It’s a common enough wedding question: “Do we HAVE to do a first dance?” I see it come up often on wedding forums such as Weddings.co.nz and my clients ask me from time to time as well. In my professional opinion, there are a couple of genuine reasons why a first dance at your wedding is a good idea.
- If you’re sticking to anything of a “traditional timeline”, the first dance is after dinner and dessert. The first dance can act as a sort of psychological turning point for your guests. Once the first dance is under way, they instinctively know it’s time to kick it up a notch, relax a little more, and the atmosphere shifts.
- Keeping with the assumed “traditional timeline” above, the first dance seems to be a polite time for senior guests to leave. I’ve seen them sit quietly patiently waiting, then depending on the time of night they politely say their goodbyes shortly after that first dance.
- It’s a chance to really get creative. You don’t have to do a surprise Thriller routine, and you don’t have to win Dancing With the Stars. It’s your chance to just be yourselves – with all of your closest friends and family watching. No pressure!
That last point really deserves it’s own blog entry. “Creative First Dance Pointers” coming soon!
Regards
Nick Logan
Wedding DJ and MC