500 Wedding Ideas

What is your opinion of doing the "dollar dance" at weddings? Trashy, or spending money for the honeymoon?

I'm getting married in June and most of the weddings I've been to have done the dollar dance. My future sister in law said that she wishes she did it at their wedding for honeymoon spending money, but my future mother in law thinks its trashy. I just want to know what the general public thought!

Public Comments

1. I think it's tacky and pointless. I didn't request to have it. However, the guests decided to "suprise" us and had the DJ do it anyways. We raised a whopping $87
2. i've been to weddings that had the dollar dance. big deal, you give a dollar and spend some time with the bride and groom. i don't think it's "trashy" but i also don't think that the couple should expect anymore that $1 per person. my dad goes crazy at those things, he gives like $20 bills... i can't bring myself to do it at my wedding though...i'm getting married in colorado, and i think it's more of an east coast tradition (i grew up in pittsburgh, pa)...most people in colorado have never heard of it and would probably think that we were crazy
3. I was at a wedding last weekend where the dollar dance was done. I don't have really strong feeling about it one way or the other, to be honest, because I live in an ethnic region of the country and they're pretty common here. Since I've grown up with them, they're pretty much accepted here. I also know that in this part of the country, it literally IS a dollar dance, people mostly give $1, and no one forces guests to participate. However, please know that I DO see how these can get out of hand, and appear awfully tacky. What I WILL say about the wedding I was just at was this - everyone was dancing and having a great time. All of a sudden, dancing stopped and they started the dollar dance. It killed the atmosphere, seemed to last for FOREVER, and about half the guests left. When it was all said and done, the party just didn't feel the same afterwords.
4. I dont think it is trashy at all! I would have it at my wedding, Atleast it would give you some spending money on your honeymoon!
5. The dollar dance is trashy. My husband and I were married in a Greek Orthodox wedding that was very traditional. I did not even throw my bouquet and there was no garter toss - we felt all those things were not acceptable at a wedding reception. But to each his own!!
6. If it is a tradition in your circle of family and friends, or in your culture, then it is fine! If people will come with money for this purpose, expecting you to do it, then do it. If not, then it looks like a ploy for money! It may be that your mil is not familiar with the tradition. She may have never done it or seen it done. If this is the case, do a little research on it, and give her more info. If she is familiar with it, and just doesn't like it, then this is your first lesson in "you can't please everyone, especially not your mil!".
7. To me, it depends on the age of the couple. If this is a first wedding and you have young, unestablished people (in early 20s) it's ok. But if these are older couples, especially a 2nd marriage, it is tacky.
8. I think it's tacky, tacky, tacky. People are already giving you a gift, and most of them will probably give money. The only time I think it's OK is if it's a FIRMLY entrenched part of your culture, and EVERYONE has done it for generations and would think you'd dropped an important part of the wedding. That's clearly not the case in your situation. Personally, I'm embarrassed for any couple that does a money dance. Any time that I've been at a wedding where it was done, all that people commented on later was the money dance. And, the comments weren't along the lines of "how cute", but of "can you believe how tacky and greedy they were?!!". Nobody remembers anything nice about those weddings, just the money-grubbing part. For the sake of a couple hundred dollars, keep your reputations in tact. If you need a couple of hundred dollars that badly, then cut back on other wedding expenses.
9. Tacky.
10. I think it's trashy. I refused to do this at my wedding even when people were asking about it. We wanted to have a fun time with all our friends and family who came to celebrate with us. They had already given us gifts, why make them pay to dance with us? We've been married 17 years and people still talk about how much fun our reception was.
11. Yes, trashy AND in poor taste. I do live in a part of the country where this is done, but my daughter/son-in-law and my son/daughter-in-law chose not to do this at their receptions and I was very thankful :) I don't think people have to spend money to dance with the bride or groom. If they want to dance with them, they should. It shouldn't cost them. To me it's just another way for the bride and groom to squeeze more money out of their guests. And how much do you really get? Besides being trashy it seems that all of the good slow songs are played during that set "the dollar dance" and, then, of course, they are not played again for the night, so no dancing to popular slow songs. Don't do it -- it will be classier.
