23 Tips For a Successful Party
Have you ever thrown a party and thought you did everything
right but then wondered why no one was dancing the entire
night? The DJ played decent music but you just can't figure
out what went wrong. Well worry no more, here is a list of
some of the less obvious things that can make or break a
successful party. It's rare for a party to meet all of these
conditions at the same time but the more of these guidelines
you follow, the more likely people will dance and have fun,
it's as simple as that! |
Written by DJ Rob Salvati>
- This is a very
general statement but I suggest dancing to start no later than
9:30pm at a wedding. Any later than this and it will be hard to keep
your guests amused. They will start to get bored and be less
interested in dancing by this point. Some will leave early or maybe
even before the dancing starts. The bride and groom may be tempted
to delay dancing to go and mingle after dinner with each table but
this should be done in a way that doesn't delay the party. This
could be done during cocktail hour instead of after dinner. Remember
that the formal dance songs such as the "first dance" need to occur
before the dance floor can open. One other idea would be to have the
formal dance songs done before dinner or right after speeches so
that the DJ can begin to entertain the guests early on.
- One mistake
some people make is to give a huge playlist of 50-60 songs to the DJ
to play at their wedding that may have been compiled by many guests
or a few guests. One thing to keep in mind is that a wedding can
only fit in about 60 songs during the dancing portion of the night.
Generally speaking, giving
the DJ no flexibility to select
songs himself will likely end up in a weak dancing crowd. A request
list given usually doesn't consider music to fit all the different
types and ages of people at the wedding. Most guests may just be
picking their favourite song and not necessarily everyone's
favourite song. Don't restrict the DJ too much. Remember, he does
this for a living and should know how to read the crowd and play
what will keep the dance floor full.
- If you are
giving the DJ requests, I suggest using the DJ's expertise and
experience to play your song when he finds it appropriate to play.
Brides and grooms may make requests such as "play this song next"
or "only play rock for the rest of the night". This is usually a
bad idea because you are basically doing the job of the DJ. Your DJ
is there to try to play what everyone wants to hear and he knows
what music works together. Help him figure out your style but don't
restrict him because he usually has some sort of successful dance
formula or "music strategy" that works at a wedding.
- Make sure you
don't cut out all of the cliche wedding music as you will find this
will negatively impact the dance floor. Remember that your DJ does
this for a living and he knows from experience which songs will get
more people to dance. Weddings aren't the time to prove to your
friends and family that you're into obscure music. Remember that you
have a lot of different types of people into different music who all
want to have a good time dancing to songs that they know. One of the
hardest jobs for a DJ at a wedding is to create a balance in music
to make everyone happy. Not everyone will have the same taste in
music and you should trust
your DJ's opinions on how to make
the music work.
- If you're
going to close the bar for a period of time during the night for
whatever reason, do it during dinner. If you close the bar at
midnight, people will think it's time to go and the party will die
out.
- Keep your DJ
table near the dance floor and visible. A visible DJ stand will
attract more guests to the dance floor. If the DJ and the music are
portrayed as a main event as opposed to a sideshow, more people will
be willing to dance.
- Strongly
consider using the DJ as a Master of Ceremonies. He will know how to
properly use the wireless microphone so it doesn't give feedback and
is loud enough when he speaks. He will also know how to get
everyone's attention and keep their attention.
A good DJ will have enthusiasm when
speaking and will know how to work the crowd. Don't make a guest the
MC who thinks he is Jerry Seinfeld on the microphone but comes off
more like Al Gore. Forced jokes don't really work.
- Make sure you
keep the music and the attitude of the wedding upbeat; this includes
speeches as well. This can't be stressed enough. Keep speeches and
song requests happy, not sad. Negative vibes will not put people in
the mood to party and have a good time. After all, this is a
celebration!
- Play a kissing
game instead of the traditional clinking of the glasses to make the
bride and groom kiss. If you set the mood for a party early on in
the night, guests will be more inclined to dance and have fun later
on. One suggestion that is a hit at weddings is the kissing wheel.
Basically guests come up to the DJ booth to spin it and have to do
whatever category they land on if that category isn't "Bride and
Groom Kiss". Some of the categories include "moonwalk back to your
seat", "freeze until the next person spins the wheel" and "wear the
veil until the next spin". This is something The Music Man DJ
Service offers.
- People tend to
remember the beginning and end of an event the most. That is why you
should make sure your DJ is able to make a grand introduction and
not leave this up to a selected MC to introduce the DJ or cut the DJ
introduction right out. If
the DJ is able to make an impact on
the crowd early on and it is done correctly with enthusiasm and
energy, it will build a stronger relationship and he should be in a
more powerful position to get the crowd dancing. Start the event
with a bang, not a whimper.
