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Dance has been a part of celebrations through the ages. We've taken a look at
some traditional and not-so-traditional reception floor maneuvers. So put on
your dancing shoes and get ready to add a little fun to your wedding reception.
Here are three dances to liven up any reception!
The Generations Dance
The bride and groom are called up to the dance floor and all the married
couples attending the reception are called up to join them for a slow dance or
waltz. At the end of this first song, all couples are asked to remain on the
dance floor for a second song unless they've been married less than 10 years.
The couples married less than 10 years are asked to "take a break" from the
dance floor, leaving couples married at least 10 years to start the next song.
About 30 seconds (or so) into the 2nd song, couples married less than 15 years
are asked to "take a break" from the dance floor. This continues as couples
married less than 20 years are asked to "take a break", then 25 years, 30 years,
etc. until one or two couples are left on the dance floor.
When the song ends, the MC asks the remaining couple(s) to introduce
themselves and offer the bride and groom any advice to help them make their
marriage as strong and long-lasting. After the couple gives their response, a
3rd song is introduced as a dedication to the couple(s) married the longest. The
bride and groom are invited back to the dance floor to join them followed soon
after by everyone else to continue the celebration!
NOTE: If you don't think that your older guests
(those most likely to be on the dance floor at the end of this bit) are up for
so many songs in a row, you can combine things and have one song handle this
entire dance. Good songs for this include: Through The Years by Kenny
Rogers, Unforgettable by Natalie and Nat King Cole, Have I Told You
Lately by Rod Stewart or Van Morrison, Could I Have This Dance
by Anne Murray, Still The One by Shania Twain, Remember When by
Alan Jackson, or Look At Us by Vince Gill.
The Snowball Dance
This dance starts out with one couple dancing and after about 30 seconds,
they separate and each person picks up another partner. After another 30
seconds, the two couples split and so on, eventually picking up an entire dance
floor full of people. This can start with the whole bridal party dancing, and
then "snowball" from there. It also works very well as a "mixer," as
it forces people to mingle with each other, even if for a short time.
Having the wedding party start a dance like this
is a good idea. They start the dance and then after they are photographed with
each other (for your photo album), they start the snow ball. At the end of this
dance, since the dance floor will hopefully be full of people, it's a good idea
to transition out of this dance into something upbeat that guests of all ages
will enjoy. Songs for such a transition could be Celebration by Kool and
the Gang, We Are Family by Sister Sledge, Twist And Shout by the
Beatles or We Like To Party by Venga Boys.
The Money Dance
The guests give the bride/groom some cash for their honeymoon for the
privilege of dancing with them for a minute or two. An alternative is to put a
heavy paper token at each place setting that each person can write a note on and
sign, and turn in for a dance with the bride/groom.
Other versions include the Best Man holding the
money for the Groom and Maid Of Honor holding the money for the Bride. It then
becomes their responsibility to keep the lines moving, as failure to do so could
have this well-intentioned dance dragging on and on.
Then there's the couple pictured at right who had
guests pin their money to their outfits. This dance has many options, with some
of them being very old traditions from various cultures across the world. In any
case, it's a fun way to send the couple off on their honeymoon with a little bit
of extra spending money, and it gives guests a chance to share a moment together
on the dance floor.
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