Polish dollar dance

Re: Polish dollar dance

• KCatanzaro

  

  July 2012

  As far as I have heard from my finaces very Polish family is it is just a great way to earn some extra $$. Guests pay to dance with the brdie or the groom, swicthching people during the song. Traditionally (in Poland), the money raised is used to keep the party going or the liquor flowing for another hour

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• Simply Fated member

  

  July 2012

  This isn't a tradition my grandparents took with them when they came to the US. I hadn't heard of it until I came to TK.
  
  It's a way for the bride and groom to make money. The way it's usually described here, people pay to dance with the bride.
  

  
  

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• daffydillie member

  

  July 2012 edited July 2012

  As taboo as it is here we will be doing one. We had this discussion a few months ago on here and I think it is a Polish regional thing.
  
  Its for adults. The BM and MOH set up several trays of shots. The last wedding I was at used Yukon and Snapps. But usually it is some type of whisky and something on the sweeter side for the ladies.
  
  You pay $1, take a shot, spin the bride around, and form a circle generally waving napkins along to the polka to bring good luck. The last person in line is usually the dad. The guests circle the bride and the dad and the groomsmen and groom try to get the bride. One of the mother or mother like figures take the bride's veil off and the groom carries her off.
  
  The $1 bills are folded into bows or knots and put into a bag OR I have seen them pinned to an apron on the brides dress. Depends on the family.
  
  I have seen weddings where it was done at the end of the night but the last wedding the groom crowd surfed to the bride and he carried her out and she came back in in her reception dress.
  
  I really have never heard anyone make all this extra money at a wedding off of it. There are some horror storie floating around here, but if people are going to be rude they are going to be rude regardless of the traditions they honor.

  

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• ericaandtom2012 member

  

  July 2012

  If you've never heard of it before, you probably shouldn't do it.  People will probably find it rude if it's not typically done in your circle/family, even if you claim it as a heritage celebration.  I'm not sure if there's a tasteful way to do what you've described without money (maybe just do the circle part?).

  
  

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• coopsbaby member

  

  July 2012

  The dollar dance is pretty much a given here as well (at least in my part of Wisconsin), but we won't be doing one. We do have a large Polish population in the area, so I'm sure that's why, even though I've never heard of it being a Polish thing until TK. And we're not Polish, but it's been done at every family wedding. 

  
  

  I do think it HAS to be something your family/crowd is used to seeing and expecting or it comes of tacky and confusing. I know I'll have people asking me when the dollar dance is all night, but I truly hate them, so they're just going to have to deal!

  
  

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• kellysabatovich

  

  July 2012

  daffidilly is correct....we r as polish as they come, and yes it is a way to make the newly weds a lil more money but it is also a time honored tradition.....our family has always used 3 liquors:  beam, hot damn and peach schnapps..... the maid of honor holds a jug that the money is put into, gathers the empty glasses and keeps the line going. but woman pay to dance with the groom and men pay to dance with the bride..... it uaually lasts about 6 to 8 songs long..... my sister tried not to do a dollar dance and the men ran and bought liqor and started it.... if its tradition DONT break it it will offend people......

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• kellysabatovich

  

  July 2012

  my bestfriend made over 600 dollars and my sis made almost a grand....but we r polish and its a custom for us

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• HobokensFury member

  

  July 2012

  Skip it if you've never heard of it before because it means it's not done in your circle.

   
   

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• Tami87 member

  

  July 2012

  I am part Polish but we did not have a dollar dance at our wedding. We did make sure the DJ played at least one Polka though, because that was a tradition we had to keep.
  
  I have seen dollar dances at many weddings (even when the bride and groom were not Polish), however never with shots involved. I tend to dislike them because they tend to end up lasting multiple songs and take too long. Also there always seems to be a huge line for the bride and no one wants to dance with the groom. It doesn't offend me as much as it seems to bother most people on the knot though.
  
  

  

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• KBSK12

  

  July 2012

  I knew about the traditional dollar dance but without the forming of a circle/groom trying to get in... or the "Polish dollar dance" as I've heard it called.  I have only been to one wedding that had a dollar dance, but we are definitely not doing one because it's not common in my area.

  

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• joe&cassie

  

  July 2012

  In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_polish-dollar-dance?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:36Discussion:0674c701-d0cf-48e7-a733-9e57ebd87c78Post:d1ed6c3f-a9b4-4d20-b9c3-7578fdbf274b">Re:Polish dollar dance</a>:
  [QUOTE]Personally, traditional or not, I hate anything that signifies the bride's family trying to keep her away from the groom or the groom forcefully taking the bride in any way. I think it's incredibly tacky and insulting.
  Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]
  
  This exactly.  I'm hoping to convince my family and FI's that it is a bad idea.  However, they are all from the north and it's a tradition for them.  Since I'm not paying for the wedding this may end up being one of those compromises.

  

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• daffydillie member

  

  July 2012

  I think it was more common is certain regions of Poland. I also have Slovak and Czech in my family as well so perhaps Southern Poland? Radovy, Rjadovyj is what it is called is Slovokia so that makes sense. If you listen to the words of the song its done in light heartedfun. The knot tying was to keep the bride and groom busy so they werent you know...
  
  But I dont know, I think its fun. The symbolism for me isnt offensive either. I guess I see marriage as leaving your immediate family to start your own.
  
  But if youre not familiar with it, it could be offensive to your guests.

  

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• tjsheehy

  

  July 2012

  My mother is polish and we do a variation of this, we do a dollar dance, then the guest circle the bride and groom and the mother of the bride.  The mother of the bride will then take the veil off of the bride and put an apron around her waist to signify that she is no longer a bride but a wife, then the mom takes her hand and puts it into her husbands and they dance as the circle of friends and guests goes in a circle around them.  And usually the money raised is used to help pay for the wedding or for drinks for everyone.  My sisters have taken the money and donated it to charity of there choice.  I plan on doing this and donate it to either MS or Cancer as my older sister has MS and my mom battled colon cancer and won.

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• jenjlgsings member

  

  July 2012

  I'm 100% Polish and we are not doing this.  In fact, no one in our area really does it.  I think it varies greatly between regions. 
  We're still undecided on whether or not we will do the "unveiling" ceremony one of the previous posters mentioned.  If we do, we won't be passing anything for money (which I've never seen as part of that tradition).

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