Planning a surprise dance for your wedding reception is an excellent way to keep the party going. You and your spouse will have so much fun, you’ll forget that there’s a whole other room full of people waiting in anticipation! However, before you go ahead with this idea, it’s important to understand what goes into planning one. In this blog post we’ll provide all the information you need to make sure everything goes smoothly from start to finish.
What is a Surprise Dance?
A surprise dance can be anything you want it to be! It might involve the bride, groom, both of them or neither. The most important thing is that your guests do not know what they are getting into when they arrive at the reception. Other than that there’s no right answer – just have fun with it!
Who Should Participate?
Surprise dances can be done for both the bride and groom, just one of them or maybe one of the guests – a friend, colleague, or a family member. Some wedding parties prefer a group to do a surprise dance. You can either ask the groomsmen, or the bridesmaids. But if you’re doing a surprise dance that involves only one person, it’s best to make sure the other person is fully in on it, so that they don’t get mad about being the only one to surprise the guests.
What should the music be?
The type of song you play depends on what kind of dance it is. For example, if only one person dances to a slow ballad while everyone else watches them from the sidelines then that’s probably not going to work too well. If you’re doing something more active and upbeat in terms of dancing, then you can go as wild with the music selections. Remember to consider the musical tastes of your guests, their age, and what they would be comfortable dancing to.
Your DJ can also help you pick out what songs to play depending on the type of dance you’re planning. DJ’s have seen a lot of different types of dance crazes so they have a good idea about what will work and what won’t.
How to Set it Up?
When your guests arrive, let them know that you’re celebrating the bride or groom with music and dancing but don’t give away any more information than that! Then when they get there, wait for everyone to settle on their respective seats and then surprise them! Again, it depends on the mood. Some couples prefer to have the surprise dance during dinner when everyone does not expect anything at the moment. Others prefer to include it in the program itself. It is totally up to you on how you’d want it to be.
What You’ll Need
Sound System
Your DJ can help you with this one. They will set up the best sound system to use, how many speakers are needed, depending on the number of guests you’ll have, so everyone can hear the beat. What’s important is that it sounds good for everyone in your venue so they can appreciate the dance, or perhaps, ask them to join. Why not?
How do you make sure everyone stays inside the surprise?
If your party is smaller, it’s easier to keep people from wandering outside of the room where the surprise will take place because there are fewer entrances and exits. But if that’s not an option, then have a plan in place for what you’ll do with people if they don’t listen to your announcements. Maybe you can plan a game that involves partly giving out clues, so they don’t want to miss every moment.
If you’re doing the surprise dance before or after dinner, try to have it in a room that is closed so there are less chances for someone to wander off and get lost while looking for their seat. If not, then make sure that everyone knows where the exits are or what their designated seating is.
How do you prepare for a surprise dance?
Before anything else, it’s important to make sure that any necessary preparations are made beforehand so that they don’t interfere with the performance. This includes hiring musicians or DJ services. In addition, every dancer needs their own music, so make sure to have the right mix of genres and rhythms ready.
For those who are doing a group dance, it’s important that everyone is on their toes in terms of choreography. It may be helpful for some people to start practicing as soon as they know about the surprise dance ahead of time – while others prefer to wait to the very end.
What should you wear?
It’s a surprise dance, so don’t tell them what they’re wearing! But if there is a theme or dress code for your event (i.e., black tie), then make sure everyone knows about it beforehand and sticks with that guideline when dressing themselves. It’s a lot of fun to be surprised but it’s also embarrassing for everyone else if they show up in the wrong attire.
What should you do afterwards?
This is entirely dependent on what kind of dance and how long it was. If your surprise consisted of only one song, then there isn’t much left to talk about other than thanking the DJ, the musicians, and maybe your guests for being so great.
But if you have a longer dance planned or are choosing to do multiple dances throughout the night, make sure that there is some kind of break between each one where people can’t go back into their seats – like during dinner time when everyone gets up from their seat to get their plate and food.
What are some rules?
When it comes to surprise dances, there’s no set rule book for what you should do or how long they need to be. That being said, try not to just have one person dancing without anyone else participating lest your guests feel left out of the grand finale. Make it a group dance so everyone can get involved!
It’s up to you on how long the surprise should be and when, but if there is one rule that applies across the board, it would be not to have too much time in between surprises or dances. This way your guests won’t get bored and everyone will have a great night!
If you are planning for a surprise dance on your wedding and you are clueless on how to start, hit us up and we’ll definitely assist you with the right song choices to make your big day memorable for everyone!
