First Dance Timing and Etiquette

We plan on doing our entrance after the ceremony and going right into our first dance. After that everyone will eat, hangout, whatever and then we will begin the parent dances.

Also, is there anyway to have your DJ cut the first dance song so it's not so long? 4 minutes might not seem like a long time, but guests get bored. We're having our DJ fade our song out after about a minute and a half to two minutes. Same with the father/daughter, mother/son dances. Each one will last a max of two minutes so we can get everything else rolling.

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Thanks! I do like the idea of doing the parent dances after dinner because people do get bored sitting through so much at once.

I'm sure we can cut the song down but there's not really a point where it would sound great to fade out (Your Song by Elton John). I'll have to see what it really sounds like to fade out half way through.

View Quoted Comment Talk to your DJ about ending your dance early. Four minutes is a long time. We'll be doing our dances similar to how PP suggested.

Hi TaraLyn! Welcome to WeddingWire and congrats on your engagement!

I agree with the others, starting with talking to your dj about the song length/dance timing/transitions is a great idea. He/she might have some ideas for you that will help.

It's a little unconventional, but I've seen some dances transition into the others during the same song. So the first dance song is playing but the first dance transitions to father/daughter & mother/son dances, during the course of the song. That way, there's no fades/cutting the song short and all 3 special dances are included.

Out of curiosity: How did you and your fiancé come to choose "Your Song" By Elton John? Does it have a special meaning/significance to you both or is it just a favorite?

View Quoted Comment Thanks, Maren! We're definitely going to talk to our DJ and see what he thinks.

One of the first movies we watched together was Moulin Rouge which features "Your Song." We both love the movie version (Ewan McGregor sings it!) But felt the original would fit the moment better (even though our wedding is movie-themed!)

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Perfect.

Ohmygosh! I love this! Your wedding is movie themed?! What other movies are you incorporating? Classics & favorites? I have never heard this idea before, sounds super unique!

View Quoted Comment Thanks! All the table numbers are movie posters of movies that mean something to us individually or as a couple. LOTR, Dark Knight, Princess Bride, Jurassic Park to name a few. Plus Star Wars (we got engaged at the movies seeing Episode 7 dressed as Han and Leia). There are other little touches as well like groom and best man boutonnieres being flowers made of film.

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Oh how creative! I love this idea The boutonnieres sound awesome, too!

The last 2 weddings I went to, the father daughter/mother son did not dance the FULL song, they did a slow fade out.