Weddingbee Blog

Yesterday, Hey Mister DJ Lee Dyson shared tips with Weddingbee on fostering an environment at your wedding that makes your guests want to dance all night long!  Read the first post here, and check out DJ Lee’s additional tips below!

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Additional tips for a successful dance floor

If the cocktail hour is located in a separate area from the reception/dinner area and is accessible for the entire night, make sure to have the venue move a 2^nd satellite bar into the actual reception area so you don’t keep losing guests out of the dinner area. Even the best DJ can’t compete with open bar in a different room!

If this isn’t possible, then spend the money to have the DJ run an extra speaker to the separate cocktail area so people are still musically connected to the environment and can hear announcements when it’s time to pull them all back in for toasts, the first dance, etc.

The bride and groom can really set the tone for the evening!

If the bride/groom are on the dance floor, guests will always follow. I’ve seen several events where the bride/groom weren’t big dancers or moved to a corner to hide out, and nobody else felt like heading to the dance floor.

It’s always easier to start the dance floor with a ballad. It’s less intimidating and there are always couples in the crowd that wait all year for a chance to slow dance together. We always recommend doing the first dance or father/daughter dance at the end of dinner and then immediately invite all couples out to join them. This way you have a packed floor and can jump into party music, instead of trying to lure people out one at a tim.

Many times I see a timeline with a dance set to immediately follow the cake cutting. Sometimes this can work, but most often, people will grab coffee and sit down to wait for dessert, so this time period is a good 20-minute window to fill in with other traditional wedding elements (like open toasts, or the anniversary dance).

I know some coordinators try to spread the traditional elements out, but if you’re interested in having a packed dance floor, I’d suggest consolidating them as much as possible so if you do have a big dancing crowd you can avoid breaking up the energy which kills their momentum. If they’re forced off the floor enough times they will eventually lose interest in dancing altogether!

Bad Example-

7:55- Dinner ends

8 - First dance

8:10 - High energy dance set

8:30- Father/Daughter & Mother Son Dance

8:35- High energy dance set

9 - Cake cutting

9:10- High energy dance set

9:30 - Bouquet & Garter toss

10- Bride & Groom Thank you speech

10:10- High energy dance set

Better Example-

7:55- Dinner ends

8 - First dance

8:05 - Father/Daughter & Mother /Son Dance

8:35 - High energy dance set

9 - Cake cutting & Bride/Groom Thank you speech

9:05 - Bouquet & Garter toss

9:10 - High energy dance set

Wishing all hive members a night FILLED with dancing and fun with all of your guests!

-Lee

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Click here to read Part 1 of Lee’s tips or follow on Twitter at @HeyMisterDJLee to find out more about Hey Mister DJ!