Weddingbee Blog

Previously:

1. Prelude, 2. Tea Ceremony, 3. Getting Ready, 4. The Kids, 5. Wedding Party, 6. Down the Aisle 7. Ceremony, 8. Group Shots, 9. Couple Shots, 10. Jump Shots 11. House Shots, 12. Cocktails and Dinner, 13. First Dance, 14. Parents’ Dance, 15. Toasts, 16. Cake, 17. Lion Dance, 18. Sweet Fountain

A lot of thought was put into the dancing portion. I know that while I put effort to get on the dance floor at weddings, I don’t often stay out for long. But when I do, watch-out y’all, we got a hot one in here!

From the DJ, to the music, to the set up to the timing of events, we considered as much as we could and made decisions based on what would keep guests around and dancing through the night. Well, our hard work paid off, because every single guest was on the dance floor at some point and most of them boogied ’til the end!

Here’s us showing ’em how itz done:

We actually cleared the dance floor several times for planned activities, but with our lead (plus a few strategies) the shaking booties always came right on back:

I told you da MIL was having a good time!

This one just cracks me up. Apparently there was a need to direct the dance traffic:

I’m pretty sure this is the first time I have EVAH seen my parents dance with each other!

And our ring bearer was cutting a rug like it was nobody’s business:

Even my super shy little cousin got a piece of the action!

And I don’t gotta tell you what song was playing in these two pics, right?

I think what makes a hot dance party depends a lot on your crowd. With our small wedding (94 guests) that included folks of all ages and very few dance-prone bodies, we did the following with the dance focus in mind:

1. We sacrificed our favorite songs. While we obviously stamped our personalities everywhere in the wedding, we left most of it out of the guest dance portion (supplemented by a very ’us’ first dance). I’ve been to too many weddings where it was obvious that the couple handpicked the reception songs (or paid no attention to the playlist), and very few guests appreciated them. In my wedding attendance during our engagement (10!), I took notes of songs that seemed to always get people to dance and we played mostly those. We got so many compliments on the music selections!
2. We paid the MC/DJ. While my stingy behind DIYed and shopped deals like crazy, I knew not to skimp in this department. Dead air, awkward transitions, bad timing… etc. can drop the dance mood like *snap* THIS!
3. We kept things centralized. I noticed the venues that break up the reception tables areas (e.g. some in main room, some on patio or the next room) often make ’the other room’ guests feel left out of the main event. We picked a venue capable of accommodating all tables in one area adjacent to the dance floor. We also arranged for most happenings at the reception to take place right on the dance floor (even the chocolate fountain line) so guests didn’t get distracted or have many reasons to venture off.
4. We made sure there was space. I went to a big wedding once where the tiny dance floor was packed. I wanted to get in on the action but there was simply no room! I think from that bride and groom’s POV it was a hopping party (not that it wasn’t), but the majority of the guests were actually sitting out or leaving early (which we did).

Are you having a dance reception? What do you think contributes to one done right?

Images by Travis Hoehne and my friend Rob