This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon.com.
Dollar dances are so tacky!
I’ve been perusing various wedding forums again, and came across several negative comments about the Dollar Dance. They came from a few different sources, but basically held the same content.
“Dollar dances are so tacky!”
“You should only do them if it is expected in your culture (ex. Czech, Filipino).”
“Dollar dances are so 1950s!”
I don’t know about you but they are fairly common in the Midwest, or at least in the area where I film weddings. It is rare that I have a wedding without one.
Did a dollar dance at my own wedding. No regrets. People had a great time.
Here are some more thoughts.
The Couple Should Do What They Want
When it comes down to it, the couple to be wedded should do what they want. The people making the comments above claim to be wedding planners. They even stated that they would never let a couple do a dollar dance.
1. It’s the couple’s choice.
2. You are hired to do whatever the couple wants you to do.
3. If you are telling me what to do and what not to do for my wedding, you are not going to be my wedding planner for very long.
The bottom line is that if you want to add a dollar dance to your list of events, DO IT!
Your Culture Doesn’t Matter
Despite what some news stories are saying lately, this is America, and last I checked we were a cultural melting pot not stigmatized to one specific cultural type.
I don’t see a dollar dance as being particularly Greek or Filipino or Czech. I see it as a group of people wanting to encourage their guests take the chance to come up and have a dance with them. You can’t tell me that half the people who hand you a dollar during your dollar dance are going to take the chance otherwise.
It also makes for great memories of your day, whether on video, in photos, or just in your head. When you look back and see memories of you dancing with your late grandparent, you can’t tell me that is going to make you feel tacky.
Weddings Differ In Various Parts of the Country
A lot of these negative comments were coming from wedding planners who work on the East Coast.
I am not saying anything bad about the East Coast or it’s wedding industry, but through this experience I have come to realize that weddings differ greatly from region to region in the U.S.A.
It could also be a difference of what Class you belong to as well. If you are high upper-class and doing a dollar dance, it may come off a little tacky. It is possible these people commenting just deal with a higher income level of client than I do, and to them the event seems tacky.
But you cannot just in general write it off and say it is tacky.
We must live with open minds.
Weddings Are Expensive; The Dollar Dance Helps
With a lot of people paying for their own weddings, massive debt has become a huge reality in today’s society.
Weddings weren’t always such huge affairs that cost you your life savings. The whole community used to pitch in to help with the wedding and, as a big community event, people had to pay little to nothing out of pocket. Gifts were seen as greedy, but you also weren’t $20,000 in debt by the time you said “I do” (Vicki Howard, Brides Inc.).
The dollar dance is a way for couples to not only enjoy the company of their guests, but also to recoup some of the money they spent throwing a large, “free” party for people.
Your meal costs at least $12 alone, let alone all of the entertainment and drinks from the bar.
A “tacky” dollar isn’t such a hard thing to ask for.
The Midwest Knows How To Party
While I agree that it varies between areas of the country and income level of the couple, but having filmed many a dollar dance, I can say that the great people of the Midwest know how to party.
Never have I once seen a couple look like they regret having a dollar dance, nor a line of guests look like they are complaining to each other about having to shell out a buck.
Many willingly give much more to help the couple out!
I have also been told that the “fast pass” rule is absurd, but I think it is fun! If you do the dollar dance at your wedding, have the DJ say that anyone with a $20 bill or higher gets a fast pass to the front of the line. Unless your guests are really unstable this will not create a “fist fight” as was suggested by one commenter.
What do you think?
Is the dollar dance “tacky” or “so 1950s”?
In our out?
Let me know in the comments below!
Recent Comments