The dance floor should not be too big nor too small
The size of the dance floor plays an important role in how the energy level will sustain during the wedding reception.
Dance floors can be customized to the size you need as well as the style you want it too look.
Coming from a DJ, I fully admit this statement I am about to make is completely biased, but I gotta say it.
The size of the dance floor is the most important factor to consider when planning the room layout for a wedding a reception.
The dance floor has a Goldilocks personality. It can be too big. It can be too small. What it needs to be is “juuuuuussstttt right.”
I’ve seen dance floors that had the majority of guests dancing on it, but because it was too big, felt empty and therefore negatively affected the energy level. On the opposite end, a dance floor that is too small gets packed too easily and will cause people to retreat because they’ll feel like they are getting a little bump and grind from every angle.
Research shows that at a typical wedding reception, no more than 50% of the invited guests will be dancing at the same time. In fact, a better estimate is, on average, the dance floor will consistently have 30% of the guest count “on the floor.”
Given this information, it is best to size a dance floor based on that 30-50% maximum number.
The other number to keep in mind, is how much comfortable space a couple needs when dancing. Again, as a general rule, experts say nine square feet of dance space is about right.
So let’s do some math and for ease of computing use 50% of a final guest count of 100.
- Final guest count: 100
- Number of couples: 50
- Maximum number of couples/people on the dance floor: 25 couples (50 people)
- Square footage needed: 225 (25 couples * 9 square feet)
Of course, wedding couples planning their party know their crowd and can adjust this percentage accordingly. But from me, the most important takeaway from this article is to consider the importance of dance floor size. Do not just order a generic size and stuff it in “wherever it fits.”
Resources:
Here’s a handy dance floor sizing chart, courtesy of Raphael’s Party Rentals. It shows the appropriate size based on couple count and square footage
Also, if you’re looking for a custom dance floor as shown in the photos throughout this post, contact Platinum Pro.
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Justin Kanoya is a wedding DJ based in San Diego. He has served as a DJ and host of more than 300 weddings over the past decade and is a recommended vendor at some of San Diego's finest wedding venues, including the Hotel del Coronado and the Lodge at Torrey Pines.