The money dance, also known as the dollar dance or apron dance, is the tradition where the guests pay for the privilege of dancing with the bride and/or groom. The dance begins with the best man dancing with the bride. The bride has several choices on how to collect the money. She can have guests pin the money onto her wedding gown, put it in a purse especially for this purpose, or put it into the pockets of an apron put on over her dress.
While the tradition used to be simply including the bride, it has expanded to include female guests dancing with the groom. The money the newlyweds collect can then be used on their honeymoon or for other expenses.
While the money dance might seem like an American tradition, it actually originates elsewhere. For example, in the Ukraine, the father of the bride leads the dance and the money is pinned onto her dress. In Yugoslavia, guests give the money to the best man, while in Hungary the bride places her shoes in the middle of the dance floor for the guests to deposit money. The tradition came to America by immigrants from Europe. Today, approximately half of all wedding receptions include the money dance.
How the dance is run is up to the couple. In some places, a donation buys a complete dance, in others it buys only about 15-20 seconds of a dance. If the dances will not last a full song, you will need a couple of hosts to ensure that the line moves in a steady pattern.
The biggest issue becomes when to have the dance. If you have it too soon during the reception, you seem too eager. If you have it too late, guests have already left or are too tired (or intoxicated) to participate. One of the best times is right after the garter and bouquet have been tossed.
How long the money dance lasts is up to you. Expect it to last through at least a few songs. The type of songs is up to you. Typically, songs that have a strong friendship theme are used. We've included a number of these songs below along with some of our favorite "money" songs.
If the dollar dance seems too greedy, you can consider several alternatives. One is to collect money not for yourself, but for your favorite charity. This is especially good way to remember a relative that has passed away.
Another option is to call it a wish dance and not collect money at all. This will allow guests to share a special wish to the bride and groom. Whether you collect money or not, it gives your guests a chance to get a moment of your time that they might not have had otherwise.
Some of the best songs for the money dance purpose have been listed below. For your convenience, we have included links to the sheet music on Sheetmusicplus.com as well as the CD on Amazon.com whenever available. If you are looking to purchase the mp3 or would like to listen to a sample, then click on either the Amazon, Rhapsody, or iTunes links.
Rhapsody provides both music subscriptions as well as individual mp3s for sale in WMA format and iTunes only provides MPEG-4 audio files for sale. However, Amazon does offer mp3s that are compatible with both Windows Media Player and iTunes. For more information about where to purchase music online, we provide it on our Music Downloads page or our Music Subscriptions page.
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For more songs appropriate for money dances browse our pages on Best Songs for the Bridal Party Dance or scroll down for more wedding reception song pages. Don't forget to check our numerous pages on Love Songs for more songs appropriate for weddings.
For more reception songs, go to Best Wedding Reception Songs or select one of the pages below:
For more ceremony songs, go to Best Wedding Ceremony Songs or select one of the pages below:
