Epic Wedding Reception Without Dancing – E150

Welcome to the Wedding Songs Podcast

Welcome everybody to the Wedding Songs podcast. I am Matt Campbell. Today, I am going to be talking about how not every wedding reception has a dance floor. Oh, man, I know that’s crazy, but you know, whether it’s for personal reasons or cultural venue reasons, there are still fun and meaningful ways to keep your guests entertained and the celebration flowing. The idea is to set a vibe if that were the case.

Why Some Guests Don’t Want to Dance

The reason this came up is that about a month ago, I received an email from Lars. He said, “What’s crazy out there is that people under 30 don’t want to dance; they just want to hang out.” Maybe that’s because kids these days grew up on their phones. They grew up where their lives are online, and they just want to hang out and have a good time with their friends. It doesn’t involve dancing because, while everybody has this philosophy that they want to be famous online, some people don’t want to have their lives broadcast online. They don’t want to be famous; they just want to enjoy their lives in their own little world, enjoy their friends, and hang out. That’s what I want to talk about today.

Three Creative Ways to Plan a Reception Without Dancing

So, if you are having that situation as a DJ or a wedding planner, how are you going to deal with it? Well, I want to share today three creative ways to plan a reception without dancing. These include themed music sets, interactive games, and selfie dance floor moments.

1. Plan 30-Minute Themed Music Sets

My first tip is to plan 30-minute themed music sets. Let’s say the average song you play is about two minutes. That means you will need 15 songs for every 30 minutes. If you do a minute and a half, then you will need 20 songs. If you quick mix, you will need more than that. It depends on your DJ style. But I thought, wow, what a great idea to have themed set lists.

As an example, we all know as DJs, we always start with the songs from yesteryear, moving our way towards newer music. I will keep that same theory with a couple of exceptions. Maybe you will start off with seventies music, and throw out a 30-minute yacht rock set. Or maybe you will start off with fun sixties or seventies music just for background music. It’s not dancing, like I said, just to set the vibe.

Then you will move to the seventies, then to the eighties. Thinking of the eighties, maybe it’s new wave music like Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, all of that new wave music. Then maybe it’s hairbands from the eighties, like Journey and Def Leppard. It doesn’t have to be songs like “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” Maybe it’s “Animal” or instead of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” maybe it’s “Any Way You Want It.” Think of other songs that you can play that aren’t pure party songs.

Then you go into the nineties, maybe the nineties is pop punk. It’s just background music. Play that type of music. Then you go into the 2000s, maybe it’s boy bands. Think about how you can play those. Going off of the decades, maybe you have TV theme songs or songs from the movies. This is really important. You have Guardians of the Galaxy, Top Gun from the eighties, Shrek with “Accidentally in Love” by Counting Crows, maybe Disney songs. Think of those 30 minutes of what you can play that’s really relatable to the couple. Songs that will relate to them and their family members, meaning parents and grandparents.

Another idea I had that I thought was pretty cool is, as a DJ, just so you don’t get a ton of requests, print out the set list and have a freestanding, clear upright sign that has the 30-minute segments. That way, anybody coming up to the booth can see, “Hey, here’s Laura and Dan’s wedding. This is the set list for tonight and the times.” From eight to eight-thirty, you will be playing hairband songs. From eight-thirty to nine, you will be playing boy band songs. That way, everybody gets an idea. It’s not for dancing, but you’re just keeping the crowd excited and singing along.

2. Who Knows the Couple Best Game

My second tip is the “Who Knows the Couple Best” game. Of course, there are a ton of games you can play like gigantic Jenga, gigantic tic-tac-toe, and chess. But I’m going to suggest, what about “Who Knows the Couple Best”? Sample questions could be: What’s their favorite takeout meal? Where did they go on their first trip? How did they meet? Answer those questions and turn it into a bingo game with custom cards where guests mark off their answers. You can have prizes for the winners. It’s great to get everybody involved and interact with the bride and groom, keeping the focus on them with this type of game. Make sure to include funny questions too.

3. Selfie Station on the Dance Floor

My last tip is to have a selfie station on the dance floor. Transform the dance floor into a photo playground. Instead of the mad dash where the couple runs from table to table to get their picture taken, this is a more relaxed selfie picture where couples and guests can come up and get their picture with the newlyweds. Decorate the dance floor with props, backdrops, fun lighting, whatever you want to make sure everybody wants to get on the dance floor to get their selfie taken.

You don’t need a professional photographer. Everyone has a great camera on their phone these days. Have a contest for the goofiest selfie of the night, the funniest face, the best group shot, the cutest couple. The DJ or wedding coordinator can decide the winners and give out prizes. Use hashtags so everyone shares them in the same album and can upload and view the same pictures.

During this time, you can have themed songs like “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran, “Photograph” by Nickelback, “Take a Picture” by Filter, and “You Should Be in Pictures” by Susan Ashton. Plan those songs and sets creatively to make it fun and involve everyone. It’s not just about dancing; it’s about having a good time, interacting, and sharing moments with your guests.

Bonus Tip: Live Entertainment

Another entertainment idea is to have live entertainment like a caricature artist, a live artist, an acoustic musician like a flamenco guitarist, or a saxophone player. Fill in those gaps and create memories and moments.

In Closing

Just make sure you are focused on the couple. It’s their day, and it’s all about them. To recap:

1. 30-minute themed DJ music sets
2. Interactive games like “Who Knows the Couple Best” with a bingo twist
3. Selfie stations

It’s all about creating memories. I’d love to hear from you as well. If you’ve been to or are planning a wedding reception without dancing, I’d love to hear your ideas. Reach out to us on our YouTube channel @mywedsongs, our Facebook page, or our website myweddingsongs.com. I’m just trying to keep the inspiration going on what ideas are working out for you. Stay tuned for the next episode, where we’ll cover other great wedding song ideas and wedding moments. Thanks for listening, and have a great day.