How to Keep the Dance Floor Packed at Your Wedding

Emma Blue
Jan 31
2 min read

As a photographer, it's safe to say I've attended my fair share of weddings! Aside from hiring a DJ who knows how to read the crowd, fuel the mood, and get guests on the dance floor, here are 5 things I have seen successfully keep the dance floor packed during a wedding reception.

Be on the dance floor!
This is the most important thing!!! Your guests are at your wedding to celebrate you - they want to be where YOU are! If the two of you are on the dance floor, people will follow your lead.
Avoid interruptions
Following reception entrances, go ahead and roll right into some of the other reception events such as the first dance, mother/son dance, father/daughter dance, etc. Once people are on the dance floor, you want to keep them there! Starting the night off with some of the scheduled items avoids interrupting the open dance floor and killing the energy.
Keep guests on their toes with music selection
Anyone who has been to prom, a basketball game, or any other wedding has heard "Mr. Brightside" followed by "Low" followed by "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." That is not to say there's not a time and place on your playlist for these classics! BUT the most energetic dance floors I've seen have been when the bride and groom play an unexpected, but still well known song. The top example being a wedding where the groomsmen went wild for "Fight For Your Right" by the Beastie Boys. Think about the age of your guest list, where they're from, and any songs that might be personal for them (ex: "Enter Sandman" goes hard for a Virginia Tech crowd).
Invite the party
Think about who you're inviting to your wedding and the energy they bring! In most cases where I've seen a slower dance floor, the majority of the guest list has been an older crowd (there are, of course, always exceptions to this!). If you have some guests you're on the fence about inviting - consider the vibe they'll bring to the dance floor!
Serve alcohol
Don't shoot the messenger! Serving alcohol can be a major budget-item and/or might just not be your vibe, I get it! But there is no denying it helps your guests loosen up a little bit on the dance floor.