Need Opinions - Dollar Dance: Tacky or OK?

It's a great idea in away! I know a couple of our friends and family have done it.

Oh boy this is always a hot button topic with strongly opposing opinions.....the general consensus is usually that if it is a cultural tradition within your family and they are expecting it then it's often seen as fun....but usually if it's not a part of their traditions it is seen as tacky...so I guess you have to consider YOUR guest list and if this would offend them or not

We are doing it...except...we are calling it the "Money Dance"...so as not to limit ourselves...lol. But yeah, we are doing it. Hope this article helps!

Traditions - Money Dance History

The "Money Dance" is alive and well, and it's a very popular custom at many wedding receptions all over the world.

The money dance is traditional in several different cultures. In most cases, it is a dance where the male guests pay for the privilege of dancing with the bride, although in today's weddings, the female guests also pay for the privilege of dancing with the groom. Each person who dances with the bride (or groom) gets just a few seconds before another guest cuts in. The money is for spending money for their honeymoon.

At Ukrainian weddings, the father of the bride usually leads, pinning money on her dress, followed by the best man and groomsmen, and then other male guests. At Yugoslavian weddings, male guests hand the dance money to the best man. At Hungarian weddings, the brid

Usually leads, pinning money on her dress, followed by the best man and groomsmen, and then other male guests. At Yugoslavian weddings, male guests hand the dance money to the best man. At Hungarian weddings, the bride removes her shoes, placing them in the middle of the dance floor for each money partner to deposit the money. At Portuguese weddings, the bride's shoe is passed around for the collection. The custom began in America earlier this century by European immigrants who wanted to assure that the young couple had a few extra dollars to face the future with. It has endured in certain areas of the United States, while it is virtually non-existent in others. The custom also has its direct roots in both the Italian and Cajun heritages.

Some couples hesitate because they feel that it isn't done very often. It is estimated that the Money Dance is done at well over half of all the wedding receptions throughout the United States. You can decide in which manner your dancing partner

Can deposit his/her offering . . . in a purse carried by either you on your wrist or held by the hostess, or, as is done most often, they can pin the money on the Bride's veil or the Groom's tuxedo. Pins are offered to guests by the hostess who stands on the edge of the dancing area by the waiting line.

The purse comes from Italian tradition, a variation of the "Communion Purse" that young girls years ago carried on their First Communion Day, and relatives and friends would put money in it as a gift on her special day. The fun-loving Cajuns brought out the pins instead.

In some places their "Dollar Dance" donation buys a complete dance. In other area’s the hostess shuffles your dancing partners in and out every twenty seconds or so. You can expect to dance with 15-30 partners before it's over. The minimum donation is, of course, one dollar, although several larger denominations are routinely donated.

Timing is vital if you plan to have a Money Dance at your reception. You want it to be part of the natural flow of your reception. The trick is not to have it too early (you don't want to appear TOO eager), or too late (many guests may have departed, either physically or mentally). The most natural time is right after the garter and bouquet have been tossed, and as the last "event" for the photographer. This point should be no later than one hour before the end of your reception. By that time the guests are usually "relaxed" and ready to participate in the Money Dance.

How long the Money Dance should last? The answer is until all of your guests who wish to participate have been given the chance to have a dance. Your hostess will see how many people you have in line and should escort your guests through quickly and efficiently. She will notify the band or DJ when it is the last Money Dance song, and it will come to a conclusion naturally.

What songs should be played for the Money Dance? The Money Dance does not call for "message" songs, which are the songs whose lyrics reflect personal sentiments. For example, the formal dance for the Bride and Groom might be "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You," the dance with the parents might be "Daddy's Little Girl," and the Bridal Party dance might be done to "That's What Friends Are For," all three of which carry a message relevant to the person being danced with. For the Money Dance, any slow music will do.

Another consideration is that the Money Dance gives you the opportunity to dance with those guests that you would not have the time or availability to dance with otherwise. Those who join the Money Dance are just happy to be able to share a dance with you on your wedding day.

I don't think it's quite a simple question if it's tacky or not. I think you need to look at your guest list, if they'll have fun with it, etc. We still have many brides that choose to do it because their families "insist" that they do it, and we have many brides that refuse to do it because their families would be appauled. I think it really just depends on your crowd.

I say go for it! My sister did it at her wedding and it turned out very nice. I went to another wedding where they had the Dollar Dance... They had LOTS of alcohol at the wedding and the drunker the guests were, the more they were willing to pay.

I am having this at my wedding because the money really helps!

It's all about your comfort level. I am not comfortable with this because it hasn't been done in my family for years and I am not looking forward to having to actually go through with it. But if you're okay with it, sometimes the crowd likes a moment to be with the bride. Don't forget, you can have a groom dollar dance too. I just went to a wedding where bride and groom did it at the same time. It was kind of cute because they were both out there. It was mainly family that came out to dance.

We are planning one, although we were on the fence about it for a while. I have seen one at almost every wedding I have been to (in AZ), but FI is from NY and had never heard of it and thought it was weird when I first mentioned it. I think it is fun, especially when it starts to get silly - like when the GMs dance with the groom. I asked some of my closer friends what they thought and everyone said fun, not tacky. It can't hurt to see what some of your guests will think about it.

I know some of them are ok with it so I'll just talk with my parents about it - although I'm sure my mom will be ok with it because she was at the wedding this weekend with that one - but I'll see how she thinks our relatives will react. Thanks everyone for the advice

It is amazing! I can't wait to do it! My Sister-inlaw got $500 from her money dance! Heck yes we are so doing it!

Do it!! hopefully your parents will give it the go because its alot of fun. pick our a few slow songs tho, we had some faster songs and when one of them came on the guests thought the money dance was over but we still got a good amount.

I hate the dollar dance i didn't do b/c in my family we feel that when people give a gift and travel to your wedding why should they pay to dance like 30 sec with you plus the money gets pined to your dress

To me the pinning part is what is tacky, specially when women start pinning bills to the grooms crotch. You can have a little purse or just use your card box. Also remember that you can not please everyone so if you both want it, go for it. If any guests think it is stupid they do have the option to not cut in.

I hate the dollar dance but am getting stuck doing it. My fh and I had an fight about this topic. His family does it, my family doesn't. I talked to our dj about the topic an he stated that he would try to smooth out the situation for those who didn't feel comfortable doing it. For someone who says he's not going to dance much and warned me, he was all over doing this dance.

"many guests may have departed, either physically or mentally" HAHA!

We will be doing a dollar dance. We went back and forth on it for a while. Although we've both grown up in communities/families where it's perfectly acceptable and somewhat the norm, I still feel it to be a bit presumptuous. FH, however, insisted on it. The only reason I agreed is because I know our friends and family wouldn't be offended. Otherwise it would be a no-go. As said before, it's all about how you expect guests to receive it. Good luck!

Lots of people do it, as you can see. if your guests are people who might not be a part of it, then maybe you shouldnt. but if you think theres a majority of them that will participate, then go for it! ive never been to a wedding with one, but it always seemed like so much fun

I don't think my guest would feel offended either. I think it will be fun.