No Dancing Reception?

besserab

Hello!

One of the reception locations my fiance and I are looking at does not have room for a dance floor... I know that it is really up to us if we want to have dancing or not, but I was hoping to get some opinions on how you all would feel about attending a reception with no dancing. Its going to be a summer wedding with an earlier (noonish) ceremony and a 4 hour afternoon reception.

I appreciate your feedback!

Lasairiona

I've been to countless non-dancing receptions and enjoyed myself just fine. So have the other people in attendance. Most folks will happy for a chance to socialize without having to yell over a dj in a much more relaxed setting.

However 4hrs is a bit on the long side for no dancing. The majority of your guests will be gone after 2-3 hrs which is the normal maximum time for that type of reception.

trix1223

ditto Lasair:  a non-dancing wedding is just fine, but it may not last for 4 hours.  If you're okay with that, then go for it.  And I assume that does mean forgoing things like the bride and groom's first dance, father/daughter dance, and mother/son dance.  Are you okay with that?

And if you're thinking of a bouquet toss:  what are the logistics of that happening without a large space? 

There are other considerations that you'll want to think through here.

laurening

I'll ditto the previous posters. Dancing isn't necessary, but non-dancing receptions are usually shorter than 4 hrs. I would keep it to 3 hrs. 

Also, I would have background music playing (jazz maybe). You don't need a DJ; music piped through a speaker system from a laptop or ipod is fine. Music adds to a festive atmosphere.

timark99

I attended a close friend's wedding reception that didn't have dancing (not enough space @ the venue). It was a first for me, but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. They had music from play lists, like an ipod or laptop going so they saved on DJ costs. I don't remember how long the reception was but I want to say about 3 hours or so, it was nice to get to visit with all the guests there (a destination wedding). 

timark99

oh....and my friend's shared their "first dance" incorporated as a part of their wedding ceremony.

ashleypastori

We don't have room for dancing so we're skipping it.  We're doing a photo slideshow with soft music playing and also having someone play trumpet and someone else sing for 2 songs.  We live in a college town, so anyone who wants to dance will definately be able to find a place to dance after the reception.