NER: Is a dance floor really worth it?

arendiva

I'm posting this here instead of under budget weddings because this gets more traffic and this is the thread I generally use.

I'm having my reception in a 50X110 foot tent on top of a tennis court. They have dance floors that you can rent for $400. I'm wondering it it's really worth it. The tennis court is smooth and nicely paved. I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of spending 400 dollars to put a floor on top of a floor. I have never been to a tent reception before though and I would be happy for anyone's insight on this. I'm not stingy if it's truly worth it I'll pay the 400. But I'm just trying to cut some fat out of the budget from the places that will be least noticed.

courtski2004

Will there be something on top of the actual tennis court? Anywhere I've been to play tennis, they are very particular about the kinds of soles of shoes that are allowed on the court to prevent scuffing, so if I were you I would check with the owner of the court to see if they require something to be on top to protect it or not.

achiduck

I generally like to wear heels at a wedding. And after dancing for awhile my feet hurt and I want to take them off. The tennis court is a place I would not opt to go barefoot as it always seems to have stones or other loose bits on it.

IMO, trim elsewhere. Programs, fewer flowers, etc.

Benny618

I have to agree with all of this. Plus, the lines from the court will be very obvious.  Personally I think an extra $400 to make it not look like you're on a tennis court would be worth it.

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_ner-is-a-dance-floor-really-worth-it?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:abaa61fb-f93b-4779-88a7-e6f879ed694dPost:87f887e6-a8b6-457d-ad76-8d6b1b77fbfa">Re: NER: Is a dance floor really worth it?</a>:
[QUOTE]I generally like to wear heels at a wedding. And after dancing for awhile my feet hurt and I want to take them off. The tennis court is a place I would not opt to go barefoot as it always seems to have stones or other loose bits on it. IMO, trim elsewhere. Programs, fewer flowers, etc.
Posted by achiduck[/QUOTE]

OliveOilsMom

This could actually be a requirement with the venue.  They may make the dance floor necessary in order to protect the tennis court's finish and/or paint job.  Otherwise, ditto Stage.

arendiva

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_ner-is-a-dance-floor-really-worth-it?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:abaa61fb-f93b-4779-88a7-e6f879ed694dPost:a29ab9c9-6ede-4332-852f-21c820092a29">Re: NER: Is a dance floor really worth it?</a>:
[QUOTE]Dance floors don't generally cover the entire area, guys.  It's usually a smaller area set up specifically for dancing and often is only allowed to have limited (if any) furniture on it..  I could be wrong, but I'm betting for $400, OP is not talking about having flooring under the entire reception area, making the barefoot and lines issues a moot point.
Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]

The dancefloor would just be a 20X20 area for dancing. The rest of the 50X110 tent would still be just tennis court. The dance floor is not required. It's a decorative add on. It looks like parquay flooring. The tennis court has no lines and is just painted a solid color. They don't use it for tennis anymore they only use it as a base for this tent.

theelusive1

I would not worry about the dance floor. I would make sure it is swept before the wedding.

tlc35

dancefloor would just be a 20X20 area for dancing. The rest of the 50X110 tent would still be just tennis court. The dance floor is not required. It's a decorative add on. It looks like parquay flooring. The tennis court has no lines and is just painted a solid color. They don't use it for tennis anymore they only use it as a base for this tent. Posted by arendiva[/QUOTE] It wouldn't bother me to dance on that surface personally. I don't think I would spend the extra money

amymaysa

I went to a wedding on a concrete slab and without the 'cushion' of a floor, everyone'e feet hurt so bad afterwards

DramaGeek

We had a small dancefloor because we wanted a defined dance area.  In my experience, more people dance if there is an area that is clearly defined as the dance floor.  A lot of people like to dance, but only if it looks like others are, so we made our dance floor small.  That way just a few people dancing made the floor look full.  We had a lot of guests dancing that we didn't expect to see out there, so apparently it worked.

I've done the dancing on concrete thing before, too, and ditto PP who said your feet will be killing you.  Although, is a tennis court really concrete?

misssunshine17

In Response to Re: NER: Is a dance floor really worth it?:
[QUOTE]I went to a wedding on a concrete slab and without the 'cushion' of a floor, everyone'e feet hurt so bad afterwards
Posted by amymaysa[/QUOTE]

This! I'm a dance teacher and somehow ended up teaching outside on a tennis court once and it was terrible. I taught for two hours and my ankle and knee joints were sore for days. I would highly suggest a floor if you can swing it.