Monday, September 8, 2014

Father-Daughter Dance

With so much focus on the song you and your fiancĂ© will dance to during your first dance, make sure you don’t forget another important reception moment – the father-daughter dance.
While the tradition may have symbolized a father “giving away” his daughter in the past, today’s father-daughter dance has come to mean more.  We have seen countless father-daughter dances in the weddings we have performed at and one thing’s for sure – the dance is simply a time for a father and his little girl to spend together.  We love that the pressure has been lifted and dads and their daughters can simply have a few moments together during such a hectic day.  They may spend it reminiscing about the ceremony, laughing about something funny that happened early in the day or something embarrassing your great uncle did, or spend it chatting about how quickly life passes us by.  However it’s spent, it’s spent with smiles, and we love seeing it from our vantage point.

We’ve definitely witnessed a great number of weddings over the years and have spoken to hundreds of brides.  Here are our top 5 pointers we have learned about choosing your father-daughter dance song:

-        Try not to spend too much time stressing about finding the “perfect song” since it may be hard finding songs with perfect lyrics that represent your relationship with your father.  Choose a song that is light and easy to move to.  You may have great dance moves to hit just about any dance floor around but dad might have two left feet!

-        Ask dad for his input.  He may feel a little apprehensive about dancing in front of a crowd with all eyes on him (well, the eyes will really be on you, but you know what we mean).  Let him suggest a few songs that he would be comfortable with and it may make the process easier for him.

-        Once you find a song you can agree on, do a dry run at least once prior to the big day.  Dad might not dance too often and he certainly doesn’t slow dance with you often enough.  Running through the song at least once (with you wearing your wedding shoes so he’s used to the height you will on your wedding day) will keep him at ease.

-        If dad is up for it and if time permits, take a dance class or two to learn the basic footwork for your song.  At the very least, it gives you time together and in a way, a break from all the wedding planning.  And it’s fun!

-        When in doubt, stick to the classics.  There are so many wonderful songs that have become popular at weddings for a reason - they warm people’s hearts.  Artists that are always a safe bet include Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr., The Beatles, Elvis, Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks, Martina McBride, Celine Dion, Josh Groban and many others.

Whatever song you choose, just remember to spend it enjoying each other’s company.  The song is just about 3 minutes long and we assure you it will go by before you know it.