close friends will know. Things can get awkward quickly. Take it from me. Fun weddings can turn sour fast if the music isn’t on point.
9. Add Dance Lights
A lot of DJ companies will offer some sort of dance lighting. These lights will bounce to the music and can create some extra excitement on the dancefloor. Keep in mind these lights give a more clubby-vibe, but if you have the right venue, they can really add a cool touch to your wedding!
10. The Happy Couple Should Stay On The Dancefloor
You’re the bride & groom, meaning everyone at this event is there for you. It can be hard to spend adequate time with all your guests during your reception. One way to spend quality time and keep people moving is by spending most of the evening on the dance floor. People will always flock to wherever the bride & groom are.
Not a big dancer? You can still take a few minutes to put on your dancing shoes! If you’re worried about busting a move, try looking up a couple of simple dances on YouTube.
Bonus Tip: If you and your wedding party have 1 or 2 simple, fun moves, you might notice it pops up everywhere on the dancefloor.
5 Dancefloor Killers That Suck The Life Out Of The Party
Avoid these common wedding reception snafus to help make sure your wedding is the party of the year, not a snooze fest.
1. People Sitting Too Long
There’s usually a lot of events that happen before guests start to dance. Once you call everyone into the banquet area for dinner, you want a maximum of an hour and a half of sitting time for the toasts, blessings, the first dance, and any parent dances. You might have to tell your dad to cut short his half-hour slideshow of your entire life or your mom’s toast reminiscing about your first, second, third, fourth (you get the idea) birthday parties. Keep things short & sweet. Otherwise, it can hurt the energy of the event. Tell mom to limit it to just one embarrassing story.
2. The Dinner Music Is Too Mellow
It’s perfectly fine to have slower songs while guests eat. I’m not saying to blast Uptown Funk while the chicken is served but be cautious of the dinner music. During the 15-20 minutes of dinner, the pace needs to pick up. Not necessarily full-on dance anthems – but music that builds up to dance time.
A good, experienced wedding DJ will do this anyway, but you should ask your DJ to start increasing the tempo near the end of dinner just in case.
3. Too Many Lights
An overly bright dancefloor can be a major buzzkill. If you’ve ever seen bistro lights or an excessively bright chandelier illuminate the dance floor, you’ll probably understand. When free dance time starts, it is a smart idea to dim the lights. Plus, most people will feel more comfortable busting a move if it’s a little darker.
Some venues simply can’t dim the lights or turn off certain lights to make the room darker. If that’s the case, your DJ may have to work a little harder to get everyone in the dancing mood. It’s a good idea to ask your venue ahead of time if they can dim the lighting during dancing.
4. Not Enough Music Variety
Most weddings have guests of different ages, interests, and tastes – which is cool! You’ll want your DJ to play a variety, so everyone at your reception can enjoy themselves. If that means playing a little Johny Cash for grandma and some Ariana Grande for the bridesmaids – so be it! Variety is a good thing at a wedding. Plus, if you play only one kind of music, it can alienate those who aren’t into it, causing them never to hit the dancefloor or leave your reception early.
I enjoy playing a variety of fast songs, but I always add a few slow songs too. The slower songs might get some folks dancing who weren’t before. Plus, it gives those who have been dancing hard a breather without having to leave the dance floor.
5. Too Many Breaks In The Action
Once dance time starts, you need to limit the interruptions if you can. If you have any events later on in the evening like cutting the cake, bouquet toss, or an anniversary dance, try to do it during the same window. Guests can become frustrated when they get interrupted every 20 minutes for another event or Uncle Joe’s impromptu toast.
That concludes my list of 10 tips for getting people to dance at your wedding and 5 dancefloor killers to avoid. I want to know what you think can help or hurt the dancing cause. Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading. I’m DJ Ivan, a Cleveland-based DJ. If you’re in the area, check out Synapse Entertainment for some more inspiration.
That concludes my list of 10 tips for getting people to dance at your wedding and 5 dancefloor killers to avoid. I want to know what you think can help or hurt the dancing cause. Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading. I’m DJ Ivan, a Cleveland-based DJ. If you’re in the area, check out Synapse Entertainment for some more inspiration.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!