Julie’s Story: “Our light-up dance floor did the trick”
When Julie and her fiancé Mark were first engaged, they found themselves in lock-step with some of the bigger questions around wedding planning. They chose their venue, Waterview Loft, built their invite list 125 guests, and picked a honeymoon location, Barbados. But when it came time to choose smaller details—Off-white or white? Daisies or lilies? Regular or light up dance floor?—the couple slowed their decision-making to a halt.
We sat down with Julie to talk about her wedding preparation. We wanted to know what worked well, what didn’t, and why she smiled every time we mentioned her light-up dance floor.
“We had it all figured out. Until we didn’t.”
As Julie recalls her wedding preparation, her voice speeds, as though she still feels the rush of decisions to be made.
“When the big decisions came easily—location, date, bridal party—I kind of assumed it would all be easy, you know?”
But the details got overwhelming in a hurry. Julie made a spreadsheet of potential vendors, along with a list of rough timelines. Florists, photographers, invitation designers, and lighting specialists filled her page. It wasn’t long until Julie and Mark stalled out.
“I started getting headaches,” Julie says. “And I started avoiding calls from my mom, who wanted too many updates.”
Thankfully, Julie’s sister recommended a strategic move.
“Consolidate,” Julie recalls. “She told me to find quality vendors who could handle several things on my list.”
Julie started with a baker, who could make both her wedding cake and delicious, personalized mint melts as wedding favors. She then narrowed her list of wedding DJs to those who offered multiple services.
“I didn’t know what I’d need for sure,” she says. “But I knew I wanted someone with a great reputation, who could handle everything from the music to photography, photo booth and…all of it. I wanted someone who could act as emcee if we wanted. Oh, and a light-up dance floor and one of those pretty monogram light things on the wall.”
Julie makes a circular motion with her finger, then giggles at her effort.
“I love those things. We didn’t know which services we’d want, but we knew we wanted someone who could offer it all. We would decide from there.”
In your planning, what worked well?
Julie holds up three fingers and smiles.
“First, Mark and I worked together. We made big decisions side by side, but for executing—making phone calls and doing research—we made sure to divide and conquer,” Julie says. “Mark researched florists and venues. I looked into lighting features and options for a light up dance floor. Definitely share the work!”
Julie drops a finger. “Second, we got real about what mattered. We didn’t want a traditional first dance. I didn’t want to toss my bouquet. We stuck with what felt right for us.”
“And maybe the most important thing was our budget.” She smiles. “We made a budget early on and stuck to it. I mean, some things got moved around, but the bottom line was the same. As we went, we kind of decided where we wanted to spend a bit more and where we would cut back.”
What didn’t work?
At this question, Julie sighs.
“A few things,” she says. “We forgot that Mark’s mom is allergic to daisies, which we used pretty widely.” Julie cringes, remembering the way her mother-in-law’s eyes watered.
“Apparently, we were late sending out our ‘Save the Date’ notice. I don’t know if that’s true, but some family from Seattle couldn’t attend and someone said that was why.”
“And…we were slow to follow my sister’s advice. In the beginning, we wasted a lot of time calling and meeting with individual vendors. We found a photographer we liked, but we couldn’t afford to have him as a stand-alone.”
Disappointed, Julie took a step back. If she wanted to fit some of the nice-to-have elements into her budget, she would have to prioritize.
“I finally got smart about it. I knew the DJ piece was critical. I’ve been to enough weddings to know how important it is for a DJ to read a room, make adjustments, and play great music that pulls people out.”
From there, Julie got specific.
“I narrowed my wedding DJ search to certain criteria. Did they have a great reputation? Could they offer the add-on features that we’d started to think about, as part of a bundle?”
Here, Julie paused. “Okay, it was really me. Mark cared about the music, photography, and videography. I’d grown obsessed about having a light up dance floor and one of those monograms on the wall.”
In the end, what made your reception special?
“I guess the most important thing was that we could relax. I knew, as soon as we’d signed on with Pro DJ that you guys would make everything work. The music was so fun. The videography was gorgeous. We’ve watched the video so many times already.”
Anything else?
A smile crawls across Julie’s face. “Well, something I hadn’t predicted. I mean, I really wanted a light up dance floor for the whole effect, but I didn’t know it would change the reception.”
A light up dance floor changed your reception?
“It did! I mean the colors helped to set the tone and make everything feel quite elegant while we ate dinner, but it was how our guests interacted with the floor that took me by surprise.”
What happened?
“It started with my nieces and nephews. They were immediately drawn to the sparkle of the lights. The light up dance floor looks like a twinkling night sky, you know? Well, the kids were a draw for my aunties, who never dance! Before I knew it, between the music and the light up dance floor, it felt like we had everyone dancing, from the kids to the grandparents. It was so great.”
You didn’t expect that?
“No! I mean, not all at once. I thought the older slow songs would get my grandparents and aunties up for a song or two, but they had stamina.” Julie laughs. “Before I knew it, the light up dance floor changed colors, giving club vibes. While I’m dancing with my friends I look over and my Auntie Peg, 80 years old, is still out there, having a blast.”
Sounds like you had fun.
“So much fun. I didn’t expect so much mood and atmosphere to be created by lighting, but I swear, the light up dance floor did the trick. Oh! And we had room in our budget for the monogram—our initials and wedding date were lit up on the wall. It was beautiful.”
“Pace yourself.”
When asked if she had any advice for those about to plan a wedding, Julie had this to say:
“No matter what part of wedding planning you’re working on, from building a budget to choosing final details, be nice to yourself along the way. Pace yourself. Find vendors you trust, who will share the load with you. If you can work them into your budget, I really recommend the light up dance floor and monogram. Mood, elegance, fun!”
Thanks, Julie. Congratulations again to you and Mark!
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