How to Kick Off a Kickin Dance Party

One of my favorite wedding moments was when we kicked off the dance party with a group shot of tequila. It was actually a dream come true, as I had been planning this momentous and rapid group down-age of liquor for quite some time.  It was perfect.  And it set the tone for the dance party instantly. And yes, that "tone" can be described as Soul Train meets Wedding Crashers.

 I highly recommend doing something fun and crazy to get everyone in the mood to dance.  Sometimes at weddings, I find that people are more inclined to dance when they are encouraged to participate in something other than the act of dancing. Of course, the dancing will eventually follow, but there needs to be some sort of enticing element that gets the non-dancers on the d-floor right away, instead of waiting for everyone to get drunk enough to bust a move 10 songs in.

 I realize "shots" won't be everyone's go-to for exciting their guests to get up and dance, so I thought of a few other ways to rock it.  I once attended a wedding where guests were encouraged to hold sparklers around the couple while they did their first dance. And from there, since we were already all out on the dance floor, everyone just stayed and jammed out.

Or you can trick your guests into dancing by putting the bar directly next to the dance floor.  I went to a wedding at my alma mater recently that did just that. And let me tell ya, there was barely any room to groove because people were all over the bar and therefore all over the dance floor. It was awesome.  The second you put the bar in another room, away from the dance floor, you risk dance party death.  Even the most hardcore dancers will have to leave the d-floor to get a booze refill, and it's very likely they will get distracted and not make it back. I have been this wedding guest too many times, kids.  And I am the ultimate dancehound at weddings.  If even I can be enticed to leave the dance floor, so can your guests.  So put the bar next to the dance floor.  End of story.  Oh, and putting the dessert table near the dance floor would help as well.

What are your tips for keeping the dance party going hard (even if the music is good)? 

*All Photos by Nicole Polk Photography