10 Ways to Get your Wedding Guests on the Dance Floor (and Keep them There!)
Picture the best wedding reception you’ve ever been to… Now picture the worst... Was it uneventful and low energy? Here at Duet, we believe the most surefire way to keep everyone entertained at a wedding is by keeping the dance floor packed with guests all evening. We’ve compiled a list of ways that help future brides and grooms ensure their dance floor is one that is not easily forgotten!
1. SONG REQUESTS
Before the big day occurs, have your guests write a song request or two on their RSVP. This helps your guests instantly feel excited to see if their song will be picked. Then, once it is, they’ll be so excited they’ll run to the dance floor! Everyone has that one song they can’t help but jam out to!
2. DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF
When choosing songs for your wedding, don’t limit yourself. If you stick to one genre of music all evening, your guests could get tired easily. We suggest only playing about three slow tunes throughout the evening, that way the energy stays high!
3. ANNIVERSARY DANCES
Anniversary Dances are a fun way to incorporate couples of all ages to join in the fun! Start by having all married couples on the dance floor. Then couples who have been married for more than one year stay on the floor, then more than two years stay, then five, then ten, and so on and so forth until you have older couples who have been together fifty years! It’s a fun, interactive way to get your parents, grandparents, and older married couples to have a good time.
4. INVITE GUESTS TO JOIN YOUR FIRST DANCE
If you’re keeping your first dance short and sweet, a great way to kick off the night is inviting your guests to join you at the end of your first dance. Get the party started by having everyone flood the floor to dance with the newlyweds!
5. BRIDAL PARTY BACKUP DANCERS
A great way to keep guests consistently on the floor is by asking your bridal party to be your backup dancers. Tell them you need their help to rally the crowd and get them excited about dancing the night away! They won’t let you down on your special day.
6. LINE DANCES
Even though many people roll their eyes when they hear the “Electric Slide” or the “Wobble”, line dances are an easy way to get guests out on the floor. Pick a line dance that you’re not horribly sick of hearing, and have your DJ use that song to get guests excited to dance!
7. GLOW STICKS
As the lights start to go down, break out the glow sticks! It is actually quite fascinating how excited adults get over glow sticks (and the kids will love them too). If you keep the lights low and the glow sticks high, the party will never end.
8. SNOWBALL PARTNERS
If a lull ensues (maybe after a slower song), feel free to snowball partners. What this means is you and your new spouse will go find guests to dance with. After a while, give them instruction to go get another guest, while you also grab a new partner. Keep dividing and conquering until everyone is out on the floor! Again, your bridal party can help you with this task so the floor stays full.
9. PLAN OUT A SONG FOR EACH TABLE
Plan out a song for each table to dance to. Make sure when the DJ or band plays that song, everyone at that table gets up to dance!
10. KEEP DANCING
Make sure you and your spouse keep dancing! If you lead by example, people will follow. Everyone wants to dance with the happy couple on their big day, so make sure they all get a chance to. Nothing pumps an audience up more than seeing you excited at your own wedding!
How do you get your dance floor packed? Please share with us!
This post is written by Duet Dance Studio's instructor, Meghan.
Photos by Love Is A Big Deal