One popular Filipino tradition is the money dance. During the reception, the bride and groom are on the dance floor while guests gather for a short (30 seconds to 1 minute) dance with the couple. Male guests line up for the bride, female guests line up for the groom. The only requirement is that the guest "pay" for the dance. Payment is in the form of cash, usually $1 or $5, that is then pinned to the couple. Sometimes guests get creative and make money belts, hats, crowns, leis. The dance starts off a bit slow, but ends with lots of laughter and too much fun.
Having a money dance is a decision we have been going back and forth on. My side of the family has seen and participated in many of these, so it's almost expected. The mister's side may have seen a type of money dance, but not a Filipino one, so we're a bit apprehensive about how they receive the idea. We love the concept and opportunity to spend a bit of personal time with guests, yet don't want to offend anyone. To assist in the decision, I compiled a list of pros and cons to the money dance.
Pros include: getting to dance and share a short moment with plenty of guests, keeping guests entertained, a light-heartened mood is set with lots of laughter, it's traditional at Filipino receptions, we can play fun songs like: "Can't buy me love" by the Beatles, we can gain some cash for the future, and super fun photos will be taken.
Cons include: having to explain it to those who haven't seen it before, finding ways to encourage guest participation without looking like we're asking for money, getting pricked by the pins, smelling like money, and our dance floor is a bit small.
The pros outweigh the cons. So we'll see. Part of me wants to do the dance we we can take such fun photos! :)
Are you planning to do a money dance?
Blog title is from lyrics by Men Without Hats
3 comments:
we are...but I had no idea it was a filipino tradition!
My family's been doing a dollar dance for as long as I can remember, as had my social circle, so for the most part I think our guests will know what's going on, but the DJ will also announce it.
We're having the best man and maid of honor hold baskets for the money rather than having them pin/stuff it on our person.
@katie: that's awesome. i think a lot of cultures have this tradition, and i love seeing it in weddings. everyone has such a good time.
Haha those pictures crack me up!
Looks like it's totally fun, I think you should do it. Maybe you can write a short explanation on your menus or programs for those guests who are unfamiliar with the tradition.
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