9 Tricks to Keep the Dance Floor Packed at Your Wedding

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9 Tricks to Keep the Dance Floor Packed at Your Wedding

Music, Planning Tips

Friday, May 8, 2015

by Elizabeth Mitchell
 

                                                                      Photo: Austin Gros

There's no bigger buzz kill at a wedding than an empty dance floor. Ideally, you want your guests to be up and on their feet and grooving to the sound of the music all night long. So how do you get the party started and keep it going then (which is the hard part, of course)? We asked a few wedding insiders to break it down for us.


1. Listen to your DJ
While asking your guests for song requests and giving your DJ some general guidance is great, please don't turn him or her into a human iPod by listing out every single jam under the sun you'd like played, says Ashish Patel, owner of Volcanik Entertainment. "An experienced DJ will already have the know how to read the crowd and play the type of music they're enjoying."

2. Create a floor plan conducive to dancing
"Couples are often worried that their dance floor will be too small, but it's equally important to make sure that the dance floor isn't too big," warns Jaclyn Fisher, owner of Two Little Birds Planning. Otherwise, it'll look empty no matter how many people you have out there cutting a rug.

3. Start the night off on a high note
Wedding Photographer Michelle Girard has definitely seen her fair share of dance parties. According to her, getting people onto the floor is half the battle. "Once your friends and family are already out there though, they'll likely stay for a few songs. At many Jewish weddings you'll see this happen with the tradition of the Hora and that energy really compounds," she notes. Another smart move is to have your DJ invite other couples to join you midway through your first dance, then transition into an upbeat song immediately afterward to keep guests grooving.
See More: And the Most Popular First Dance Song Is...

4. Mix up the music
And don't forget to blast popular picks from a variety of generations! "Some musicians would rather play songs they prefer, but if you stick to the big hits, you're guaranteed to get (and keep) your guests on the dance floor," assures Jerry Wise, co-founder and vocalist of Austin-based national wedding band, the Matchmaker Band.

5. Make sure there's a bar nearby
Because cocktails always encourage guests to let loose, duh! "The bar should be near or in the same room as the dance floor," advises Wise. "If it's in another room, you're going to be quick to lose dancers."

6. Engage the audience
To revive a dead dance floor, have your MC get a bit more interactive, suggests Girard. "I've seen band members move out into the crowd while singing, even dancing with grandma! DJs can orchestrate some fun competitions or games."

7. Remember: Timing is everything
"For example, you don't want to clear the dance floor in the middle of a great party to do your cake cutting because it may not fill up again," cautions Boston-based award winning photographer Kristin Griffin. "Consider cutting your cake in between dinner courses before the dancing officially kicks off."
See More: The Best Wedding Songs of 2014

8. Provide free flats or flip-flops for female guests
No need to let a little sore feet kill the vibe! If you have room in your budget to spare, Girard recommends providing comfy "dancing shoes" for female guests. "I've seen flip-flops, flats and colorful socks offered up at receptions for this purpose. It's safer than bare feet and shows how much you want everyone to dance."

9. Make sure you and your groom are busting a move
Last but certainly not least, make sure you're out there and at the center of it all, says Griffin. No one can resist a smiling bride and groom on the dance floor,.

"Why Do DJ's Charge So Much? All They Do Is Stand There And Push The Play Button!"

By: Joshua Newton "DJ Meosky"
 

 

 

 As a Mobile Wedding & Party Entertainer, the question I and others like me get asked the most is, "How Much?!?!" We live in a society and have an economy that has us all pinching pennies and shopping at all the stores with the cheapest imports. With the access of the internet we can log onto sites that compare prices for us at several locations so we don't have to call around and price check every little item we take interest in. People are even finding ways to manipulate sales schemes in a way that they are able to get products for free or literally pennies! Of course, I'm referring to couponing. The problem is, people are applying that same thought process when shopping for items or services that you really shouldn't cut corners on. You may be saving for the moment, but it may cost you a lot of regret in the long run!

 

Approximately 2 years ago, my wife and I purchased a new car because we wanted something that was reliable, handled well, and gave us peace of mind. It was our first new car. About 6 months ago, I decided to buy new tires due to having traction issues on wet roads. Being the penny pincher I am, I took it to the famous store that everybody goes to so I would save money. They gave me a super low price on 4 tires including installation. In fact it was only 2/3 of the price that the tire shop was wanting (CHA-CHING)! Now for the nightmare. I drove the car home and didn't really get on any major highways. It seemed to be operating smoothly without any hiccups. My wife drove it to work a couple of times and she expressed some concerns with how it was handling. I took it out for a long drive and it was handling so bad that I was scared to go above 60 MPH even though the speed limit was 70. I took it to the Dealership and ended up getting it balanced and aligned. That was an additional $150. We took it home and it still wasn't handling well. We determined that the tires just had to be crappy and not worth buying. So we ended up spending more money than we would have if we had just went to the tire shop and got a higher quality product installed by real professionals instead of shopping for the lowest possible price. Basically, the car was in worse shape than it was even before we had the new tires installed. So, even though we had a new car and spent a lot of money to give us peace of mind, it was taken away by cutting corners when getting new tires at the budget store.

 

Now I want you to think about this scenario, but apply it to hiring a DJ for a big event like a wedding reception. Most brides spend a lot of time and money on their wedding and reception. You have to have decorations, catering, a photographer, a reception hall, rings, etc. Now that you've spent all that money you've still got to book a DJ/MC to provide entertainment and coordinate your reception. You start looking online and start calling people until you find someone that offers you a ridiculously low price ($150-$300) just guessing. You think to yourself ,CHA-CHING!!! Then the night of your reception, the DJ shows up with some old neon bar signs, a couple lights he found in a yard sale that were made in the 80's, a lap top or iPod, and some low quality house speakers. He has cords dangling everywhere and although he has a bunch of lights, his set up is the biggest eye sore that you could ever imagine. You put all that money and work into throwing the ultimate reception or party and this guy swoops in like Godzilla destroying all that you have worked so hard for. Check out this video to get a better picture of just how bad it could be.

 

 

 

 

 

A real professional puts a lot of time in planning a reception with you, has quality equipment, and will make sure that everything goes to plan without any major hitches. To do all of that it takes a lot of prep time. You aren't just paying a DJ to stand in a booth and push play. Even though the DJ is only playing music for 4-5 hours he will have put in a 10-12 hour shift the day of your event. That's not even counting the time he/she spent at home talking back and forth with you, downloading music, building timelines. Then there are the DJs expenses. He/she has to buy music, pay for advertising, buy equipment, buy insurance, pay for gas to get to the event, etc. There is no free lunch in this world. If a DJ is offering extremely low prices, he is cutting corners. Honestly, I can tell you, there is no real professional out there offering services below $400 for a wedding. It's not mathematically possible. The equation doesn't add up. I hope that you will take all this into consideration when hiring a DJ the next time you need one. You may have success with a DJ who charges $150, but you are taking a large chance that you may regret in the future, just as my wife and I did when trying to take the cheapest route when getting new tires.