No Dancing

Naomi R, your wedding sounds like my dream wedding. Not everyone likes to dance and I'd much rather listen to a symphony or play lawn games.

Geez people, there are other styles of wedding receptions other than "dinner and dancing". No need for the negative comments. I have been to brunches, lunches and dinners in private rooms of restaurants that did not have a dance floor. They were shorter receptions with fewer people than typical venues, but totally fine. People enjoyed good food and socializing.

No dancing for religious reasons? Come on.

@Svet @MrsB - Not everyone is Christian...stop hating on OP.

Will never understand why negativity is brought into threads.....

I agree with you @akshali

Well, my son and FDIL are getting married on September 9 of this year. They don't want the conventional reception, so what they're paying for is a gourmet meal at a five star restaurant (four choices, an open bar, and background music). They don't want anything longer than a 3.5 hour affair, but it is a fully hosted reception on a Saturday evening.

I've been to plenty of luncheons/dinners that last that long -- the food was great, we drank, and the hours passed very quickly. Don't expect a five hour reception with no dancing. Keep it to three or three and a half hours, host your guests well, and your reception should be fine.

Just a simple google search and I learned about religions that prohibit dancing. Interesting! Just because you don't believe in something, doesn't mean that it is wrong. Sounds like you have some good ideas, OP! And I agree, I have wine and can have fun just socializing with friends and family. At large family reunions we never have dancing and everyone has a lot of fun just being together. Like PP said, just keep it shorter and an afternoon or something sounds really nice.

I went to my cousins wedding which only had the hora for a dance because her husband's family doesn't believe in touching members of the opposite sex. They had wine, beer, and vodka at the bar but the reception was short and thank goodness they had a photo booth or we would have lost our minds.

I don't see why no dancing means a shorter reception. I can happily just drink and socialise for 5+ hours. Don't cut my drinking time!

I've been to a couple of weddings with no dancing! Living in the Bible Belt it's not really an uncommon thing to have a dry wedding with no dancing. We still had fun! They had games to play on the tables and everyone just ate and talked and enjoyed themselves. It was a pretty short event though.

Dancing is not allowed in the Church of Christ so I totally understand you can have plenty of fellowship and time to talk with your guests

I can handle no dancing. No dancing or booze however makes for one dull wedding.

I've been to several no-dancing weddings. I can say they were shorter, but they were still fun. I would suggest making sure there is plenty to do if there is downtime. They had an evening ceremony and reception, but they had games they played, and so much chocolate, candy and ridiculously good food! They also had a slide show, and a scavenger hunt. It was at a church so there was no alcohol at all. I think they made up for it by getting us all on a sugar high. Another one I went to was just cake and punch afterwards. Also short, but cute and to the point. Most of us went out to eat afterwards. It just all depends on the couple. I feel that everyone is different, and I respect their beliefs and traditions, so I would try to enjoy their wedding as much as possible regardless of dancing... Good luck!

That does not sound like a wedding I would ever attend. So, it's just because you don't want family/friends "dragging" you onto the dance floor? Ok. Lol

Wow...people won't attend a shorter reception with alcohol and a full dinner being served? She said she's serving wine...

I have been to several weddings of friends who did not have dancing. The food was great, there was music playing in the background, everyone had a great time. My suggestion is in line with others, earlier in the day and shorter time slot. I'm sure it will be beautiful and fun however you decide to do it!

Just to be clear, the 'Church of Christ" is not the same as the "United Church of Christ".

Will any of your guests be expecting dancing, or do they all know the drill? If any of your guests might be expecting dancing, maybe try to spread the word a little so they know. Most of your guests will probably leave straight after dessert.