Put the DJ in front of and as close to the dance floor as possible. That is the whole rule, and almost every floor plan problem I run into is some version of ignoring it.
Your wedding DJ placement is an important element in having the dance go well, and your DJ will greatly appreciate being put in a good spot. The best placement allows the sound and lights to hit squarely on the dance floor. Here are the three configurations I see most often, best to worst.
The Best Floor Plan: Head Table and DJ Facing Each Other
The Best Floor Plan: Head Table and DJ Facing Each Other
Pictured above is a very basic example of the best floor plan for weddings as far as the dance is concerned. A room configured with the head table on the long wall of a rectangular room, and the DJ directly across.
This puts the DJ speakers right in front of the dance floor, allowing that part of the room to be the loudest and where you want the music hitting. It gives guests who choose not to be on the dance floor a better shot at conversing, since the music does not have to be turned up as loud.
It also allows any lighting the DJ has to hit the dance floor, right where you want it.
The Common Floor Plan: Workable, Not Perfect
The Common Floor Plan: Workable, Not Perfect
In the second image (above) we have probably the most common way rooms get set up.
First, I would say that if a venue wants to naturally set up their room this way, see whether you can get them to think outside the box a bit and configure it more like the first picture. If the room has to be set up this way, or that is what your vision is, it is not a terrible way to do it, as long as there are no tables set up between the DJ and the dance floor.
This still gives a pretty good shot of music and lights hitting the dance floor correctly. It might just not be perfect.
The Floor Plan to Avoid
The Floor Plan to Avoid
Finally, we have the dreaded floor plan (image above).
Please put some thought into what makes sense and what does not for a dance floor. More often than not, floor plan problems are on the venue, or possibly the planner, and they should know better.
In this scenario your DJ has to crank the music up to make it reach all the way out to the dance floor, and the people at those tables in front of the speakers will not want to be there. In these rare situations I do not even bother using any lighting, because it has nothing useful to land on.
If nothing else can be done, your DJ might be able to set the booth up in a corner and run cables to place the speakers behind the head table. That has to be discussed in advance, and those speakers will be in your pictures.
What to Ask When You Tour a Venue
Floor plan is easier to influence before you book than after. Worth asking:
- Where do you normally place the DJ, and can that change?
- Where does the dance floor go, and is it fixed or movable?
- Is there power near where the DJ would set up?
- Are there tables that would end up between the DJ and the dance floor?
The One Rule Worth Remembering
I write this with only DJ placement in mind, and I realize there are lots of other factors. But try to remember one simple rule: put the DJ in front of and as close to the dance floor as possible. Wedding venues come in all shapes and configurations, and sometimes that is easier said than done. When you are picking a venue, if a packed dance floor matters to you, and keeping the overall volume of the room down matters to you, keep in mind where the DJ will set up and how the room will be configured. It works alongside how long you leave the dance floor open.
Working Through Your Floor Plan?
I have been DJing weddings across the Wichita area since 2012 and I have seen most venues in the area. If you would like a second opinion on your room setup, check availability and I will get back to you personally. You can also learn more about wedding DJ services from HiFi Productions.