During a preparation phone call for a wedding I had recently, the bride told me she was very nervous about her family and her groom’s family dancing. Neither she nor the groom were big dancers, and their families were not either. Was there anything I could do to help get people on the dance floor?
It is the question I get asked more than any other, and after more than a decade of DJing weddings around Wichita I can tell you there is one answer that matters more than all the others combined. I will get to it, but first, the things that genuinely help.
The Factors That Make a Difference
Hiring a DJ who actually mixes
There is a real difference between a DJ playing songs and a DJ shortening songs and beat matching between them. Every gap between tracks is a moment your guests decide whether to stay out there. Fewer gaps, fewer chances to leave.
Keeping the dance floor time realistic
A packed two hour dance floor beats a thin four hour one every time. How long you leave the floor open shapes what your DJ is able to do with the energy in the room.
Leaning on line dances and slow songs when you need to
If the crowd is hesitant, familiar songs that tell people what to do are genuinely useful. I do not lead with them, but I am glad to have them.
Putting your DJ square in front of the dance floor
Where the DJ sets up matters more than couples expect. If the booth is off in a corner, the dance floor has no center of gravity.
Dim lighting on the dance floor
People do not like to dance in a brightly lit room. Getting the house lights down when the dance floor opens is one of the easiest wins available.
Alcohol, if it fits your wedding
It helps. It is also not required, and I will come back to that.
But Here Is the One That Matters Most
Having the wedding couple on the dance floor is by far the biggest contributor to a great open dance time. If having lots of people out partying is important to you, please lead by example.
People at your wedding are going to look to you two as the leaders, and they genuinely want to be around you and have fun with you on your wedding day. If you are outside all night, or sitting in a corner with your friends, trust me, your dance floor will suffer.
Think about it from the other direction. Nobody wants to see an empty dance floor with just the bride and groom out there by themselves, do they? Your friends and family will join in. That is exactly the point. You are not just dancing, you are giving everyone else permission.
I am not saying you need to be out there 100% of the time. Make it a priority to spend a decent amount of the party out there shakin’ it. After all, you have hired a DJ, and you want things to be poppin’, right?
What This Looks Like When Everything Is Working Against You
Back to that nervous bride.
We had a few things working against us at that wedding. First, it was on a Sunday. Second, there was no alcohol. Those are two of the harder conditions you can hand a DJ.
At a point in the evening when the dance floor was dead, the bride and groom bravely went out there anyway. I put on the Cha Cha Slide so they had something familiar and knew what to do, and everybody quickly joined in. After that they stayed out there, and we had a pretty decent turnout for the rest of the evening.
I am so glad they listened to my advice about taking the initiative, and at the end of the night they told me they were glad too.
Sunday, no bar, two self-described non-dancers. It still worked, because they went first.
The Short Version
Hire a DJ who can actually mix, keep the dance floor time tight, get the lights down, put the DJ where people can see them, and then go out there yourselves. That last one is free, and it does more than all the rest.
Planning Your Reception?
I have been DJing weddings across the Wichita area since 2012, and this conversation happens on nearly every planning call. If you are worried about your dance floor, check availability and I will get back to you personally. You can also learn more about wedding DJ services from HiFi Productions.