The money dance

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are very few or no other articles that link to this one.
Please help introduce links in articles on related topics. After links have been created, remove this message.
This article has been tagged since March 2007.

There are various cultures in which the Money Dance (or in some cultures Dollar Dance or Apron Dance) is a traditional part of the wedding reception.

The concept of "Money Dance" is that the male guests pay for the privilege of dancing with the bride, and by extension, female guests pay for the privilege of dancing with the groom. The custom originated in Poland in the early 1900s in immigrant neighborhoods and is still celebrated at many ethnic and blue-collar weddings today. The money is to be used for the bride and groom's honeymoon or to give them a little extra cash with which to set up housekeeping.

[edit] Poland

The dance takes place some time after the First dance, often once guests have had a chance to have a few drinks. The best man or MC or the Disc-Jockey announces the event. Customarily, the best man begins dancing with the bride, pinning money onto her wedding gown or putting it into a purse, which she carries especially for the purpose, or into the pockets of an apron she dons over her gown especially for this dance. In a more contemporary version of this custom, the dance includes bridesmaids and other ladies who dance with the groom and pin money on his lapel. Each of the guests who dance with the bride or groom, respectively, takes only a few moments before another guest cuts in.

[edit] Other cultures

At Ukrainian weddings, the father of the bride usually begins, pinning money on her dress. He is followed by the best man and groomsmen, and, finally, by the remainder of the male guests. Another variation is where the bride's veil is removed and given to the maid of honor and an apron is placed on the bride. Money is then placed into her apron during the dance.

At Yugoslavian weddings, instead of pinning the money on the bride's gown, the male guests give the money to the best man for safe keeping. At Hungarian and Portuguese weddings, the bride takes off her shoes and puts them in the middle of the dance floor. Then the shoes are passed around from guests to guest and each deposits a contribution.