- Similar to the
previous tip, make sure that your wedding party introduction before
dinner is as exciting as possible. This introduction sets the mood
for the whole night. Use a fast and upbeat song, even consider
having the couples show off some dance moves as they make their way
to the head table. If your MC doesn't plan to be loud and exciting
during the introductions, you may want to consider having the DJ
announce the wedding couples.
- One thing I
can't stress enough, make sure pictures, speeches and cake cutting
are all done before the dancing begins. It is a general rule that
every time the music has to stop, it will be that much harder to get
the people in the mood again to dance. You will find the dance floor
thinning out as opposed to getting larger.
- Keep the DJ
and dance floor close to the bar but not so that the line to the bar
is blocking the dance floor. You don't want the bar and the dance
floor battling for attention by putting them in separate rooms. This
will divide the dance crowd from the people who want to drink and
mingle as opposed to combining them by putting them side by side.
- A smaller
dance floor is actually a better choice than a large dance floor. It
will give the illusion that more people are dancing and the dance
floor is packed. Guests will also feel like they aren't all alone
being stared at by 200 guests. People will have more fun and feel
more comfortable to "cut loose". It is okay if everyone doesn't fit
on the dance floor, it will make the party more fun! People will go
home saying "What a party, it was so packed we didn't even fit on
the dance floor!"
- One general
statement but valid one is that the nicer the venue halls tend to
be, the harder it will be to keep the dance floor full. (especially
during summer). It's not that the night still can't be great but it
will take away from the potential dancers. The reason for this is
that guests will be inclined to move towards the scenery outdoors as
opposed to staying inside on the dance floor. I'm not suggesting
having your wedding in the least attractive hall you can find but
keep in mind how you would like your ideal wedding to turn out and
pay attention to some of the details if you are more interested in a
dancing crowd as opposed to a crowd that will enjoy the beautiful
scenery outside. One suggestion would be to make sure the crowd all
has a chance to enjoy the view before dinner so they are less
inclined to stray from the dance floor once the party begins.
- Make sure you
keep the doors closed. Doors are inviting and you don't want to
invite people away from the party. The longer you focus the
attention on the dance floor, the more successful the night will be.
- Try not to
move the guests around too much between different rooms ESPECIALLY
right before dancing is supposed to begin. You may find it hard
getting them back to the dance floor (especially if the microphone
is set up in another room) and this will delay or lower dance floor
potential right from the beginning. You will have a stronger dance
crowd if you keep everything together in one room.
- Your
entertainment should eat the same meal as the guests and not be fed
leftovers in a back storage area after everyone else eats dinner.
Some halls wish to feed the DJ last as a "second class citizen".
This is a bad idea because the DJ needs to be finished eating early
so he can begin to prepare as dancing or other events normally begin
as soon as the meal is done. Speaking from experience, the more the
bride and groom treat the DJ as a guest, the more the crowd will
respect him as well. On top of that, the more you treat your wedding
vendors like they are one of the guests, the more inclined they are
to work that much harder to make sure your wedding goes as smoothly
as possible. Vendors will bend over backwards for couples that just
give them the same respect that they give their guests. They will
even do extra at no charge when they are treated well.
- I know money
is tight for some and that is understandable but if you can help it,
try to do an open bar. Guests will (of course) drink more and have
more fun. They will also stay longer if it's an open bar. Generally
speaking, more guests will leave early when it's not an open bar. On
top of this, I have seen with my own eyes at many weddings, when
brides and grooms have an open bar, money gifts to the bride and
groom from their guests are larger amounts. In that respect, it's
sort of a win-win situation.
- Make sure you
keep the lights low on the dance floor. People will feel less like
the attention is on them and this will again get more people
dancing.
- Don't arrange
older guests near the speakers. This will create a battle between
the younger guests who keep coming up to ask you to raise the music
and the older guests who will be complaining about how loud the
music is all night.
- Regarding
planning a Buck & Doe, it's a good idea to decide ahead of time
whether you want the main focus to be on games or on dancing. Make
sure you communicate this to the DJ. If you will be having standard
buck and doe games, assign a wedding party member or volunteer to
each game and make sure that they are clearly identifiable with a
labeled shirt. Door prizes and 50/50 draws should be announced late
in the night to keep guests partying longer. It's also important to
announce on a microphone when different games will begin.
- Small dance
floors are good but a non-existent dance floor can mean a
non-existent dance crowd. Make sure that you have a clear area that
is reserved for dancing. This becomes more of a concern with outdoor
parties where a dance floor isn't part of the floor plan.
Psychologically, guests may believe that this isn't a party they are
supposed to dance at if an area isn't clearly marked.
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