What makes for a full dance floor at a wedding? Here are some tips for a successful night from the bands perspective.
Ok first - lets be frank. An Irish wedding is literally a million things in one day. Over and above the fact that 2 lovely folks are fulfilling their fairytale romance dreams, there’s a lot going on. Two sides of a new family are getting to know one another. Groups of friends are catching up, and this might their only decent excuse to have the 4 kids shipped off to the Grand Rents for 2 full days and shoot some serious breeze. Funky Aunt Tabitha who was a teen in the 70s is dying to regale her wild tales of polyamory, and Great Uncle Seamus is desperate to corner you and chat about Massey Fergusons for an hour.
Needless to say there are many ways to measure the “success” of a wedding and so much going on I sometimes wonder how people even manage to sneak in a dance.
The above being said however, it is our solemn duty sing, cavort and generally impress from the stage until some sort of shindig has emerged. With that guarantee in place, let’s look at the some other supporting factors that can ensure a full dance floor. So, here are a few things that can help you fill your dance floor.
Choose the right venue size
If you’re looking for energy and excitement, avoid a massive room. If you have 200 guests then you can ignore that and let the games commence regardless, but if we are talking round 100 or so or less, then I’d say don’t be going for massive function room.
For us, the smaller (within reason) the space, the greater the energy. The music is focused and the guests are easily lured up for dance! Also - we can squeeze onto a dime and rarely have any problems getting the six piece squished up and getting the party going.
Don’t put the band on a stage
Stages are cool but, similar to above - closeness makes energy. I’d rather be staring down 20 overly merry guests situated one inch from the end of my microphone than looking down form on high.
Keep the bar in the same room
Having the bar in a different room to the band is a buzz-killer, for sure. Even if the guests don’t decide to hang for a natter, the very fact of taking people in and out of the space constantly makes the vibe an uphill grind.
Choose a sensible start time
At Dance Til Tomorrow our ethos is to get started as early as you like and no matter what, if you book band and DJ we are filling the night with music. We know folks want value for money - so we are there as early as you need.
That being said, there are 2 reasons not to fly into the band music at say 1930. Firstly - dinner barely passed the oesophagus, so both you and your guests might fancy a half hour of air, or a small dander to let the feast go down. Secondly, sometimes the guests might that little extra “digestif” to aid digestion and get the legs limbered up for a dance. We can happily put on a little warmer upper playlist for a half hour to get the mood right.
Don’t bring out the buffet too soon
Sometimes this is set in stone - but if you’ve any influence over the later proceedings please advise the venue to politely calm down and have the buffet as late as possible. My preference is after the band. Again - with a 20 ounce steak floating in your naval - the dancing urge may take a minute or two to present itself. Sometimes our job isn’t just stealing candy from babies - but genuinely warming up the room for a party. Even with the buffet half way thru the set - this sometimes the worst timing as we’ve all just really started to get going. In an unnamed venue last week the buffet arrived on the scene 15 minutes into the bands set. Madness. Buffets are defo better a little later when the munchies kick in.
Leave sparklers for winter
As I’m writing this on 9th May - the sun has finally decided to dignify us with a visit. I am reminded that sometimes on glorious summer nights guests might wanna hang outside and soak in some rare lovely weather and evening summer vibes. Even if Earth Wind and Fire stepped on stage, you couldn’t chase folk inside. Thats just a fact of life.
But here, I’m gonna stuck my neck out and highlight my one serious pet peeve. Sparklers! Or fireworks or any other activity right in the middle of the band set. Sparklers are best done in winter when it gets dark before the band starts. In summer, keep those guests in one place and let’s party!!!!
The couple need to dance
Newsflash - weddings are quite demanding. Married, marched around and papped with every last guest, speeches, dinner and then (I f you so desire) a first dance. So its no surprise that once that dance is done, we inevitably say “bye bye couple” for a while as they go and sit on their bums gasping for a breath. But hear this, you are still the stars of the show and your guests will want to be round you and will take a cue from what you do. So please please, please hit the floor a few times for a boogie!!