Dancing the Night Away: Traditional and Modern Wedding Dances

One of the best parts of a wedding is the dancing. Whether you like to be on the center of the dance floor all night long or prefer to be sitting at your table watching, dancing provides a great way to pass the time. Dancing can also send a message:  the bride and groom’s first dance is a romantic display of their love for each other; grandparents taking to the floor together is a beautiful testament to their life-long devotion.  And, of course, children love to show off their own fun moves!

There are many traditional wedding dances, but it’s up to you to decide what you which of these to include. You know best what you and your guests will enjoy at your reception, but you can always ask your DJ for advice. 

Some of the most popular wedding dances are:

• Bride and groom’s first dance
• Bridal party dance
• This has, traditionally, been combined with the first dance: the bridal party will join the couple for the last half of the song, but more recently, it has become its own separate dance.
• Father/daughter dance
• Mother/son dance
• The parents’ dance
• This dance is incorporated only occasionally, but can be a sweet tribute to long-lasting love.
• Anniversary dance

• Invite all married couples to dance. After a short time, couples who have been married less than 24 hours are dismissed. Next, those married less than a year are dismissed. Then those less than five years, ten years, etc. This keeps going until there is one couple left dancing.
• Dollar Dance
• This dance was popularized by the Polish population. Guests will line up for a turn to dance with the bride. They will have anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute – depending on how many guests you have – to dance with the bride. The Maid of Honor should stand near the dance floor to collect a dollar from each guest.
• If you would prefer to not have your guests pay to dance with you, call it the “wish dance” and don’t collect any money.

There are ways to modernize this list of traditional dances. Many people have by now seen the videos of weddings with contemporary dances. Some of the most popular trends have the bride dance, instead of process, down the aisle for the ceremony or for the newlyweds to compose a medley of songs with a choreographed routine for their first dance.

Another option is to have the bridal party’s first dance to be a line dance. Have this dance be the last scheduled dance, and encourage your guests to join the bridal party for the second half of the song.

Yet another way to get more people on the dance floor is a snowball dance. Start with the bridal party and have them dance together for a minute or two. Then have each person pull another guest onto the dance floor with them. In just a few minutes, you’ll have everyone moving!

If you’re nervous about dancing, don’t be! Just relax and have a good time. Remember that DJs are more experienced than you are with this, so ask them what they recommend in the way of traditional dances. The most important thing is that you and your guests are having a good time.

Image Credits:  First Dance, Anniversary Dance, Bridal Party Line Dance

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.

Fresh Favor Ideas For Your Spring Wedding

Spring is a popular time for weddings because it has been long associated with new beginnings. As you celebrate life and love with your new spouse and guests, show your guests you appreciate them with these lovely spring-themed gifts.

Seeds and Flowers

Help your guests start new lives themselves by giving seeds or small potted plants for them to grow and nurture while you and your spouse grow and nurture your own budding life.  If you don’t want to give live plants, consider giving something decorative that is related to the flowers you used in your wedding.

Decorations

Another option is to give a small vase to each family. It’s up to you whether you include the flowers or not. You could even use the vases as decorations at the reception and tell the guests to simply take one from their table as they leave the reception.

You can also give the placeholders you use at the reception as favors. This way, your guests will have their name card in addition to a decorative item to keep as a memento of the wedding.

Butterflies & Birds

Butterflies themselves symbolize new life, as they evolve from a caterpillar into a new and lovely form as a butterfly. Candle holders, key chains, and bottle stoppers adorned with butterflies make a lovely favor for your guests.

Birds, too, are often associated with spring. Give your guests a pair of birds or bird-themed gifts as favors to remind them of the beauty of spring – and your wedding.

Colorful Food

If you’d rather give food as a favor, consider giving bags of colorful candy to again remind your guests of the colors that spring brings back into our lives after a long winter. You can choose the colors from your wedding, greens and pinks, or choose a variety of bright, vibrant colors. Another great food favor is cupcakes: they’re easy to package individually and make a great post-reception treat.

