What’s more fun than folding laundry and only slightly less fun than attending one’s own wedding? Watching other people’s wedding videos, of course! Thank goodness everyone and their sister now posts their reception vids to YouTube so we can all gawk at all the crazy antics perpetrated by drunken relatives, cranky kiddies, and the even–or should I say especially–the bride and groom.
How else would those of us who went the traditional route and learned to fox trot know that it’s all right to do a Hammer Time first dance duet instead of the boring old seventh-grade shuffle?
Some of the kooky couples who ditched All I Ask of You for something funkier have gotten flack from critics who say a first dance should not be a performance. To that I say an impassioned, “Whateverrrrrrr.” I’m just jealous that I couldn’t convince The Beard to go all out and let me come up with a wicked complex song and dance number!
If you’re keen to take your first dance to the next level, watch the videos below and take notes.
Surprise everyone:
Skip the slow stuff altogether:
Start serious, get sexy:
The ever-popular Dirty Dancing routine:
The somewhat less popular Napoleon Dynamite routine:
I know some of these are old news, but I’d wager that there are plenty of newly engaged ladies and lads out there who haven’t seen ’em since these things tend to hit the groupbrain in waves.
And now for something completely different…an engagement blog written by a guy. I’m adding The Engaged Guy to my blogroll. I’m not sure that his assertion that his blog is “the world’s first liveblog of an engagement,” seeing as that women have been blogging their pre-nuptial pains and pleasures for ages, but we’ll let it slide.
That’s the Napoleon Dynamite dance! Wish I could have done that…
Same here, queenofalot1. I think people are generally pretty bored during the usual first dances…even if performing at one’s wedding isn’t entirely in keeping with decorum, at least it amuses the attendees!
I don’t see why not! So much about modern weddings is for show, why not the couple’s first dance. And besides, perhaps the foxtrot doesn’t fit their style and personality.
That Napoleon Dynamite wedding dance was actually rather sweet.
This is similar, but along the same lines. Here’s the wedding/groomsmen video from a wedding that my boyfriend was in. He’s in the peach colored scarf. It was the surprise dance for the bride:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NOk4hvBLPjo
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ret_4QAhAO8&feature=related
I’m all for the couple doing a standard waltz or foxtrot, putting on a bit of a dance show, or completely leaving the first dance out, depending on what makes them happy. This is one of those things where a break from tradition doesn’t constitute an etiquette violation…unless you start doing a wild striptease and expecting your guests to accept lap dances. That would be a tidge inappropriate, I dare say.
But a funky dance routine? Why not, if it’s what you want to do?
I read about a striptease at a wedding where a stripper was getting married, Twistie! The JoP who did the service was appalled, because the apparently routine started right after “You may now kiss the bride!”
I’m an old-fashioned soul, I guess, but I sort of hate this.
Being the center of attention for a whole long day is what brides and grooms are properly entitled to, and it ought to be enough. But their wedding guests are (presumably) their friends and loved ones, and ought not to be treated as a captive audience for an amateur (or even a professional) dance performance. Particularly since they can’t very well get up and walk out if they don’t care for the entertainment.
I know, I should probably lighten up…
I thought that was very very funny! Also a nice way to set the tone for everyone to have a good time