Showing posts with label wedding dance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding dance. Show all posts

Dancing the Night Away: Traditional and Modern Wedding Dances


Bride and Groom's First DanceOne 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
  • 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.

Bridal Party Line 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.







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.

Decorating Your Wedding Dance Floor Made Easy

Your wedding reception dance floor is where the magic happens. It is the place where you will appear in front of your guest, family and friends for the first dance, the garter toss, the father and daughter dance and so on. You are going to want to make your dance floor stand out to your guests just as much as every other aspect of your wedding. We have listed some tips and photos below to give you inspiration and the edge on decorating ideas.

Wedding Dance Floor Decorated with Strings of Twinkle Lights

Simple strands of twinkle lights can make your dance floor unforgettable. Just remember when it comes to lights, more is more. The more lights you can tack up on the ceiling like the photo above the better and the more sparkle you dance floor will appear to have. The best thing about this idea is the price.

Dance Floor Decorated with Bird Cage Lights

Be creative when it comes to lighting. Almost anything can be made in to a light with just a little ingenuity and time. If you love anything DIY then consider the photo to the right. The bird cage lights are so beautiful and whimsical, they become the perfect touch to an outdoor wedding reception dance floor. 

Wedding Dance Floor Decorated With Parasols


Another fun and creative idea is to use parasols for your wedding lighting. Parasols can be purchased for a good price and normally come in a large range of colors and styles. I love the photo to the left and how they used several different colors and styles to create a dance floor that is truly unique.



Wedding Dance Floor Decorated With Personalized Lighting


A new trend for decorating your wedding dance floor is special lighting created for you especially. In the photo to the right you will see the bride and grooms names illuminated across the dance floor. This is extremely beautiful and personal. Most larger DJ companies have the equipment and the pricing to do this kind of lightning for your reception dance floor.




Wedding Dance Floor Decorated with Personalized Wedding Decal


Another trendy dance floor decoration is the dance floor decal. The dance floor decals can be personalized with your names, monogram, wedding date, last name etc. The decals also come in a large variety of colors and styles to suit most brides. This is another very affordable alternative for decorating and the clings can be used again at a later anniversary party.

Wedding Dance Floor Decorated with Paper Lanterns



One of our favorite dance floor decorations are the paper lanterns. Paper lanterns can be found in several different colors and shapes to create a look that is all your own. Go all out with fuchsia, lime and orange lanterns or create a simple and subtle atmosphere with a lovely mix of ivory and soft yellows as the photo to the right.

Of course when it comes to decorating your wedding reception dance floor you are going to find that anything that you can possible do yourself will be the cheapest route if you are on a tight budget. Whatever you decide, make it fun and personal to you and your dance floor will be one of a kind. Good Luck!

Photo Credits: Twinkle Light Ceiling by Craig Mitchelldyer Photography, Bird Cage Lights by somethinggreenevents.blogspot.com, Parasol Ceiling by 100 Layer Cake,  Personalized Lighting by artthedj.com and Paper Lanterns by intimateweddings.com.
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