For those of you having 1st, M/S and F/D dances...

Nati05

How are you ordering these??

The last thing I want is to lump them all together cause IMO it will get boring fast! I had thought about doing the 1st dance with FI right after being introduced at the reception, right before sitting down to eat to help seperate the dances. The other two dances would be after eating and kind of a way to open up the dancefloor to everyone else after the 2 dances are done.

But FI isn't loving that plan. 1 pm is lunch time here and it's considered a pretty big deal. People are ok with eating up until 2 pm but anything after that is ridiculous and will cause complaints. I'm thinking if we have our 1st dance we can sit down to eat 1:30/ 1:45 but it seems like FI is feeling antsy about eating on time. He gets major cranky pants when he's hungry so I think that's why he doesn't like the idea of dancing before eating. Granted it'll take no more than 5 minutes but it seems he really dislikes this.

Anyway I'm curious to see how some of you are planning these 3 dances because I have no idea how these things usually go.

bells24412

We are doing our first dance as soon as we walk in, then after the cake cutting it will be the F/D and M/S dances.

butterflyjumper1

same as bells!

LADY324

I think we are going to just go right into those dances as soon as I am done dancing with FI.  I just want to get them over with.  This way as soon as dinner is over it's dancing the rest of the night!

AllyG303

We're doing our first dance right after we enter the reception and before dinner.  Then we're doing the father daughter dance after dinner before the dancing gets started.

ceglare4

I really don't know. I was planning on having our first dance be after dinner. Do the F/D M/S dances have to come right after the first dance? Could you open up the dance floor after your first dance and then a few songs later have the other two dances?

ceglare4

Okay you guuuuuys now I'm all confused! Is the first dance traditionally once you enter the reception or immediately after dinner?

butterflyjumper1

ceglare I have seen it done both ways. It's just that, a lot of times, once everyone is done with dinner and cake, they are ready to start dancing/distracted. We are going to do our first dance right away while people are still interested and watching. 

We MIGHT end up doing our cake cutting then too, just so the kitchen has longer to prepare the slices (our package includes mousse/fresh fruit/cake plate painting so it will take them longer than usual to prepare all the plates).  Then we would eat dinner, do toasts, have the other two dances while people eat cake, then open the floor.

I wouldn't actually "open the dance floor" until after all the special dances are over. We are probably going to start the night off with a bridal party dance after mother/son and father/daughter are over. It would be awkard to tell everyone to leave after they have already been invited to the dance floor.

colleenm18

I am with Lady-

All the wedding I have ever been to normally do 1st dance right away followed by F/D and then M/S

butterflyjumper1

now that I am thinking about it more - I think we will do cake cutting right away so our kitchen can get to work, then first dance, then mother/son and father/daughter, then we will sit down for dinner and toasts......

BmoreBride311

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2012-weddings_for-those-of-you-having-1st-ms-and-fd-dances?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:066005ef-215f-48b1-8655-328b41e07c52Discussion:95d73d08-6ef6-4685-9bf3-20f231b29f2ePost:600871d9-01b8-4a60-b08b-ef8ad034214f">Re: For those of you having 1st, M/S and F/D dances...</a>:
[QUOTE]now that I am thinking about it more - <strong>I think we will do cake cutting right away so our kitchen can get to work</strong>, then first dance, then mother/son and father/daughter, then we will sit down for dinner and toasts......
Posted by butterflyjumper1[/QUOTE]

You mean doing the cake cutting before dinner is even served? I have always seen it done after dinner, I think...

Now I'm really confused about the order of all of this stuff, too!

butterflyjumper1

Yes, I have been to lots of wedding where it is done this way. We pretty much have to in order for the cake plates to be ready right after dinner. I HATE sitting around after I am done eating dinner waiting for cake to be sliced. Doing it this way makes the night run more smoothly without gaps of waiting.

bridetobe71412

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2012-weddings_for-those-of-you-having-1st-ms-and-fd-dances?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:066005ef-215f-48b1-8655-328b41e07c52Discussion:95d73d08-6ef6-4685-9bf3-20f231b29f2ePost:a91698bf-8c2e-438e-b4d8-15c3bf7b597c">Re: For those of you having 1st, M/S and F/D dances...</a>:
[QUOTE]same as bells!
Posted by butterflyjumper1[/QUOTE]

Same!

