Advice for a great reception!

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If you have assigned seating, avoid placing older guests next to the dance floor/speakers.

Tables between the dance floor and the disc jockey are never a good idea for two reasons. (1) Most DJ’s use some sort of PA system. PA systems can be loud directly in front of the speakers regardless if they are floor or pole mounted systems. Most likely the DJ will turn the sound down, which in turn, will not fill the entire room with sound. (2) Feedback. A DJ’s job is to read the crowd. Facial expressions are a large part of reading the crowd. If we can not see the expressions of the guests on the dance floor, it becomes a guessing game. Never separate your DJ from the dance floor. If you place your DJ in the corner or significantly away from the dance floor you are telling your DJ the dance is not important to you.

Bars should always be in the main room. Preferably closer to the dance floor but the floor shouldn’t be in the way of any lines to the bar. If a bar is put outside the main room, then a huge percentage of potential dancers are unavailable. Bars are like kitchens—they draw people to them. If you can help it, don't make your DJ wrestle with the draw of a bar but it is also very hard to move a bar used in another area for a cocktail hour. Use you best judgment as every situation is unique.

Different factors may affect your layout such as partition walls with little or no power, permanent dance floors or bars that can not be moved, or not enough room for all the tables.

People are more likely to dance when the crowd on the floor is dense than when they feel like the only ones out there. A smaller dance floor is better than one that is too big for that reason. It creates the impression that the floor is full.

Keep exit doors closed. Doors are inviting and you don't want to invite people outside of the main room. Open doors also bring in unwanted light and sometimes unwanted guests. Keep the focus in the reception room for as long as possible.

During the night, song selection & general etiquette

If doing a grand entrance / introduction, choose a style that sets the tone for the evening. It will help build rapport for your DJ early on and that same energy will be reflected in the dance.

Separate your cocktail area and your dining area. If the cocktail area is located in the dining room people will mingle less and most likely sit at their tables. The end result will be adding an hour to your dinner. By keeping the two separate you keep your guests entertained creating valuable transition time.

Avoid a long dinner. We all have busy lives and people will get tired. Make sure your event staff has the ability to feed all your guests in a reasonable time. This will reduce the time your guests spend in their seats. If your dinner drags on, your guests will become bored and your dance will suffer. It’s best to keep things moving.

The DJ should eat. Your DJ will bend over backwards for you if you just treat them with the same respect you’d treat your guests with.

Happy music during dinner keeps the energy going. Avoid typical elevator type dinner music.It is best for any traditional events or speeches to be done and out of the way before dancing begins. In addition, it is important for pictures of the family, bridal party, and bride and groom to be done, when at all possible, before the dancing begins. As a DJ I have seen more parties lose steam because key people are having pictures taken after the dance begins. Do all the pictures before the dance begins.

Darker is better than lighter for dancing. People feel like less of a spectacle, less "on-stage" when they think they're harder to see.

Respect the musical opinions of your local professionals. They do this for a living. Be careful not to cut out all the "cliché" wedding music as you'll find this will negatively impact the dance floor potential. People dance to what they know. A wedding reception is not the time and place to prove to your friends and family that you're into obscure music. You have people from all over your family tree that want to have a good time, so let your DJ exercise all his or her tools and really work his or her craft.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I hope that here I can add nineteen years of experience to help my customers have a better reception experience. If you have a question that I have not address, please email me as I'm sure someone else is thinking the same thing.

Cary