You'll spend months planning, prepping, searching for the best vendors, and the perfect venue. Your day arrives, you walk down the aisle and say 'I do' to the love of your life! Dinner was delicious, speeches were heartfelt and your waterproof mascara has made it through (mostly) unscathed. Now it's time to do some dance floor celebrating! Your D.J. lines up a couple hit tracks to get the crowd going, everyone is on their feet!...Then you notice, after a few songs...the dance floor is empty...
I've seen this happen at more weddings than it should. The DJ is awesome, the songs are great, he's playing to the crowd, yet the couple is left wondering, why is nobody out there?!
Here are some foolproof tips for your dance that can really make ALL the difference to making your post ceremony celebration one for the books!
The #1 reason people leave the dance floor: The BAR. Check with your wedding coordinator and/or venue to find out where the bar is located in relation to the dance floor, if its on the other side of the room, see if setting up a second, smaller 'satellite bar' nearby is possible once the dance has started.
2. Keep the attention directed at the dance floor by providing a comfortable seating area nearby, so people can stay a part of the fun but take breaks. This keeps your guests close and prevents them from going back to their original tables to sit, which ultimately ends with your guests being divided up all over the room.
3. Have a basket of new 'fast flats' or flip flops for the ladies, either on the dance floor or in the washroom. Sure, some may be fine to ditch their shoes but others will keep their shoes on and avoid the dance floor all together once their feet start to ache. Providing a comfy shoe option is a great way to encourage guests that you want them to keep having fun!
4. If people are really shy about cuttin-the-rug, have your DJ start the snowball. This requires the help of your whole wedding party. You and your wedding party are called to the dance floor to dance with the person they walked down the aisle with. DJ says 'snowbaaaall' 30 seconds into the dance, and each person breaks off from the person they were dancing with to grab someone else who isn't dancing. 30 seconds later, DJ says it again! It triples the population of the dance floor fast! Sometimes all people need is a little push.
5. Lastly, as the Bride and Groom, you should be on the dance floor frequently if you want your guests out there! Ultimately, people will follow your lead. Your guests are there to celebrate your wedding and if you both are out there having a blast people will be right there with you!
XO - Wild Heart Photography
