Unashamed Imaging Live: Father-Daughter Dance Alternatives for Weddings
Unashamed Imaging LIVE is a weekly, live show focusing on wedding tips, resources and content for Couples. Every week, a different topic is featured. I also bring on a few industry leaders who excel in their niche! The Father-daughter dance has been a wedding tradition for many years now. We've seen it in movies, at weddings we've attended and more, but now a lot of couples are looking for alternatives for many different reasons. Some don't have a father-figure in their life, some father's have unfortunately passed away, while others are simply shy and might feel awkward dancing in front of a lot of people. Regardless to which category you most relate to, there are alternatives to this tradition that work great.
1. First Song: A first song has been done by Bride's who are either musicians or daughter's of one. This is a very special moment and usually months (on average 3-4 months) are spent creating a special song that the daughter and father of the Bride will sing on her wedding day. Performing a first song can most definitely be as special as dancing together. 2. First Group Dance: A first song dance is when the Bride and Father of the Bride start dancing alone together during the reception and then invite those that have their Father present with them at the wedding. This may be a little challenging depending on whom you've invited to attend your wedding, but you can execute this by calling creating a short list of anyone attending that may be under the age of sixteen because it's more than likely that they came with their parents. 3. Skip It: That's right! It's your wedding and you can do what you want. Be sure to check with your fiance' on whether or not he wants to have a mother-son dance however. If you decide to skip the father-daughter dance, but keep the mother-son dance, let the DJ or Coordinator know in advance so they don't even mention it during your reception. Guest expect the father-daughter dance because it's tradition to see it, but if the DJ orchestrates things well they won't even pay too much attention to the fact that you're not doing a father-daughter dance. 4. Money Dance: The Money Dance or "Dollar Dance" is when the Bride and Groom dance during the reception by themselves allowing anyone that has attended the wedding to dance with them, but the kicker is that they have to pin money to the Bride's dress or Groom's outfit in order to dance with them. They can give more than one dollar too. Some guests like to show off by placing $20 or $100 bills on the Bride or Groom. 5. Uncle or Grandfather to the Rescue: It is totally fine to dance with your uncle or daughter as an alternative. If your father has any physical ailments that don't allow him to dance with you on your wedding day you can totally dance with his brother or even your grandfather. This sort of goes with #6 on the list, but keep reading. You can combine these two by having a slideshow play with content of you and your dad while you dance with your uncle or grandfather. This can play in the background on a projection screen. Be sure to coordinate with your planner for how this can be executed day-of.
6. Slideshow Tribute: This is a very sentimental way to honor your Father both living or deceased. If your Dad is shy (like my Dad is) being surprised with a beautiful slideshow video of images or even taking the time to put a nice video together in tribute of or to him will warm his heart. He'll totally forget about the fact that he is not dancing with you and be emotionally taken aback by this unexpected tribute. If your Dad has passed away, you can still do the video. In fact, it would have an even bigger impact if you can compil