Wedding Blog
A couple of people asked on my last post about how the dance floor got so packed so quickly. I must say, the same thing happened at my younger brother’s wedding this summer - and didn’t happen at many of the other weddings we have attended. It seems that there are a few things that can make a difference.
1. The bride and groom must be happy.
If they are happy, it is much easier for everyone else to be happy.
2. The right music is crucial- and live music helps.
Of the three weddings we’ve attended with live music, 2 had tons of dancing. Of the DJ or iPod weddings, roughly 25% (2 of 8, I think) had a lot of dancing. Regardless of how the music is played, it should be music that everyone, from grandparents on down, should be able to tap their feet to. Our big band played standards from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s; my brother and his wife had a funk band that played classics from the 1970s through today. But in each case, most people knew most of the songs.
3. A dance floor in the middle of the room helps.
All of the weddings that I’ve attended with a lot of dancing had the dance floor in the middle of the room, surrounded on three sides by tables, with the DJ or band on the 4th side. This makes it easier for people who are not dancing to be part of the dance floor, and if people stop to take a break, it is much easier for friends to get them back on the floor.
4. Booze is important.
‘Nuff said.
5. The bride and groom must be on the dance floor.
My mom asked me if we would go around from table to table at the reception. To her initial dismay, I said no—we were having a receiving line so we wouldn’t need to do that. I said that I planned to be on the dance floor the entire night, and if people wanted to talk to me, they could dance with me. Whether it was the right thing to do or not, it worked.
Anyone have other tips to add about how to get the dance floor moving?
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I LOVE this post - couldn’t agree with you more!! I can’t wait to boogie all night with our band adn guests!!
I totally agree that the bride and groom must be happy. I think that affects EVERY aspect of how a wedding is remembered. To me, it’s all about the love between them and everything else follows.
I agree completely! We only had 130 guests so we made rounds during dinner. My husband gave a thank you speech that ended with an invitation to dance and drink the night away. The bride and groom set the tone for the entire night so we were the first ones out on the dance floor. We also didn’t give the dj any specific music selections, we told them to play whatever kept the dance floor packed and we had people dancing (us included) until the venue turned the lights on….half an hour after our cut off =-)
this is a great post! and I agree that it totally helps if the bride and groom set the example and get out on the dance floor!!
I think #5 is crucial!!! I was at a wedding over the summer with an awesome 16 piece band - but the Bridal party left for impropmtu pictures and NO ONE ventured out to the dance floor. It was so sad!
Bride and groom dancing is a MUST at our wedding. I may not have killer moves, but I’ll definitely be busting it—and encouraging others—on the dance floor 
i think the music choices and the bride and groom on the dancefloor are must haves! i’ve been to two daytime weddings and one the couple wasn’t much into dancing so the dancefloor was largely empty but the other; well, we had a nice little rendition of soul train going on. tons of fun!
I think it is important for the Bride and Groom to be dancing. This seems to encourage everyone else to dance as well. Also, at our wedding, our Bridesmaids danced almost every song. I think it encouraged people to get out and dance, because there was always someone out on the floor.
I agree that its important for both parties to be in love with the songs. I have created a shared document that my FI and I both have access to. We now add songs whenever we hear them (radio, at work, through a friend) and we’ll analyze the list closer to the date.
I want to dance the night away but we have a small budget - so I’m really trying hard with the music
all so true! Were the DJs bad at the weddings you went to? I’ve been to weddings with awful DJs and ones with amazing DJs. The good ones will make sure the dance floor is packed!
I think it helps to have a crucial group that you can count on to be dancing. Once there’s safety in numbers, others will follow. Oftentimes it’s the bridal party.
We had a super small wedding, and were worried that people wouldn’t dance. So we hired a jazz band for a couple of hours — great for mingling and some slower dancing. Then we busted out karaoke. Total hit. The people not participating loved watching those that did and it helped give everyone something to “do.” My sister got married 5 months later, and my 80-year-old grandmother kept asking her if she was going to have “the singing,” too. Also, the pictures and video are beyond priceless. I think it probly helped it was a smaller wedding, though, because there was never a long wait, most people knew each other, and we knew our particular friends would love it.
I think a DJ is way better than having live music. You’re so limited by a band, the music is going to sound the same all night. I’ve had way more fun at weddings done by good DJs.
I totally agree with this! Mr. Swan and I definitely danced, and I believe that having music that appeals to a broad range of people helps. For the most part we did that although I will say that the music was primarily directed towards the younger folks. I’ve been to borng weddings with live music though. I think the right DJ can really help.
