How to Keep the Wedding Dance Floor Full… All Night Long

At Moments Notice & Company we are focused on ensuring that you and your guests have the time of your life by putting on your dancing shoes and bringing your best moves to a packed wedding dance floor…all night long!

We absolutely love when our couples share their rave reviews of their guests dancing the night away. It actually inspired us to share a few of our tips on how to keep your dance floor full on your special day.

How to pack the dance floor during the wedding reception

Let’s Make the Dance Floor a Centerpiece

Next to the bride, the dance floor with be the star of the night!

Upon Arrival

As guests arrive, a background instrumental or vocal pop trio along with adult beverages and light hors d’ oeuvres greet one and all. Keep in mind you can customize the instruments to compliment your vision carrying the theme and tone into the evening. This is what we, at Moments Notice & Company, call the ice breaker. It sets the stage for an evening of fun, laughs, some tears (after all it’s a wedding) and, of course, dancing all night long!

The Reception

The dance floor should be the focal point with just enough space for your guests. You don’t want it too small restricting those who are ready to rock n’ roll and at the same time, you don’t want a large space making some feel uncomfortable with all eyes on them.

What is the right size for a wedding dance floor?

Generally, a dance floor that is 15’x15’ works well for a group up to 125 guests. A crowded dance floor is a happy dance floor. We generally limit the size to 20’x20’ or 24’x20’ for groups of 200 to 400 guests. Also dance floors should be adjacent to the band stage. Avoid placing tables between the band and the dance floor.

If you are in a large space with a large tile floor, you may not be renting an actual dance floor. To create a physical and psychological space make use of cocktail tables on the sides and guest dinner tables in font to create a relatively small, attractive safe space for people to get on the dance floor.

Hire a Live Band

There’s something simply magical about having live entertainment at your wedding or special event. We’ll keep the celebrating going throughout night. From arrival, throughout the ceremony, when the couple make their grand entrance, to the parent dances and into the night.

We are professionals and can feel the energy in the room. We intuitively know how to read the pulse and know when and how to amp up the vibe. We are 100% focused on inviting all to let their hair down and get their groove on.

Learn more about how to book a band.

Beverages and Nibbles

Keep guests hydrated and energized so they stay engaged with the dance floor. Have a few small food and beverage stations close to the dance floor keeping things seamless and convenient for your guests. We strongly encourage you to avoid the bar placement in the hotel foyer or another far away area. It creates a secondary party group away from the dancers and splits your party into two.

Moments Notice Band and The JBO, a rock wedding orchestra, will get guests on the floor with a romantic easy to dance slow song (we pick songs that even dance-handicapped male “fraidy cats” can dance to). Often we use the first dance (if it is slow) to add the guests and then gradually pick up the tempo as we keep the energy going non-stop and the dance floor full.

“Music should be your escape”

– Missy Elliott

The Parent Dances

We find that this is a great time to bring guests onto the dance floor near the end of the parent dance (see Father Daughter Dance Songs) generating a full dance floor. We often like to separate the first dance from the parent dances to give us this tool twice during the early part of the evening.

Popular Music Genres

Ensures everyone, of all ages, have songs that speak to their generation, which will ensure they are out of their seats and singing and dancing the night away. From classics (the oldies but goodies), to top 40 hits and some throwbacks in between.

Check out our Moments Notice Band song lists and JBO’s music selection, and then read up on wedding and event entertainment ideas through the decades.

And remember, if you are dancing the night away and having the time of your life, your guests will be on the floor next to you ensuring this is the best night of your life!

How long we gonna’ party? ALL NIGHT LONG!”

– Jerry Barnett