Common dances at weddings?

Question

So I was at a wedding the other day and they had a dancing floor but they did not have a first dance OR a father/daughter dance.

I always though everybody did them.

Did anybody else NOT have them?

Answer 1

My dad doesn't like to dance. I don't know how, so I'm more than happy to only have one dance where I have to look like an idiot in front of anyone. I can't see anyone complaining about not having to wait as long to get to dance.

Answer 2

From a DJ's prospective (that's me!), a first dance is the bare minimum.  Even if you're not dancers, no one wants to dance until the Bride and Groom give it a go.

Other special dances are usually as follows (use as many or as few as you like)

--  Father/Bride

--  Mother/Groom

--  Father/Bride &  Mother/Groom at same time

--  Anyone else can dance with the Bride or Groom in place of a parent.  Brothers, sisters, stepparents, etc..

-- Parents Dance (for Bride/Groom parents... especially good if there are lots of parents/stepparents)

--  BRIDAL PARTY :  This is a great way to get pictures of your Bridal party dancing.  Not all of them will be dancers, believe it.  You can ask them to dance with a corresponding BP member, or they can dance with their choice... like a significant other, boyfriend/girlfriend, family member, etc

--  Anniversary Dance:  Have all couples come to the dance floor to dance.  As the song goes on, the DJ asks couples to leave based upon how long ago they have been married.  A day... the Bride/Groom leave.  A Year, 5 years, 10, 20... keep going until the couple married the longest are on the floor.  Gets applause, and it's sweet.

Have fun!

Answer 3

We had a first dance - but we did not do a father/daughter dance because my dad didn't even show up to the wedding. We also skipped the mother/son dance as well because his mom has MS and it's hard for her to move around, let alone dance.

I've never been to a wedding where the couple skipped the first dance though. But, some people are shy and don't want to be in the spotlight - or they don't like to dance.  

Answer 4

I've DJ-ed a load of weddings, and to date just ONE did not have such traditions.

In a questionnaire I had mailed to the bride and groom, they confirmed that they didn't want that.

Otherwise, the reception was quite normal.