A good band really can get the crowd going but a good DJ can do the same. I’ve been to weddings with great bands and it feels like you’re at a concert. I’ve also been to weddings with bands where the music isn’t so hot. Same thing with excellent versus decent DJs. As long as the band leader or the DJ reads the crowd, you’re golden!
I really think the No. 1 tip for having a packed dancefloor is having the bride/groom out dancing. People follow the lady in the big white dress!
i struggled with deciding between visiting people at the tables vs being out on the dance floor all night.
In the end, we danced our little hearts out all night, and now my biggest regret is that we didn’t really get to “see” all our wedding guests (and we heard from some later that said they were disappointed they didn’t get to spend more time with us!)
Just another perspective.
Thanks for the list…and that is so fun of an idea to have the bride and groom out there…I’d say that’s the best tip indeed!
“If people wanted to talk to me, they could dance with me.” LOVE that. Love it. That is definitely going to be my mantra on my wedding day.
My family loves to dance so hopefully their presence on the floor will encourage all of the other guests to dance. I plan on being on the dance floor A LOT but FI doesn’t really dance so #5 might be tough for us. #4 definitely won’t be a problem, though! 
I agree with your list and I would add that it helps to have a group say the bridal party who help get the party started!
@Arobb81 As for Live music… the band usually takes breaks and they will play music to fill in. This is the chance to bring in some great variety to the night.
Totally agree with these tips. We did our own music and made sure to tailor the selection to our crowd.
Thanks for sharing this!! And I’m glad to hear you didn’t go around from table to table. That just doesn’t sound like much fun to me, and after all it is our party!! We should have fun =]
Good tips, thanks for sharing. I think it’s important for the bride and groom to be dancing too.
Love the recipe for how to pack a dance floor! Thanks for the post!
The bride and groom should do their first dance right away, to “open” the dance floor.
My groom didn’t dance, but I danced the whole night! And we had a lot of dancing at our wedding. I think a high preponderance of disco helped too.
We’ll have to see, but I’ve already started telling my friends that I want lots of dancing. I think if a few people start it off right, it will be infectious!
Very good points the same points I explain to my clients. there is one thing I must say.
A very good trained, experienced DJ’s can keep a dance floor packed, Why you don’t see this more at weddings with DJ’s is because there are very few that are true professionals. I preformed at a reception that lasted 9 hour, 7 hours of non stop dancing, only 75 guests.
Most brides hire the cheaper DJ. The cheaper DJ’s are not usually the real professionals that know what they’re doing.
I agree with all of your tips but some are more important than others. I’ve been DJ’n weddings for 10 years and have rocked over 400 of them. You’re on the money with #1,2 & 4.
The dance floor placement is not as important to me, I’ve seen them all over the place and find it doesn’t have an effect. I’ve entertained a wedding with the dance floor against the wall on the other side of the room with tables between me and the floor and still didn’t notice a difference.
Although it helps when the Bride and Groom are on the dance floor it’s not necessary at all. If that was the case 50% of the time the bride and groom wouldn’t even be on the dance floor (collecting envelopes, taking pictures, greeting tables, being hauled outside the room by a photographer/videographer for extra photos or farewell shots, dress malfunctions…etc).
Sorry for the long post, I’m very passionate about my job. =)
Here’s my opinion on “packing the dance floor.”
Your dance floor is essentially a stage. It’s very intimidating when it’s empty because if only 1 person is out there, everyone is watching him/her. When the dance floor is full, it becomes less intimidating and easier to enter.
Tell your DJ or Band that you’d like to ice break your dance floor with a slow song first. Slow songs are easy ways to pack a dance floor, think about it, everyone has a partner and its easy to dance to. Tell the MC to say something like the more couples that join the dance floor the more years of luck and happiness the bride and groom will receive. As the slow song ends you have a packed dance floor so you can immediately transition into faster paced music. =)
If you open a dance floor with a fast dance song, you can’t expect everyone to bum rush the dance floor. You’ll most likely only get a few “crazy outgoing” people dancing and everyone else will just watch from their seats.
Good DJ’s/Bands know these tricks. Cheap DJ’s/Bands don’t.
I’d love your input on this =)
I literally wrote the book on packing dance floors. lol
If you want more tips on packing dance floors check out my site weddingdjtips.com or just ask me =)
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Ms. Dahlia, Detroit/Cleveland
Age and Occupation: 24, PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, IT System Administrator
Engagement Date: December 31, 2006
Wedding Date: May 2008
Blogging Since: September 19, 2007
Venue: United Methodist Cathedral & historic downtown hotel in Cleveland
About Me: I enjoy cooking, dancing and swimming. I am a geek and apply game theory to my everyday life. Winter is my favorite time of year, especially when spent curled up with good coffee and a book by Madeleine L'Engle.
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