THE FIRST DANCE

The first dance is what kicks off the dancing portion of the wedding, so doing it right can make a huge difference to how the rest of the night goes!  Here are some insider tips after DJing hundreds of weddings, and seeing the good and the bad.

It is always best to do the first dance directly before the dance floor opens.

That means: speeches, cake cutting, slideshows, parents dance, and anything else to stop the flow of the party should have been completed already.  It's alright to save the garter, and bouquet until later because those tend to happen on the dance floor and keep the energy up.

Pick a song of personal importance to you that you can slow dance to.

This makes for the best pictures, if you need to be silly about it or start a flash mob consider doing that AFTER a short slow dance.

SONG LENGTH

If you are worried about having four left feet up on the dance floor and want to cut it short, make sure you have cleared this with your photographer, they might need more time to get the perfect shots.  This is a great photo op!

At the same time, 4 minutes seems a lot longer when you're on the dancefloor, and 5 minutes is an eternity.  Take note of your song length and inform your DJ if you would like to fade out before the end of the song. I'd say the sweet spot is around three minutes and thirty seconds. 

HOW TO KICK OFF THE DANCE FLOOR:

The most effective way to get the party started is have your first dance, then invite your bridal party join you for a minute or so and then letting the DJ cut right into a perfect dance track.  Your friends and family have been itching to dance all evening and now there's a half full dance floor and a great song! Here comes the party! 

CHOREOGRAPHY? YOU BRAVE SOULS.

If you are choreographing the first dance MAKE SURE to be prepared and have the routine ready with ample time before the wedding, you don't want to be in the back room rehearsing during your wedding.   

Your wedding's got talent.

Yes, your niece is adorable and your friend is great at karaoke but if someone is singing your first dance song, be aware that they are setting the stage for the entire dance! I have seen this go so wonderfully and TERRIBLY WRONG.  If a friend or family member of yours would like to sing or perform and you know it's not "first dance" material, ask them to perform in place of a speech earlier in the evening.  

For more wedding tips check out some of the featured posts below. Planning a wedding in BC? I’d love to help! Follow the link below to see current pricing or contact me.