Eat-Dance-Eat-Dance-Eat-Dance - WDYT?

niq24601 · July 2010

We just got back from a wedding in New York City. If anyone's interested in a trip report lemme know.

The party was a lot of fun and we noticed that they did a good job getting people onto the dance floor. There were a bunch of reasons for this, but one of them is that they didn't have a solid 3 hour block of dancing. The night was arranged so that you'd eat one course, then the dance floor would open for 45 minutes or so, then you'd eat the next course, dance again, etc. I thought this was pretty clever -- no one gets too full or too tired of being on their feet.

Has anyone seen this done/done this/considered doing it? Does it sound like a good idea to you?

enlightened1 · July 2010

I like that idea!! You personally enjoyed it as a guest, so you already know it'd be a hit!

KatyDidlettes · July 2010

I have been to a wedding where they did that too and I agree it was great.

irshis20 · July 2010

I'd be worried about a couple things. First, that I'd have a hard time getting people back up on the dance floor after the momentum has been halted. Second, that people would get hungry waiting so long in between courses (I'm already having a late reception, so I wouldn't want to put off dinner any longer than I already am).

jennlin · July 2010

my MOH is doing this for her wedding 7/24...when i read her timeline, i was really hesitent..but the way you describe it sounds nice...

i'm worried about eating too much, then not wanting to dance (mulitple times), or, how are you going to pull people off the dance floor for another course?

i'll let you know how it goes in a few weeks!

niq24601 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_washington-seattle_eat-dance-eat-dance-eat-dance-wdyt?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:104Discussion:59492c6c-7859-4b5f-8843-3a7cfe990c00Post:d9d7a4c9-61f3-45fe-a40e-f69a17da967c">Re: Eat-Dance-Eat-Dance-Eat-Dance - WDYT?</a>:
[QUOTE]my MOH is doing this for her wedding 7/24...when i read her timeline, i was really hesitent..but the way you describe it sounds nice... i'm worried about eating too much, then not wanting to dance (mulitple times), or, how are you going to pull people off the dance floor for another course?
Posted by jennlin[/QUOTE]

The timeline went something like this.
7:00 seated appetizers
7:30 first dance, the Hora, dance floor opens
8:30 main course
9:00 MOG toast, mother/son+father/son dances; dance floor opens
10:00 dessert
10:15 cake cutting
10:30 B+G thank you speech; dance floor opens
12:00 close

To get people to sit, the band MC would say "please take your seats and enjoy your appetizers/dinner/dessert". The band would take a break and there would just be some piano music in the background. To get them dancing again, they would just amp up the music and the MC would yell at people to hit the dance floor again :).

There were some other things that I think helped.
--I hear a band is better for getting people to dance than a DJ
--It was a Jewish couple, and everyone is supposed to dance the Hora right after the first dance, which gets everyone on the dance floor (and gets the parents' generation in a dancing mood)
--loud ballroom, so conversations would move outside the ballroom, so you don't see lots of people standing around not dancing

amandasw · July 2010

I think you're right about a couple of things:

- that timeline would work better IMO with a live band like you said (although otherwise I prefer a DJ, just personal preference)

- it would TOTALLY depend on the group. I've never been to a Jewish wedding, but with all the different coming-of-age parties etc. I get the impression everyone dances all the time. In a group that's more reluctant, you might not want to break it up so much and let the momentum build.

sounds like a fun way to do it though!

jennuinne · July 2010

I've seen it done on wedding shows, but I've never been to a wedding like that. Seems odd to me, but probably depends on the crowd and how its done.

melissa82 · July 2010

Haha this is standard for east coast weddings...I remember being surprised when I first saw WA timelines. You guys do all your eating before any dancing, right?

I think it's all about what your guests are accustomed to. In NJ, this is just how weddings are, so everyone expects it and definitely gets up and down whether it's a band or a DJ. (I think it probably requires more skill on the band/DJ's part though--most of the time the flow feels totally normal, but I have been to one or two weddings where the flow was kind of off, with a few misplaced slow songs totally breaking the momentum.)

Of course, open bars are also standard so that probably helps, too.

One bad thing is that you sometimes do miss a course (usually intermezzo, which is one of my favorites!) if the entertainment isn't good about annoucing it or slowing the music.

Eat-Dance-Eat-Dance-Eat-Dance - WDYT?

Re: Eat-Dance-Eat-Dance-Eat-Dance - WDYT?

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