Best Wedding Dance Floor Openers to Start the Party

You have said your vows, survived the photo shoot, sat through the speeches and had your first dance. There is one song left that actually changes how the night goes, and most couples spend about four minutes thinking about it. No doubt your wedding guests are ready to start the party vibes too.

In Short

• The dance floor opener is the first song after the formalities, and it decides whether the room fills or empties.
• Pick something guests recognise inside the first bar. Recognition beats personal taste on this one song.
• Open the floor straight after the first dance, not after a break. Momentum matters more than the clock.
• Get guests up during the first dance, so they are already standing when the opener drops.

This is the one worth getting right

Your Dance Floor opener can often be overlooked with so many important moments and traditions in every wedding. The bride and groom should ensure they take advantage of the opportunity to make their dance floor starter epic. After all, your wedding day is your day to shine, so why not focus your planning on making all moments iconic?

How? With a killer dance floor opening tune to set the tone for the rest of the night.

Speeches are done, and your romantic first dance has left all your guests with a tear in their eyes; now it’s time to lift the mood and set the vibe for the rest of the night- Cue that all-important Dance floor opener song. This is the song that gets everyone up and dancing, so it’s pretty important! 

How To Execute The Best Dance Floor Introduction

To ensure your dance floor opening execution is seamless we suggest during your first dance –when you’re putting those two left feet to work – you should invite your guests onto the dance floor. This way everyone is up and out of their seats when the song change hits referencing the opening of the dance floor.

There are various approaches for song selections for this moment. Some couples include a song with instructive lyrics that demand “let’s get the party started” or “everybody dance now”. Other couples may opt for a less forceful approach and select a well-known song to make people want to get up and bust a move. Of course, there’s also the approach of slowing things down and making the dance floor opener a unique, intimate moment that infuses even more romance into the evening. You may decide this is your style and continue to waltz around the dancefloor with your guests to a sweet and sensual song.

From oldies to modern hits and classical to rock, there are many genres to navigate in finding your perfect starter song. Even some of the biggest party-rockers will find narrowing down their song list to just their number one a challenge. Once you have chosen your perfect song, you’re only halfway to making your dance floor stater one to remember. To make the process easier, we’ve drawn on our reception experience and created a:

A Step-By-Step Guide To Kick Your Wedding Reception Into High Gear

• Get guests up during the first dance. A minute in, have your MC invite people to join you. By the time the song ends the floor has thirty people on it, and the opener lands on a standing room.
• Brief your photographer and videographer. This moment happens once. Also check what time their coverage ends, because plenty of couples find out afterwards that the dance floor was the last fifteen minutes they paid for.
• Tell your DJ where to start the track. Dropping in at the chorus, on the beat, or just before the drop beats starting from a quiet intro nobody recognises yet. If you have a saxophonist or vocalist, this is where they join. 

The best dance floor opener songs

Step one:

Pick your perfect tune. Consider the rhythm, your vibe, the lyrics and how easy it is to bust a move. You may need to test out a few songs at home so you can assess what moves it allows- this is also the time to practice that showstopper dance move!

Step two:

Prep your photographer; this is a fantastic moment to capture on camera or video, so you’ll want to get the shot prepped. perfect tune. Consider the rhythm, your vibe, the lyrics and how easy it is to bust a move. You may need to test out a few songs at home so you can assess what moves it allows- this is also the time to practice that showstopper dance move!

Step three:

Execution. Here you need to prepare your performer. If you have opted for a wedding DJ or wedding live band the sax and instrumentalists usually join at this significant moment to get the dance floor going. Timing is crucial here too; you may find starting your tune from the chorus or when the beat kicks in or, maybe just before it drops will provide the best dancing atmosphere to leave your guests cheering and grooving.

If you’re struggling to make it past step one, the wedding musicians here at Hey Jack are here to help. Below we have included a list of our favourite tunes to make an entrance and several songs that have proven to be wedding hits.

The best dance floor opener songs

If you want one recommendation rather than nineteen: I Gotta Feeling. The four bar build gives your MC just enough time to walk the room and get people standing before the beat arrives.

Frequently asked questions