The First Dance is one of the most important moments of the entire Wedding Day. It is the Bride & Groom’s First Formal Dance as Husband & Wife and is definitely a Spotlight Moment at the Wedding Reception. The First Dance is similar in importance during a Wedding Day to when the Bride walks down the aisle at the Ceremony earlier in the day.
The First Dance often occurs at the very beginning of a Wedding Reception, right after the Formal Introductions of the Wedding Party and the Bride & Groom by the Band-leader or DJ. In Jewish Weddings, the First Dance may occur at the beginning of the Reception, right after the Chair-Raising & Hora. Alternatively, it may occur after dinner as the very first event to start off the dancing for the evening.
Many times, the First Dance will feature just the Bride & Groom dancing alone, although sometimes having the Wedding Party join in at a certain point in the First Dance song is a nice way to take some attention off the Bride & Groom if they are on the shy side. Some couples like to dance to the entire song they’ve chosen for the First Dance, while other couples like to dance to a song excerpt instead, fading after about two minutes.
During the First Dance, the Wedding Party may stand near the edge of the dance floor, especially if they will be joining-in later into the song. Guests may also be invited to stand near the edge of the dance floor and sometimes guests may also be invted by the Band-Leader or DJ to join into the song at a later point in the song.
For a very festive and photographic-friendly First Dance, some venues may dim the lights or provide unique or special, romantic lighting.
The First Dance is most often a Slow Romantic Dance, although some couples may choose to have an upbeat song instead. Please see our the list of Brides’ Favorite First Dance Songs HERE.
