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Expert June 2021

How did your no dancing weddings go?

on April 3, 2021 at 5:45 AM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 3
Hey, I’m curious how those who have gone through with a no dancing wedding turned out. What was the size of your wedding? Did guests still have a good time? Fh and I planned our wedding with the last summer/fall NY restrictions and up until March it seemed it would still work out because restrictions were still tight. But now NY has loosened restrictions however we have decided to still have our micro wedding. NY’s dancing rules, I personally feel are impossible to execute, (household only designated spot dancing, 6ft apart, masks,) fh and I were told by the venue it would be our job to make sure households didn’t go dance with other households and we are not paying for this whole wedding to be micromanaging adults. So we are continuing with our sit down reception. We have decided to hire a caricature artist during cocktail hour so guests don’t feel they were in their seats all night and have a favor to take home. We also purchased many table cards games like wedding bingo, wedding mad-Libs, advice to the new couple cards, wedding word search etc. we are giving prizes to the first 3 winners of the bingo which we think guests will like. A montage during dinner. We’re doing the newlywed game but making it like a game show having the guest answer the questions before we reveal the answer. We have spaced out the special dances and are allowing for more speeches. And instead of a traditional bouquet toss we will be doing a raffle bouquet giveaway. And now that walking around and dancing are now permitted (and hopefully will continue) we have decided to share our last dance with everyone (46 guests) this will be the only dancing we’re going to have. It’ll be around the last 30 minutes after we eat cake. We figure if we keep the dancing short it will give less opportunity for guests to go to other pods. We will have the dj inform everyone the couple would like to share a last dance if you would like to get up and dance start getting ready, if you are not comfortable you don’t have to and he will go over the protocols household only pods, put on your masks and 6ft apart. We are thinking of having him call each table one by one so there’s not a mob and everyone can pick their spot out in the garden. Then we will put on line dance songs that for our family always gets them excited (cha cha slide etc.) then there will be our thank speech and send off afterwards. I’m hoping this would be enough to entertain guests during the reception. We want to give guests what they want without it getting out of control. The closer I get the more nervous I feel about the execution. Or if guests will enjoy themselves. I guess I was more confident about the wedding we planned when our state was still strict with the restrictions and guests would know our hands were tied but now that the restrictions are loosened that won’t be the case. We just aren’t fully comfortable with NYs loosened restrictions for us it feels like it’s a lot possibly too soon. So please share with me your weddings that did not have dancing. How did it go? How was the vibe? We’re guests entertained? Did the evening ever feel like it was dragging? How did you keep everyone entertained? Small or big crowd?

3 Comments

Latest activity by Fred, on April 7, 2021 at 11:12 PM
  • Katie
    VIP August 2020
    Katie ·
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    Hi!! We got married last August in PA and had significant dances only. It turned out amazing!!! My aunt texted me last night about how much fun she had at our wedding ❤️ Like you, I was a nervous wreck before our wedding. We implemented every precaution that was in place at the time (masks indoors, 25 guests indoors to go to the restroom, outdoors up to 250, seated my household, tables 6 ft. apart). We had 104 guests at our wedding. We had everything outdoors and provided masks and hand sanitizers as soon as guests entered the ceremony. We had relaxing music play, which kept the vibe positive. Keep in mind, people have been cooped up so just to go out in a safe environment to celebrate a wedding is a wonderful break from the everyday.
    Something I did that calmed me was call each matriarch from each family unit (aunts, grandmothers) to explain the safety precautions and layout expectations. We had not one issue and didn’t have to monitor anyone during our wedding. We have very respectful and cautious families anyway, but it really helped by communicating the lay of the land before. Our venue even said we had the most respectful guests and everyone naturally just followed the guidelines.
    Like you, we added speeches (Man of Honor, Best Man, my groom) and added significant dances. One guest told my husband “I could’ve watched you dance all evening”. We tend to forget a lot of guests feel intimidated by dancing and have a better time without that pressure. My cousin told me she had a blast because she isn’t comfortable dancing and was so relieved that pressure was removed. She has told me multiple times our wedding was the best wedding she ever went to ❤️ We didn’t have nearly as much entertainment as you have listed and our guests appeared totally entertained - I’m confident you are solid 👍 Love the artist idea!!! Sorry for the long post but hope this helps ❤️❤️❤️
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  • Michelle
    Rockstar December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    Not married yet but I have been a guest at countless non dancing weddings and all have been fun. Mostly 100+ guests any time of the year. Obviously the atmosphere is different and they usually only run 3 hrs max so the time frame is similar. Guests eat and chat and are thrilled to do so.

    No speeches, no announcements because they are with the same guests at the same venue. They flow very easily without someone directing a timeline because it's so laid back.

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  • F
    Expert April 2022
    Fred ·
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    Hey (insert name🤭):
    I attended 2 non-dancing weddings on a sunday afternoon (2 pre-COVID weddings).

    We still had a blast coz my partner and I looooooooooove socializing and dancing but we usually spend more time mingling/socializing at a wedding reception with or without a dancing portion.

    We played classic lawn games:ring toss, corn hole, etc ... And mingled.

    However people tend to drink less on an afternoon wedding and the vibe is more laid back,casual but it doesn't mean you don't have fun.

    It looks like a giant family and friends gathering. As long as you don't hate socializing, you still enjoy it.

    A non-dancing wedding is not a big deal, with or without restrictions due to COVID. As long as the guests know each other and like mingling ... And don't forget they are here to celebrate your marriage. Those who show up to your wedding actually care about you and/or your partner.

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