10 Alternatives to A Father-Daughter Dance

The moment every proud dad waits for the second he hears his little girl’s getting married – The infamous father-daughter dance.

While the origin of this tradition is shrouded in mystery, it has roots in American history and remains a popular feature at weddings today.

If your father isn’t in the picture for whatever reason, whether it’s that he has passed, or not in your life, or that he just has two left feet and declined to make a fool of himself in public, here are a few great ideas as a replacement.

A Dance Performance

When you get invited to an Indian couple’s wedding, you’d expect bold, flamboyant colors, vibrant dances, and a boisterous atmosphere. How about taking a leaf from the beautiful culture and choreographing a dance performance with you and your bridesmaids and/or groomsmen?

Dedicate a Song to your father

A song dedication is such a lovely, touching way to remember someone pertinent to you and your life. It doesn’t matter whether the person’s physically present or not, so long as he lives in your heart.

Honor both parents

Another way to honor both your mother and father for their years of upbringing, care, and love is to give them the dance floor and play their wedding song instead.

Photo Slideshow

A photo slideshow is rather popular in Chinese culture, along with a tea ceremony. You can always opt to treat your friends and family to a few minutes of marveling at how adorable you and your spouse looked when you guys were younger, and how your paths eventually crossed.

Dance with an Important person

Who is the most important person in your life – The person who raised you, or someone you’re closest to whom you’d like to pay tribute to? It can be the single mum who raised you, your big brother who always protected you, or even your father-in-law who has treated you like his own from the second you met.

The dance doesn’t even have to be a slow, romantic dance either, especially when it’s with someone of the same gender. Feel free to turn this event into an entertaining crowd dance, and invite your attendees to join!

Play to your strengths

Good music is always synonymous with excellent parties. If you love singing or are a musician, this works perfectly too – Treating your loved ones to a night of partying is perfect to celebrate the new journey you and your spouse are going to embark on!

Trivia Game

A game is the quickest way to get even strangers at a table to get to know each other and break the ice between everyone at your wedding. It’ll be a hit, with laughter reverberating around the room.

Infuse Cultural Elements

If you and your fiancé are coming from different cultural backgrounds, it’s the perfect time to incorporate an interesting element from each culture.

• For example, in the Chinese tradition, the groom and his boys are put through a series of tests and challenges called the ‘wedding door games for him to be proven worthy of the bride. The bridesmaids would typically also be expected to be paid off to allow the groom entry into the house to pick the bride up.
• A cultural custom similar to this is in Romania, where the guests would playfully kidnap the bride before the wedding. They’d hide her in a clandestine location and demand a ransom from the groom. A few bottles of alcohol would typically do it.
• In the Philippines, the bride and groom will release a pair of white doves – one male, and one female, after tying the knot. The birds are meant to represent a harmonious life together.
• In Cuba, the custom is that every man who dances with the bride must pin money to her dress to help the couple pay for their wedding and honeymoon.

Cater something for the Singles

It’s tough showing up for a wedding as a single. While the most common tradition globally is where the bride would throw her bouquet behind, and it is believed that whoever catches it will be the next to marry, there’re plenty of other ways to help singles at your party feel more welcomed too.

A traditional Peruvian wedding cake has ribbons hanging out around the sides. Each ribbon is attached to a charm inside the cake, and only one ribbon is attached to a replica ring. It is believed that whoever gets served that ring is next in line to get wed.

Skip It

If none of the ideas above appeal to you and your partner, there’s no need to stress yourself out unnecessarily either. Skip the father-daughter dance, if you prefer to.

Ultimately, your wedding is yours, and yours alone. It’s going to be a cherished memory of your lifetime. The event should be a time of fun and celebrations to usher in a new beginning. While coordinating logistics can be tiring, do your best to still find joy in every moment. You can also read our post on relationship-building activities for couples or  best wedding chapels in Las Vegas