DIY

A large part of your decision on which favors to give will depend on your budget. If your budget is small but you have plenty of time, you might want to consider making the favors yourself. Some examples of DIY favors are birdseed ornaments, bags of hand-picked fresh fruit, or handmade favor bags.

Image Credits:  Miniature Flower Pots, Seed Packets, Gerber Daisy Boxes, White Vases, Tree Place Card Holders, Small Glass Globe Vases, Bird Place Card Holders, Butterfly Favor Wraps, Bird Wine Bottle Stopper, Floral Design Cupcake Liners, Rock Candy, Pastel Flower Cupcakes, Bag of Strawberries, Birdseed Ornament, Fabric Favor Bags

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.

Leave Your Paper Guestbook in the Stone Ages with Signing Stones

Not all wedding traditions are set in stone, but your guest book can be. Instead of using a traditional bound paper book for your guests to leave you a message in, consider having them each sign a stone. Guest signing stones are a unique and interesting way to capture your guests' names and good wishes for your marriage, and your guests will love this fun guest book alternative. 

Why? You may be hesitant to let go of the idea that you have to have a guestbook at your wedding, because that’s “what has always been done.” Here are a few reasons to reconsider:

• A book will eventually be placed on a bookshelf, or maybe even in a box, and won’t be looked at except for perhaps on your anniversary.
• The stones can be displayed in a vase or bowl or in a garden or terrarium, where they can be enjoyed by everyone.
• No tradition is forever. If you want to change something, change it. This is your wedding and you can have whatever sort of guest book you’d like!

How? These signing stones are super simple. All you need to do is set up a table near the door to the reception hall. Scatter the stones on the table with a couple markers (a fine point permanent marker writes well on stones) and a note telling your guests what to do. Then relax and let your loved ones write a special message to you and your spouse!

Another great way to incorporate this natural accent in your wedding is to write your guests’ names on stones and use them as placeholders at the tables. Provide one or two markers at each table. Your guests will be able to write their note to the bride and groom while they are enjoying the reception. This will also give them all night to think about what they want to write.

Tell us in the comments below what you think about a stone guest book!

Image Credits:  Glass Vase with Decorative Base, Square Concave Glass Vase with Guest Signing Stones, Stone Place Cards

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.

Eloping: Not Just for the Money

Many young girls spend a lot of their time dreaming about having a big, elaborate, beautiful wedding. Usually, as they get older, these dreams remain the same. But more and more women are choosing to have small, intimate ceremonies – or no ceremony at all.

In the past, eloping has sometimes been looked down upon as a way to avoid a scandal. Today, it’s becoming more acceptable, and much more practical.

Perhaps the most common reason to elope is to save money. It’s no secret that weddings are expensive. Renting a venue, catering food for hundreds of people, paying a professional photographer, and everything else really adds up to a big bill. Eloping means you can spend more money on your honeymoon – or save more for the future.

You’ll also be helping other people save money. You won’t have a bridal party who will have to buy dresses or rent suits. You won’t have guests who have to buy gifts for you. Your guests won’t have to spend money on travelling.

There are quite a few more valid reasons to consider eloping.  There can be a lot of drama with weddings. Family members not getting along, friends feeling excluded, and stepping on the wrong person’s toes can all be avoided by keeping the guest list to just the two of you.

An elopement also increases the intimacy of your marriage. A big ceremony often ends up being a big show for your guests. When it’s just you and your partner, you can focus on each other and your love and commitment to each other. 

If you’re concerned about money, or any of the other examples listed above, but still want to celebrate with a large group, there are ways to do that. You could have a small ceremony with just your immediate family and then have a large reception. You could also elope and have a reception when you return from your honeymoon.

The most important thing about eloping is to make sure you and your partner are both in agreement. Talk through all of your options and make a decision together!

Image Credits:  'We Eloped' Couple on Beach, Eloping is In, Elopement Ceremony

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.