12. I think that is great idea the bride and groom get 15 seconds with just one guest at a time, its a good time to ask what is going on in their life anything new and vice versa....
13. I am Mexican and in our culture it is part of the wedding. It's tradition. I think alot of cultures are the same thing. I think my family would think I wasn't honoring tradition if we didn't. You can't go into it having high expectations of paying for your honeymoon as most people will only give a dollar some more. For example in my family this is when those family members who chose to give cash gifts give it when they are dancing with the bride and groom. It is a more personal gesture in which they an give it to you on a face to face basis. Also it gives you a chance to mingle with your guests. I don't see anything wrong with them.
14. Honestly, if you open the cards before the honeymoon, you will probably have some spending money right there. I think you should do what you and your groom want to do.
15. It really depends on your family and your heritage. Its not something you should just do for the heck of it or for the money. If it is a family tradition that everyone in your family does and it will be expected, then it would be okay. If no one in your family or the groom's family does it, then its not a good idea. Then, its just money grubbing and tacky. Keeping with tradition is one thing but adding something like that to your wedding just to get extra spending money for the honeymoon is a bit rude to your guests who won't be expecting such a thing. The fact that your future MIL thinks its tacky is a big indicator of what the rest of the groom's family will think. I wouldn't do it if I were you. We decided against having one for the very same reason. I had friends who kept trying to convince me to do one, but I decided that I didn't have a good enough reason for doing it being that it isn't a tradition in either of our families. I'd rather not offend my guests who are coming from all over the country to be at our wedding. Good luck with your decision.
16. For those of us who aren't familiar with the "Dollar Dance", could you please explain what it is? Thanks!
17. I think if it is a tradition in your culture it's fine but if you just want to do it for money it is tacky.
18. We are very traditional- and never heard opf this till our son got married! We always used a Money tree filled with bows that people could tie money too at the gift table. Our sons dollar dance wasnt trashy at all. It was FUN and nice! Do what you want cuz it's YOUR wedding not your mother in laws!
19. Totally Tacky.
20. I know it is widely accepted, but I dont like it. Displays of money like that are not tasteful when you are hosting a party.
21. I agree with the poster who said that it makes you embarrassed for the bride and groom. It looks greedy, tacky, and rude.
22. I've only learned about the dollar dance through Yahoo Answers....coming from a Northeastern person, the dollar dance sounds like possibly the tackiest thing I've ever heard. Most people here give you money as a wedding gift, not a registry gift. To ask people to give you MORE money seems exceptionally rude to me. They already bought you a wedding gift, why should they have to pay for your honeymoon, too?
23. It's not trashy. Its sort of a tradition. I didn't have it at my wedding. I wanted to do it but with everything going on I completely forgot to mention it to the dj.
24. My opinion: tacky and money-grubbing. Most guests secretly roll their eyes at it from what I have seen.
25. It is tradition and I in no way think it is trashy. Its FUN, and your guests have a little bit of time to say congrats and give best wishes while dancing as well as giving $1! Heck, people give ANY dollar amount they want for a dollar dance. If that happens at my wedding (I'm still on the fence about it) I'd use it to tip our site/dj/caterer/etc.
26. I don't think it's trashy. It will give you a chance to talk to some of your guests. I am doing it but i also asked the dj to request that all guests that aren't participating in the dollar dance to get up and dance also. This way the guests don't get bored and have to stop and watch us dance. i'll admit that would be BORRIIINNGG. BTW---- what is with all of the Thumbs down?? I marry my sweetie October 20 07
27. It depends on the culture, and perhaps more importantly the age of the newlyweds. For a very young couple, I think that it is more than acceptable. I have been to many Italian and hispanic weddings where the "money dance" is expected, and everyone comes prepared. I have also been to some WASPy receptions where a money dance would cause the parents to faint, because it would be a reflection that somehow that they were not able to provide for their own children. Don't call it a "dollar dance," or you'll get dollars. Call it a "money dance," and mention the honeymoon. Even at reception where I knew the couple casually, I would at least slip the bride a $20. If I knew them well, I'd go with a $50 or $100 bill.
28. "If the bride will dance with me for a $1, what will she do for $100." (snicker, ha ha, laugh) Do you want comments like that at your wedding.? Maybe if you were not serving alcohol it would be okay, don't know. I have only heard negatives, tho.
29. Beyond tacky and well into trashy.