Dancing at your wedding reception is an important part of celebrating your day. It is where the party happens. The set-up of your dance floor is critical to your wedding party central.
The dance floor size, location and proximity to the DJ are key elements in making sure that you have an on-going great party. I’ve attended weddings where dancing is impossible because you are cheek-to-cheek not with your honey but with another guest. Your guests soon give up dancing and sit down. This is a real mood killer.
It is important that your DJ’s setup location is both centrally located in the reception area. The dance floor must also be reasonably sized for the number of guests. Dance floors that are too small or too large will diminish the energy of your reception.
Your DJ’s location in relation to the dance floor is a critical factor in creating a high energy reception. Do not place your DJ in a corner far removed from the dance floor. Sound and lighting effects will be compromised. Cables and wires will need to be placed between tables to locate speakers and lights at the dance floor causing a trip hazard for guests and servers moving about.
Your DJ needs a complete view of the room in order to MC your reception events effectively. If you tuck your DJ away, your reception’s energy level will suffer because your DJ will have difficulty seeing and hearing what’s happening.
Do not seat guests between the DJ and the dance floor. Guests who are forced to sit directly in front of the DJ speakers will complain about how loud the music is, even before the dancing begins. Your DJ needs to monitor sound levels and interact with the dancing guests to create and maintain a high energy reception. They can provide his best service and maintain the energy of your reception when they are located adjacent to the dance floor.
Some venues book too many guests than the room can comfortably accommodate for dinner and dancing. They trade off seating by drastically reducing the size of the dance floor, seat guests in separate rooms, or even locate the dance floor in an adjacent room. All of these situations will discourage your guests from dancing.
At the other extreme, some venues will provide a dance floor designed for 300 guests even though your guest list is under 100. An overly large dance floor results in dancers feeling conspicuous since they can’t blend in with the crowd.
Both arrangements are guaranteed to diminish if not destroy the energy of your reception no matter where your DJ setup is located. In either case, your guests will not be comfortable on the dance floor. Plan your dance floor to be centrally located and of reasonable size to accommodate the number of guests you anticipate.
A good guide is that a 15’x15′ dance floor will accommodate 50-75 guests comfortably; add 3′ to both length and width for each additional 25 guests. Therefore, a reception for 150 would be comfortable with a 24’x24′ dance floor.
If you are having an outdoor or backyard wedding, you will need to work with a wedding DJ company that supplies a dance floor. Companies like Quality Entertainment have a variety of dance floors to suit your needs in size and style, from basic to lighted.
