The Anniversary Dance
Anniversary Dance Couple
It is fairly often that I will meet with clients who don't want to do a bouquet toss. Some people have few or no single friends, and a bouquet toss would be an awkward flop. Others simply feel like a bouquet toss is not their style, and would rather pass. While a bouquet toss can be great at many weddings, there are alternatives for situations like the ones above. My favorite alternative, and the one I will highlight here, is the anniversary dance. The anniversary dance is a tasteful and romantic way to highlight the long term married couples attending the wedding. I suggest picking out a song for this that has an appropriate theme, though any romantic song will do (talk to your DJ for ideas).
The anniversary dance can work in a few different ways. The most common way is for your DJ to invite all the married couples out to the dance floor (including the newlyweds!). The DJ will then explain how the dance works. The couples will dance to a song, as the DJ calls out periods of time on the microphone (ex: 2 years, 10, years, 50 years). If the couple has been married for that length of time or less, they exit the dance floor, eventually ending with the longest married couple on the floor. At this point the bride and groom can approach the couple on the dance floor and hand them the bouquet, as the guests applaud the winners. The DJ will then ask the couple if they have any advice for the newlyweds, which inevitably will lead to an entertaining or romantic answer. This completes the anniversary dance, and the party resumes!
There can be variations, as mentioned above. One is to replace the bouquet with another pre-planned gift. That way you can still do a traditional bouquet toss if desired (or none at all!). You can also skip the advice asking portion, though I highly recommend it. This dance can really be customized any way you would like. It's your wedding after all!
Thanks for reading!