S/O To Dance, or Not to Dance?

SopChick

So I'm home sick today, and bored already. All of the music threads got me thinking...

My sister had no dance portion to her wedding, and then anyone who wanted to go out dancing did so after the reception was finished. I don't remember exactly when the reception was over, but I think I was back in the hotel by 10. (my sister is quite a bit older, so I was 16 when she got married) My sister and BIL went out for a bit with some of their friends I believe, but as I said, it's been a while. They had music playing in the background through dinner, just stuff that was soft (jazz, etc).

How do you feel about weddings with no dancing? As a guest would you feel like you missed out?

LizzyTish88

I am a dancer in all aspects, so for my wedding there will be dancing. At my cousins wedding on Halloween her DJ sucked and the dance floor was mostly empty the whole time. To be honest, I was disappointed because I wanted to dance but just couldn't. It depends on the couple, but I personally like dancing at a wedding.

bakes218

We are having a very small ceremony and then just a dinner with 5 guests. There will be no dancing and we are both fine with that. It is not something that is very important to us.

Ana_2985

It really depends. If it's a morning or afternoon reception, I think no dancing is fine. Or even a shorter cocktail party type reception would be nice too. But if someone had a typical 4-5 hour evening reception and there was no dancing, I think that would be a little odd. What do you do - just sit and chat for 5 hours? The dancing makes it more festive to me.

Also, I think the size of the wedding makes a difference too. With only a few (<20) family member or friends we could easily spend 5 hours talking over dinner. But at a bigger party, I think it's better to have something else going on.

MLekathLEEN

As the former crazy kid who makes people regret not having an "adult only" reception, I think dancing and weddings go hand in hand.

If FI and I do decide to do a DW with just our parents, there will probably be no dancing and I'm ok with that. If we have a big reception, dancing will be a must.

PaigeMcC

I think it has to do with the size and time.  If it's small or a lunch/cake and punch/ etc wedding then dancing isn't really expected but with the sit down dinner and such I think it's almost expected.  I NEED dancing.  Honestly if someone didn't have it I might feel a little jipped. 

SenoritaCupcake

I personally am a dancer, and met BF through our undergrad's dance company, so dance is going to be a big part of our someday shindig. However, his brother had a dance-free reception. They played yard games like wiffle ball instead, and as far as I know, it was a hit. I think you can go without dancing as long as there's something else to entertain people and get them mingling.

heyimbren

I agree that it depends on size/time/ambience of the reception. Can I use a couple examples?

First of all, I'm not a big dancer at all. I went to our semi-formal and prom in 12th grade and that's about it. The last time I danced was over 2 years ago. 

My friend originally wanted to have a morning wedding, and serve lunch. She wanted the reception to start at 11 a.m., and wanted people dancing at noon. I would feel weird about dancing so early in the day. JMHO.

Now she's trying to cut down the wedding to just family, so no SOs. I'll have 3 friends there and the rest will be family (and the bride and groom) so I wouldn't be big on dancing for that either. But like I said, I'm just not crazy about dancing.

But I do agree with PP that when I think "wedding reception" I typically think of dancing being included in that. Especially and evening wedding. But I've been to receptions without dancing, and those were some of my favourite weddings.

HeartOverMind

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_dance-not-dance?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:988cc6fa-d5a1-436a-9da4-739fad8044ccPost:4f554294-c6e7-4a08-bbf9-71664dcf41cc">Re: S/O To Dance, or Not to Dance?</a>:
[QUOTE] First of all, I'm not a big dancer at all. I went to our semi-formal and prom in 12th grade and that's about it. Posted by heyimbren[/QUOTE]

Haha...the twin thing is happening again! I went to only Homecoming and Prom my Senior year, too. (And that was mainly because I was forced to go...)

I'm not a dancer and I was just thinking about this topic a few days ago. When the time comes for my wedding, I would be fine with no dancing, but my sisters and my mom and some friends like dancing. No dancing would fit BF's and my personality, but dancing could be fun...

So, I think either way is fine and it definitely depends on the time of day and size of wedding.

marleylikeair

Heh. I think it's obvious from my avatar pic what my answer is. Having a DJ who can get 'em on the floor is a must for me when the time comes! BF isn't the biggest dancer, but he dances with me 'cause he knows I love it.

skyler1108

My wedding will only be about 30 people total and will be in the private dinning room of a restaurant. We will have our first dance, the father daughter dance and the mother son dance but that is it. We will not have the room for everyone to dance.

I think for a wedding like we are having it is ok not to have dancing as it is more of a really nice dinner than a reception. However, for larger weddings that have the room I would find it a little odd to end really early and not have dancing.

mattycam

I have been to a few weddings with no dancing and still had a good time.

calindi

We dance even without music.  We will definitely have dancing, regardless of size or location of wedding.  Our families are big dancers, too, and I think my father would be incredibly hurt not to be able to have a father/daughter dance with me.  My brother would also be disappointed not to be able to do our traditional swing dance (we grew up with a bunch of aunts and uncles getting married every couple of months, so we got pretty good at cutting a rug).  Overall, I just can't imagine NOT having dancing.

leia1979

I've been to one wedding with no dancing. It was a DW with a lot of (older) family members, and it was also a shorter reception.

Even though I'm not much of a party dancer (I love jazz and tap though), we will have a dance portion. It will probably be the last hour and a half to two hours of the reception. We'll have enough people who will enjoy it.

Bec20

I couldn't imagine a wedding without dancing either.  I love to dance and BF always enjoys himself once I make him start dancing with me.  My family would be very disappointed if we didn't have dancing.  His family, on the other hand, would be more concerned if there wasn't any booze haha.

SopChick

Sorry to start the thread and then disappear! Like I said, I'm home sick today, so apparently I'm a little spaced out.

I think the last time BF and I danced was 7 years ago at our prom, so it's not really important for us. I guess when the time comes we will have to look at the who/what/when details and make the call.

It's interesting to see how many dancers are on the board!

Simply Fated

I don't like dancing, so I might actually feel a sense of relief, personally.

The only wedding I remember clearly where there was no dancing, there was also no alcohol. People literally sat at their tables, ate in silence and literally looked somber.
That left an impression in my mind. I honestly wondered that if besides it being a religious thing (which it was) there had been a recent tragic death in the family close to the bride or groom.

bettyshaw

I'm one of the least coordinated people alive, but I love dancing! I've never been to a wedding that didn't have it, but I imagine it would be awkward.