Bridal Money Dance

I know some people like doing the money dance, but I personally don’t enjoy it (from a bride’s point of view or from a guest point of view), and will definitely not be doing it at our wedding. Guests are already taking time out of your busy schedules, getting dressed up, going to your event and buying you a gift; so it seems somewhat tacky and money-grabby to ask them to then open their wallets and shell out even more money. Since you sound as though you aren’t too thrilled about doing it anyway, I would just skip it- I highly doubt anyone is going to miss it.

View Quoted Comment That’s exactly how I feel that it just looks money hungry.

Well culturally on our side of the world the money dance is initiated by guest. Not considered money grabby at all it is embedded part of the wedding day.

I think it’s extremely tacky to invite guests to your wedding and ask them to pay money to dance with you.

It is poor hosting to ask or expect your guests to open their wallets for any reason at the reception. They are already spending lots as it is to attend with travel and gifts. Especially since many don’t carry cash to formal events or even everyday. If something is not part of your cultural/familial traditions, it’s seen in bad form to include it anyway if you even suspect that someone will be embarrassed or offended.

On both sides of my family it is a cultural tradition and so I was pressured to do it at my wedding. I was very anxious about it due to these forums that call it tacky. My husband reminded me that it is a tradition and so people who follow that tradition and participate are not going to judge you for it. We did it and I'm really glad we did. It was only 10 minutes and it was nice to have true one on one time with certain family members, who don't dance at weddings except during the money dance. I had more people than my husband (since it's not a tradition in his family so they didn't know what it was) but, my cousins and my mom made sure he wasn't left out. (Also his aunt put in a dollar so our flower girl did and it was the cutest picture cause it's one of the only pics of just the two of them from our wedding).

I don't think it's tacky if it's part of your cultural traditions. But, I would advise against someone doing it if it was part of tradition. I don't regret doing it at but, I also remember doing it at every wedding I've gone to so it just felt like something that you do.

View Quoted Comment I don’t expect anybody to be mad or offended by it. And my own sister did it at her wedding. It’s just my own personal worries and concerns about how much actual time I will have with my husband. Also I don’t think it’s poor hosting because it is a tradition in most cultures, but I have been to some weddings recently that they have not done the money dance

I just went to a wedding where they did a money dance because it's tradition in the groom's family. They picked a long song and that was it, so if your only worry is the time with your future hubby, it's only one song!

I had this conversation with my wedding planner and she explained the money dance as an opportunity for people to spend one on one time with you at the wedding. We are doing a receiving line so we didn’t really think we needed it, so we opted out.

View Quoted Comment Exactly. The same with us it is tradition but our MC will be announcing and front loading that to guest less familiar and explaining the historical significance. This aspect of the wedding festivities absolutely does not bother me and I will always support it within or outside of my culture. However I can understand how westerners don’t get it and are less supportive of this.