9 reasons why wedding dance floors fail to fire

When I talk to couples during the planning phase of their wedding, many of them are keen to get the formalities out of the way so the party can begin. I dont blame them at all, of course you just want to get to the fun bit. But quite often, this part of the wedding day can fail to fire, and with over 500 weddings to my name I can say with confidence that I know the recipe for a night to remember.

Here are my 9 reasons why wedding dance floors fail to fire:

1.Kicking it off in style. Your first dance should set the tone for whats to come. If you set the d-floor on fire, your guests will be aching to get out there and join you. Its literally monkey see, monkey do. You are basically setting the standard and expectations for the night ahead. However, if you just do the two step shuffle for 30 seconds before inviting everyone to join you, dont be surprised if the intensity is the same as a game of scrabble.

2. Darkness. You need the dance floor to be dark. If its lit up like the Las Vegas strip then youre going to have problems. Make sure you check with your venue about the dimmability of the lights around the d-floor.

3. Killer tunes. Professional DJs and bands are worth their weight in gold. The very best can sense the ebbs and flows of the wedding dance floor and adjust the set light accordingly to keep vibes high. You can dont get this from a Spotify playlist. All it takes is one flop for you to have tumbleweeds on the dance floor. Hit me up for a recommendations or see a list of my favourites below.

4. Bride and Groom participation. The best sessions are when both the bride and groom are out there, cutting some shapes and having the best time. If youre not out there, dont expect your guests to be.

5. Size matters. The size of your dance floor matters. The best ones are when you’re nice and close to everyone. Not so close that you cant move, but close enough so that any wild arm movements are probably going to knock someone out. Too big is a problem because any atmosphere just evaporates. If you have a large dance floor try sectioning off part of it to make it feel more intimate.

6. Alcohol flowing nearby. Im talking about having a bar directly next to the dance floor. Not across the other side of the room, or outside. It needs to be right there. If people have to go too far for their drink, theres a 63% chance they wont come back.

7. Cocktails. To keep energy high, start pumping out some cocktails before the dancing kicks off. You cant go wring with espresso martinis or anything with tequila.

8. Party lights. Because who doesnt want to feel like theyre in da club. They add a bit of atmosphere and they make it so it dont feel like youre dancing in a dark room.

9. Mass participation. The more people on the dance floor, the better. Invite people who like to party and leave the wall-flower +1s off the guest list.

If you can tick off 8 or 9 of these items then youre guaranteed to have the night of your life and a dance floor your friends will be raving about for years to come.