Money Dance?

[Pomlover2586]

Ok so.......anyone done one? What are your thoughts on this? Also what did you use to clip the money onto/with? DF and I are thinking about having one but I'm a bit confused as to how it works. If you dance with multiple people do you use multiple songs?? Any help appreciated!

 

[monana]

In our traditions we totally do this. What is is for us is the following. We'll have the bride and groom start dancing together. The bridemaids will have the pins that you use to sew when your trying to line up or mark your place i guess is what it is for. Sorry i dont sew. well yeah so then we end up having two lines formed where female guest typically dance with the groom and male guest dance with the bride. we have the dj play just a mix of love songs, its up to you if you want to request songs that you want, or they just play songs for you. There isnt really a time limit in terms of how long you dance with each guest, but it is a nice time to talk to your guest while your dance.

I know for our family its a way to show love and support finacially, it's also a time to congratulate the bride and groom and to wish them the best as they start their lives together. I think that it is great, if your family is open to doing something like this I say why not. but if they don't know too much about it, you may not get that many guest that will be apart of this process.

 

[PrincessBride010103]

no money dance for me

 

[Swmhc]

It was called the "dollar dance" at all of our family weddings. Those big Catholic weddings with an open bar....so the bride and groom usually made out pretty well. I think it depends what your guests are used to. If they have neer been to a reception with one, they might be confused or offended, but if it is a family tradition, then I would say go for it. The mickey purse would work great for the bride to stash her $$ in.

 

[FIREFLY01]

WE DID THE DOLLAR DANCE!!!
2 LINES MOH COLLECTED FOR THE BRIDE BEST MAN COLLECTED FOR THE GROOM, DJ PLAYED A VARIETY OF MUSIC, AND WE JUST DANCED LIKE A MINUTE W/EACH GUEST IT WAS ALOT OF FUN, AND WE MADE SOME CASH TO TAKE ON HONEYMOON!!!
OUR DJ HAD LITTLE BAG FOR MOH AND A BOX FOR BEST MAN TO COLLECT IN!

 

[Bouncy bounce]

Ahh the money dance. My friend had it at her wedding back in august. It was the first that any of us had seen of it. There was mixed reviews on it. Alot of people thought it was tacky. Alot of people traveled for her wedding and gave her a shower gift and a wedding gift. So alot of people did not take part in it.

I was thinking of doing it.But when I brought it up both of our families forbid us having it.

My friend used a boa and had tape and the guest would take a piece of tape and tape it to the boa.

I asked her how she made out on it but she wouldnt say.

 

[pink_tink8i8]

We do this in my family. I've seen iy doen 2 ways:
1) you pin money on the bride and groom as they dance their first dance
2) at my brother's wedding they modified it to putting money in the bride and groom's shoes and you had to pay to dance with them. People responded well to this one.
People who are not accustomed to this might find it weird for some sort of cash grab though

 

[SarahInMN]

I know this might be somewhat controversial and is certainly reflective of my experiences and background, but I think money dances and other things of that sort are kind of tacky. I've never been to a reception where it is done but I would be somewhat, well, put off by it. Also, I agree with some of what is said above: most guests will have spent a fair amount of money on getting to the ceremony in Florida as well as potentially have given a shower and a wedding gift. So, it might have a "gimme gimme" feel. Granted, this is just my opinion.

That said, if it is customary in your family, then most people probably wouldn't give it a second thought.

Just my two cents.

 

[mla1977]

I've never actually seen money pinned to anyone. I wouldn't want to do this for my own wedding anyways. It would be just another obligation that would take time away from me celebrating (just my feelings, no flamers please). I think the way I've seen it is that someone collects the money (MOH or BM) and then the person goes to dance with the bride/groom.

As for looking at it as a way to break even, maybe I misread the post, but I personally feel that it is a wrong way to look at a wedding (be it with gifts or with the dollar dance). This is where DBF has complaints about people having big weddings. He feels that people just through these things so they can get all the gifts from everyone. I personally have a limit as to how much I will spend on any given event, and that would include a dollar dance.

 

[mla1977]

I know this might be somewhat controversial and is certainly reflective of my experiences and background, but I think money dances and other things of that sort are kind of tacky. I've never been to a reception where it is done but I would be somewhat, well, put off by it. Also, I agree with some of what is said above: most guests will have spent a fair amount of money on getting to the ceremony in Florida as well as potentially have given a shower and a wedding gift. So, it might have a "gimme gimme" feel.

That said, if it is customary in your family, then most people probably wouldn't give it a second thought.

Just my two cents.

In my family, I've seen it done at some weddings and not at others. I've got a wedding coming up in about a month, so I'll see what happens there. It is at a pretty nice place and my cousin and his fiancee are both lawyers, so they really don't need the money. I'll let you know what happens.

 

[PrincessBride07]

I kinda agree with what other people have said. If this is something that is common, or a tradition, in your area or family, go for it. If this is something that you have read about and think would be fun, I would think hard about it. Maybe ask your family or close friends what they would think about it. Personally, I think that if your guests aren't use to this it will come off as tacky.


Also, I have seen and heard of using the shoe, MOH/BM holding the cash, and pinning it to the bride/groom. I don't think there is any one way to do it.

 

[KQAN]

If it's a family tradition and everyone is used to it, that's fine, but I personally am not having one. I did once go to a wedding with a dollar dance and the BM or whoever announced that the money was going to be donated to a particular charity the bride and groom supported. If a dollar dance is part of your traditions, I think this is a really cool thing to do with the money.

