Father And Daughter Wedding Dance

by Anita
(Pebble Beach CA)

What is traditional wedding protocol for the father/daughter dance and groom/mother dance?

Our Thoughts

Dear Anita,

Regarding the timing at a traditional wedding reception, the evening ceremonies normally starts out with the bride and groom's first dance. The Father/Daughter dance would be the next dance for the evening followed closely by the Mother/Son dance.

It is always traditional, and you see this throughout the big day both at the ceremony and the reception, that the bride and her family come first.

Something else to think about is that quite a few of my clients take a small break between their dance and the parents dances so that it does not seem like so much “dancing” at one time.

For example, open your wedding reception with your dance then take a break to eat the salad plate or appetizers. This can also be a great time to have the best man and maid of honor wedding speeches.

Then open the floor again with the parent dances. Some couples also choose to have their parent dances combined in one song rather than traditionally separating them to both save a little time and/or if a couple is not comfortable with standing in the spotlight for a long period of time.

Regards,
Danielle