Nati05

Hahaha oh no! Now we're all confused lol

Ceglare, I don't believe there is any "traditional" way to do it. Rather that there is a pattern people tend to follow. So no worries, there aren't any rules to follow. However, I wouldn't suggest opening up the floor and then clearing it again to do 2 more dances...

Bmore, I'm also surprised to see cake cuttings before eating! I saw it on a thread a while back and it blew my mind. Besides the sense it might make, I'd just feel weird cutting a cake when I haven't even eaten anything yet lol. I'm sticking to my original plan for that one, we'll be doing that later for sure.


I should have added a poll.. to see who is dancing before dinner and who is doing after.

Amanda1443994

We're doing our 1st dance right at the beginning when the bridal party enters. Then we're going to have dinner, and while our guests are eating dinner, we're having the F/D and M/S dances. Our venue actually suggested this so that we're not wasting much time. Our cake cutting will be right after dinner and then open dance for the last 2 hours.

BmoreBride311

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2012-weddings_for-those-of-you-having-1st-ms-and-fd-dances?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:066005ef-215f-48b1-8655-328b41e07c52Discussion:95d73d08-6ef6-4685-9bf3-20f231b29f2ePost:c6bd8b50-7a2c-489c-87be-2def4b9ca5c2">Re: For those of you having 1st, M/S and F/D dances...</a>:
[QUOTE]We're doing our 1st dance right at the beginning when the bridal party enters. Then we're going to have dinner, and while our guests are eating dinner, we're having the F/D and M/S dances. Our venue actually suggested this so that we're not wasting much time. Our cake cutting will be right after dinner and then open dance for the last 2 hours.
Posted by Amanda1443994[/QUOTE]

This is what I'm leaning towards, too. But then, I guess speeches/toasts have to fit in there as well. Oof.

dramaqueen91087

My plan is to do the 1st dance right when we come in. Then we will cut the cake either right then or possibly in between courses but well before desert. That way the kitchen has time to put the cupcakes in the boxes. Also, it will cut down on the time that people have to swipe a cupcake!

The F/D and M/S dances will be after we eat, sort of to start the party. Or we may split them up and do one later in the night, I haven't decided that yet.

BeachLover2885

We are doing the first dance right after entering the reception and being introduced.  I think we will do the F/D dance after dinner but before cutting the cake. FI decided he didn't want his own dance with his stepmom, so we are just doing a F/D dance.  But,we still have to talk to the band and figure out what they think.  

Amanda1443994

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2012-weddings_for-those-of-you-having-1st-ms-and-fd-dances?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:066005ef-215f-48b1-8655-328b41e07c52Discussion:95d73d08-6ef6-4685-9bf3-20f231b29f2ePost:a561bc16-2571-493e-8b43-b328fbea8d47">Re: For those of you having 1st, M/S and F/D dances...</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: For those of you having 1st, M/S and F/D dances... : This is what I'm leaning towards, too. But then, I guess speeches/toasts have to fit in there as well. Oof.
Posted by BmoreBride311[/QUOTE]

Yea, we're having speeches/toasts during dinner as well. We met with our venue a few weeks ago and this is our preliminary timeline:

-7 pm cocktail hour
-8 pm bridal entrance, 1st dance
-8:30 dinner starts
-sometime between 9-9:45 we will have the F/D and M/S dance and speeches
-10 cake cutting
- 10 to 12 open dance

We're having a formal 5 course sit-down dinner so we should have plenty of time to fit all the toasts and special dancing while people are eating. At least this is what my venue told us haha

littlemoments324

We are cutting cake as soon as we walk in.  toasts, dinner then 1st dance...then around 8pm we're having the sibiling dance (instead of the F/D, I didn't want one).

The last wedding I went to split dances up 15 minutes apart...so 1st dance, 15 minutes later it was the father daughter immediately after mother son....