 

[audisight]

I know what I'm about to type has already been said but I have to put in my 2 cents on this topic.
I come from 2 different backgounds, one is where the dollar dance is a must and one of the best parts of the wedding. The band plays songs back to back until all the guest who want to have danced with the bride. The brides maids have boxes or bags to collect the money and keep the line going. Most guest give WAY more then a dollar. The brides maids are also in charge of handing over the money to the couple. I was a BM in a wedding last March and the couple collected well over $1000.
My other side of the family sees the dollar dance as tacky and cheap. A cousin from this side tried to do one and almost all the guest were shocked. It was an akward moment of the wedding. The brides maids had no idea what to do and it was disorganized. The bride only collected about $150. If your family and guest are used to it then by all means have one. If not I would stay away from it.

 

[c4alymom]

We had a dollar dance. We had about 200 hundred people at our wedding. It was in no means NECESSARY to participate. We did end up with a VERY nice chunk of change. (We were both 19 and people wanted to bless us!) We heard many things about our reception, and never once did we hear that anyone thought the dance was tacky. I guess it depends on where you are located and what traditions are. I would recommend it especially for a young couple. We didn't blow what we got (and I am talking several thousand dollars) and used it to start a nice savings. We also took a little on our disneymoon! I should mention though, that I married an Italian and it is tradition to give money for a gift at a wedding. That may be why it wasn't an issue.

Anywho, I say go for it. When it comes down to it, people DON'T have to participate if they don't want. It could be worse. I was at a wedding recently where the bride was "kidnapped" and wasn't returned until they had collected $1000 for her ransom. Putting a "price" seemed a little tacky to me.

 

[LadyntheTramp]

I am not married yet but I plan on having a dollar dance when I get married. I am Polish and Catholic. In the area I grew up in this is avery common tradition and I have never been to a wedding that didn't have a dollar dance. however, for my family only the bride dances. MOH collects the money (which is usually tied in knot or some kind of shape so that it is harder to open). The person then dances with the bride for a bit, then gets a shot (usually peach schnopps or something like that) and then the guests for a circle around the bride. Only one song is played and its a polka. Once all the guest that want to participate are through the line the groom is allowed back into the reception hall and has to break through to "rescue" his bride. The cirle of guest and friends try to stop the groom. I personally can't wait for this. I believe the money is supposed to help with a house or things like that. Mainly a wish for a good start.

To the OP, I would agree with most people that replied, if its not a tradition I don't know how it would go over.

 

[ZPT1022]

There isnt really a time limit in terms of how long you dance with each guest, but it is a nice time to talk to your guest while your dance.

I agree- the whole wedding seemed to be over so fast, I really enjoyed the time to get to chat with everyone.

We had one at our wedding, but it is tradition in both families so no big deal. We really considered not doing it but basically that got poo-pooed by everyone else. My uncle was our money collector guy and he was funny, he stood there like a bouncer. Our families are a bit weird though, while the bride and groom line up and typically dance with the opposite sex we do get quite a few crossovers. My mom danced with me, my aunt did, my cousins did. The funniest had to be DH's Dad dancing with him- he went to put a dollar in the bag and DH goes "oh it's gonna cost you more than that" so his Dad tossed in WAAAAY more. It's not as funny typed out but the exchange between the two of them had everyone laughing so hard and it's one of our favorite wedding memories. Heck, it's a favorite FIL memory.

. It could be worse. I was at a wedding recently where the bride was "kidnapped" and wasn't returned until they had collected $1000 for her ransom. Putting a "price" seemed a little tacky to me.

Now that is super tacky. Requesting a particular amount just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Why not just stand at the door and collect an entrance fee?

 

[cmd0819]

I know that for some, the money dance, pin dance or whatever else it may be called is a cultural tradition. If the dance is part of a tradition I don't see anything wrong with it, as most of the guests will know about it.

I was at a wedding this summer though and they did a pin dance and many of the guests (including us) were a bit put off. It cost well over $1000 to attend the wedding plus the gift we got for them, so the dance just felt a bit off.

 

[cappygirl]

I saw it done on the show "Who's wedding is it anyway." They had the smart idea of having people pin the money to the bride's veil so they wouldn't harm the dress. It didn't seem tacky on the show but I think everyone involved was aware of the tradition.

 

[Plaid Princess]

Alot of people thought it was tacky. Alot of people traveled for her wedding and gave her a shower gift and a wedding gift. So alot of people did not take part in it.

Yeah, I agree that it's pretty tacky... basically the same as putting registry info in your invitations. And a lot of people definitely don't understand it. And if you're having a Disney wedding odds are likely that your family and friends already paid a bundle just to be there. And I don't agree with the idea that it's "not mandatory". Every guest there will feel the pressure to participate. Just let your guests show what monetary support they choose in their gift and don't pressure them for more. IMHO

 

[Pomlover2586]

OP here! I wouldn't ask for a money dance to be held if I was having a destination wedding. Our wedding is local with a disneymoon to follow. In my family [Italian] a Money dance is tradition. In DF family it's not a tradition but it is a familiar concept. We've asked our families if the idea is offensive to them and we've received a green light from all sides So we're going to have one! We've decided to get sashes [one pink one navy blue] to go over us so the dress/tux won't be damaged. I'm excited! Only 120 days left until I'm a Mrs.!!!!!