Today we’re sharing some excellent information from V List Member FyerFly Productions, all about something that crosses just about every couple’s mind: having a full dance floor at your wedding!
How to ensure a full dance floor at your wedding
By FyerFly Productions
Two questions that we’re typically asked by our couples are, “How can you ensure that our guests have an unforgettable party?” and, “How can you ensure that we will have a full dance floor at our wedding?”
And we think those are fantastic questions! Below are some tips that are sure to help you achieve a night full of dancing at your wedding.
First, you must ensure that you have selected a DJ or band that you mesh well with. This means you should feel comfortable that they can provide you with the music style that you and your guests will dance to all night long (and yes, you want to make sure of a few other things when shopping for vendors but that’s a different blog post of course). Once you feel like you have selected the right entertainment, then you can move on to ways to ensure a fun-filled evening with a solid high energy dance floor.
#1: Minimal Distance
You want to ensure that the distance between your Entertainment and the dance floor is as minimal as possible. Heck, if you could setup up their gear in the middle of the dance floor and it still be acceptable, I would recommend it! What this does, is it puts the energy of your entertainment as close to the crowd as possible. Your guests will automatically vibe off the energy of your DJ, just like you would at a concert venue. It’s the theory that “The closer you are to the stage, the better your experience will be.” Entertainment and dance floor proximity is one move you can make when trying to achieve a fun dance party.
#2: Dance floor size
Next thing would be to limit the size of the dance floor to the most logistical size possible. What in the world does that mean? If you’re expecting 300 guests at your wedding, you do not necessarily need to have a dance floor that accommodates that many people. Think about it this way FIRST: when it’s time for all 300 people to put on their dancing shoes, not everyone is going to jump out there all at once. People are socializing at their tables, hitting the bar for another cocktail, or lighting a cigar with some old friends on the patio. So in this case, we would suggest that you plan for a 250 person dance floor. This way you are ensuring even more probability of having a great dance party.
Honestly, if I’m the one choosing, a good rule of thumb is to plan for a dance floor for 150-200 guests for this size of event. I always tell couples to, at a minimum, plan for two thirds of your guest list on the dance floor. This way you minimize potential dead space on the floor and it encourages the dance party you have always dreamed about.
#3: Comfort
Next, make it easy for your guests to dance all night without killing their feet! We all know most people dress up for weddings… which also means heels and uncomfortable shoes! Leave a small basket by the dance floor with flats or flip flops of some kind in various sizes. They can even have your monogram on them. VIOLA, pain free dancing all night AND another awesome wedding detail too!
#4: Music Selections
The LAST thing you will want to do that will increase your chances of having a night you never want to end is to make sure you are selecting music that you know your guests want to dance to. Although this day is about you and your fiancé, you are also buying dinner (and likely drinks) for your friends and family. And you want to show them a good time, so you will want to keep them in mind when you’re choosing your music.
Case in point: Sometimes we have couples that have exceptional music taste, which can be completely different than what you would expect to hear at a wedding. These would be genres that include Punk, Aggressive Rock, Polka, etc. And even though there are many tunes in these genres that people can appreciate, the people on your dance floor most likely won’t want to tap their toes to these tracks.
Make sure that you pick out a range of upbeat songs that you think all of your friends will know. Not to say that imputing some of your favorite high school jams won’t keep the party going… but just make sure to also keep your guests’ music taste at the forefront of your mind.
So to review: to ensure a packed dance floor all night… Make sure you have an entertainment company that represents your style. Put your entertainment close to the dance floor when planning your layout of the reception space. Make sure that you can limit the size of dance floor to comfortably hold two thirds of your expected guest count. And finally, and I think the most crucial, make sure you’re catering to your guests’ music taste and not just your own.
About The Author
Jim O’Neill // President & Head Musical Genius // FyerFly Productions Jim is the Head Musical Genius at FyerFly Productions. Jim is a mixing specialist that is able to cater to any type of crowd, for multiple styles of events. Jim is a professionally trained DJ/Emcee that is able to adapt to any music requests for his clients and their guests. His mission statement has always been to spread his love for music to as many people as possible. Whether it is Big Band/Swing to 80’s/90’s/Top40… To mixing the very best in House/Mashups… Jim is able to provide your guests with the experience that YOU were looking to have.
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- How to ensure a full dance floor at your wedding - October 17, 2017
This blog was very helpful. I am currently planning my wedding and recently booked the band for our wedding. My fiance and I made sure to also choose a band that had different “horn” players. We feel that this instrument gets people up and out of their seats and ready to dance! I found your comment about the distance from the entertainment to the guests to be very interesting. This is something that I will need to keep in mind when talking to our wedding coordinator. I agree that planning for two thirds of your guests to be dancing at once is a great way to decide on the size of the floor. Thank you for your suggestions, I found them to be very helpful!