There are few moments in a person's life that are more important than their wedding day. It's a celebration that you want everyone to remember for the rest of their lives. People travel near and far to be with you on your special day so there's a lot of great energy already being generated. The question is - how do you keep that wonderful energy going throughout the party? Energy is like the tides, it can wash over you and build through the night, becoming contagious to everyone at your party. But energy can also disappear. And once that energy disappears like a low tide, it's twice as hard to get that energy back.
Energy loves two things - movement and music. One of the best ways to keep the energy flowing is if the bride and groom are on the dance floor. Let's face it, the energy is centered around the wedding couple. If they aren't on the dance floor, their guests might still be dancing, but the energy is lessened. If they are on the dance floor, the energy is multiplied expeditiously and the electricity in the air spreads to everyone.
I'm not talking mysticism here. Most of us have experienced being at a ball game when the home team comes from behind and wins. The energy becomes infectious to everyone in the stadium. It's a wonderful feeling. It lifts our hearts and makes us feel like a million bucks. It will be a memory that lives with us forever.
As a wedding DJ, this is the kind of energy I try to create for you and your guests. And it helps tremendously when the bride and groom are out on the dance floor. The other guests will gravitate towards the wedding couple and soon the dance floor is packed, the energy is high and everyone is caught up in the moment, whooping and hollering. Who knows, maybe even a soul train forms (oh wait, it's not a soul train anymore, it's a circle).
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the bride and groom need to be on the dance floor all night. Just be aware that your guests will feed off of your energy. If you're away from the dance floor for an extended period of time, it will affect the overall excitement of the reception. Invariably, the majority of your guests will stop dancing to be around you, the wedding couple. Pretty soon, there are only a few people on the dance floor and, like the tide rushing out, the momentum disappears.
I was a DJ for a recent wedding where the bride and groom were on the dance floor for 90 percent of the night. The dance floor was so packed that it was the first time in my career that I didn't get out and dance too. As you can imagine, the energy was out of this world. The bride, the groom and their guests had the time of their lives.
So what if the wedding couple doesn't like to dance? My advice would be as follows:
1) At least get out on the dance floor for a few songs. You will regret not allowing your photographer a couple of great shots of you on the dance floor, having a great time. In time, these will be some of the photos you will cherish most of all.
2) It is vital for a successful night to make your presence known and to create that wonderful energy your guests will truly enjoy. It doesn't matter if you can dance well or not. No one is there to judge your dancing skills. Your guests want two things. They want you to have a good time so they can have a good time.
I just had a conversation with a fellow DJ who told me that a couple told him it didn't matter what music he played because they weren't planning to dance at all. Why would you even want to hire a DJ if that was your attitude? Do you think the energy level is going to be high at that event? I don't envy my poor DJ friend at that party.
Being a DJ, I will do everything in my power to make your wedding party memorable and fun for everyone involved. But even the best DJs need a little help to keep the party hopping. A bride and groom on the dance floor creates more energy than most people realize. And more energy means more fun. And more fun means better memories that will last a lifetime.
