If you’re planning a wedding and find yourself thinking, How many disco balls is too many? The answer is probably somewhere between “not enough” and “definitely more.” 🪩
Disco balls are having a major wedding moment, and for good reason! They bring instant personality, sparkle, movement, and a little bit of party energy to your wedding day. And unlike some wedding trends, disco-inspired details don’t have to mean turning your entire reception into a 1970s dance club. You can incorporate disco vibes into your wedding in small, playful ways or go all in with colorful florals, funky details, bold fashion, and a dance floor that deserves its own spotlight.
If you’re a couple who wants a wedding that feels fun, colorful, creative, and completely like you, here are some of my favorite disco wedding ideas to steal.
(Check out this 1970s themed wedding and this disco and citrus themed wedding for more inspo!)
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1. Make the Disco Ball the Star of Your Reception
Let’s start with the obvious: disco balls hanging above the dance floor. This is where the disco theme really gets to shine. Dim the lights, turn up the music, and let the disco balls spin! And then get on the dance floor!
As a photographer, some of my favorite wedding photos happen during this part of the day. Hair comes loose. Shoes come off. Jackets get thrown over shoulders. Friends pile onto the dance floor. Someone inevitably gets lifted into the air. Those aren’t the perfectly posed photos. They’re the we were actually there and having the best night ever photos.
One giant disco ball is classic, but a cluster of disco balls in different sizes can create an even bigger visual moment. Hang them at different heights above the dance floor and let your DJ’s or venue’s lighting bounce off them once the party gets started.
And yes, they’re just as fun in photos as they are in person.
The reflections create little spots of light throughout the room, which can make dance-floor photos feel energetic and a little bit magical without being overly formal.
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2. Create a Disco Ball Wedding Aisle or Ceremony Backdrop
Who says disco balls are only for the reception?
Hang small disco balls from trees, floral installations, arches, or structures along your ceremony aisle or at the front as a backdrop for your vows. You can mix them with flowers, ribbons, colorful streamers, or greenery for a look that’s less “nightclub” and more playful and fun wedding editorial.
For an outdoor wedding, disco balls catching the sunlight can create some seriously fun little reflections!
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3. Add Disco Balls to Your Wedding Florals
This is one of my favorite ways to incorporate disco vibes without going completely over the top.
Ask your florist about incorporating tiny disco balls, mirrored ornaments, or reflective elements into your floral arrangements or bouquet! A few tucked into colorful flowers can be surprisingly cool. Or choose flowers that are iridescent (or made to be that way) and they can add their own shiny disco vibe!
Think:
- Bright orange and pink flowers + mini disco balls
- Rainbow wedding flowers + silver disco balls
- Moody jewel tones + mirrored details
- Monochromatic flowers + one unexpected disco element
- Wildflowers + disco balls for a playful garden-party vibe
The contrast between colorful flowers and shiny mirrored surfaces works so well! And did you know that you can also get disco vases/vessels to hold your centerpiece flowers? How fun is that?!
Want to take the idea even further? Carry a disco ball bouquet 😉
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4. Use Disco Balls or Reflective Elements in the Styling + Decor
I love using tiny disco balls when I style rings, invitations, and other details! They immediately add a bit of fun and whimsy! You can also incorporate them on your reception tables, as cocktail stirrers, hanging from the ceiling, drawn in custom logos, as napkin rings, drink cups, sign holders, party favors, and more!
Don’t be afraid to get super creative! You can add tiny mirror tiles to almost anything. I know this from experience 🤣
Escort cards are another opportunity to get creative. Instead of traditional paper cards, consider:
- Mini disco balls with guests’ names
- Colorful acrylic tags
- Disco-themed matchbooks
- Bright ribbons
- Vinyl records
- Personalized ornaments
- Tiny mirrored place cards
The best wedding details are the ones that make your guests stop and think, Wait, this is so them.
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5. Make Your Wedding Invitations a Preview of the Party
Your wedding stationery is the first clue your guests get about what kind of wedding you’re planning. If you’re going for disco wedding vibes, let the invitations set the tone. Then take that fun and funky font and incorporate it into your table numbers, escort cards, dinner menu, and all kinds of other signage! Bonus points for adding wavy edges and tables that add to the groovy vibe!
Try:
- Iridescent paper
- Silver foil
- Retro typography
- Colorful checkerboard patterns
- Stars and sparkles
- Groovy fonts
- Bright, unexpected color combinations
- Disco ball illustrations
And don’t be afraid to use color!
Pink + orange + purple? Yes.
Purple + blue + green? Absolutely.
Rainbow everything? Even better.
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6. Let Your Wedding Cake Literally Shine
A disco ball cake topper is an easy way to bring the theme into your dessert table.
You could use a tiny disco ball on top of a colorful cake, surround a simple white cake with disco balls, or go full maximalist with a funky retro cake covered in colorful details!
Another fun idea: a cake with a mirrored or metallic tier paired with brightly colored flowers. Your cake can be one more place where your personality shows up!
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7. Add Sparkle + Disco Vibes to Your Attire
Don’t be afraid to wear something unexpected, incorporate some fun accessories on your wedding day, or change outfits part way through! Shiny earrings, a velvet suit, sequins, glitter, a disco ball handbag, or fun glasses are just a few ways to incorporate the theme.
Don’t be afraid to pick something retro for your wedding party to wear too! Velvet textures or certain colors can be a fun way to add a retro feel without being too obvious.
Consider a second wedding outfit for the reception. A sparkly mini dress, colorful suit, sequined jumpsuit, platform shoes, statement earrings, or a completely different look can make the transition from ceremony to party feel even more intentional.
Or keep your original outfit and add something unexpected like…
Rainbow shoes
A colorful veil
Glitter
Statement sunglasses
A leather jacket
A disco ball purse
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8. Add a Disco Theme to Your Engagement Photos
Give a nod to your wedding theme by incorporating a touch of disco into your engagement session!
I love the idea of incorporating a fun prop like giant disco balls, wearing an outfit with a retro feel, or using a backdrop or location that evokes nostalgia. Check out this retro amusement park (Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk) engagement session or this colorful mural + disco themed engagement session for inspo!
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9. Have a Disco Themed Photo Booth or LED Dance Floor
Create a backdrop using disco balls, colorful streamers, metallic fringe, flowers, or a funky wallpaper pattern. Or go for marque letters somewhere in the reception. Lean hard into the theme!
Then give your guests props that encourage them to actually have fun with it! Think oversized sunglasses, feather boas, colorful wigs, sequins, and of course…disco balls!
Your wedding photos don’t all have to be serious portraits. Some of the best images happen when everyone is being ridiculous, as someone who has been to hundreds of weddings and events, I can tell you that guests love a good silly photo booth moment!
Ever thought about including a LED dance floor that lights up in different ways throughout the night? It adds so much fun to the party!
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10. Give Your Guests a Disco Dress Code
If you really want to commit to the theme, tell your guests to dress for the disco!
Think sequins, metallics, colorful suits, jumpsuits, platform shoes, sparkly dresses, funky accessories, and anything that makes someone say, “I don’t normally wear this, but when else am I going to?”
You can put the dress code right on your wedding website and invitation so everyone has time to embrace the assignment. Your guests will have a blast and your photos will come out even better!
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Planning a Colorful Disco Wedding in the Bay Area?
If you’re planning a colorful, quirky, disco-inspired wedding in the San Francisco Bay Area, I want to hear about it! (Contact me here or check out more of my wedding photography)
I photograph weddings for couples who want more than a collection of traditional wedding portraits. I want to document the wild dance moves, the colorful outfits, the ridiculous details, the giant disco balls, the happy tears, and all the little moments that make your wedding feel like your wedding.
Your photos should feel joyful, colorful, creative, and a little bit weird.
And if there’s a disco ball involved?
Even better! 🤗
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