Money dance

I’ve seen people suggest using the flower girl basket or just any drawstring bag. I’ve seen cute ones on Etsy.

We're doing a type of jug that our MOH and BM will hold and will read "Adventure Fund" to go with our Disney theme (it will be UP themed). I've also seen pitchers, baseball hats, and little baskets.

I will point out that you might get pushed back if the money dance isn't a part of your culture/traditions as many who don't have that tradition find money dances extremely tacky. Obviously, I'm not going to tell you not to do it, just be prepared if anyone gives you pushback. (Unless of course SIL suggested it because it's one of their family's traditions then of course you just explain that).

If it is not part of your culture, do not include it. Many people see it as gift grabby, the same as any other fund (cash, honeymoon, etc). If you don’t want someone touching you, don’t dance with them. Otherwise your fiancé has pockets.

This might be helpful in deciding if the money dance is really what you want. With so many brides having honeyfunds now, I think the tradition has phased out. Most people don't even carry cash on them nowadays and as a guest I wouldn't think to bring cash to a wedding. It has been a very long time since I've been at a wedding with a money dance.

https://www.brides.com/money-dance-tradition-5074509

We are doing a money dance because FH is mexican and its common thing to do at a wedding. Usually they pin money on you (could be $1 or more). You can use safety pins, a garland to pin money onto, or wear a sash.

View Quoted Comment We don’t have cultural traditions tied to this money dance thing. We are both white. I feel like it’s jut to get money from people.I’m close to taking it out of the timeline and have more time for regular dancing. Thank you all for your on-site. Very helpful!

View Quoted Comment Well Typically the money dance is only 1 dance to 1 song unless theres lots of ppl lined up, then it can be 2 songs. We are doing it right before we open the floor to open dancing. Its a know your crowd type thing. If this is a new concept to your guests and you think it will be awkward, then maybe it is best to cut it out of the reception like you said.

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White people have it in their cultures/traditions as well. The most notable are Polish or Greek money dances. It's not just a non-white thing.

I would suggest that unless it's the norm in your social circle/culture I'd avoid it. It can come across as a cash grab if there's no tradition to support it.

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It's part of my culture since I'm half Filipino, but if no one initiates it then we won't do it. We aren't adding it to our timeline our having it announced.

FH said that if it's something my family would want, then we could have a jar with a sign that says: "Pay to dance with the bride/groom". He has seen that done at weddings, but I personally don't like it because I see it as money grabby lol.

Again, if anyone starts it, it'll def. be from my side of the family that are Filipino and KNOW that it's a thing at weddings, but if it's not done we def. won't be upset lol.

I love the idea of a money dance. I recommend using a basket or velvet bag. The idea would be that your Best Man or Maid of Honor would hold the bag/basket and a tray with shots. Your guests would put their money in the bag/basket, take a shot, and enjoy a small part of a song/dance with your and/or your significant other. Have fun!

View Quoted Comment I wish this was my experience with them! The only money dance I’ve seen at a wedding lasted 30 minutes. Some people danced the entire song and some people were too shy to go and cut in. It was excruciating. I definitely agree with the know your crowd. It’s something done at weddings in my husband’s family, but has never happened with my family, so it would have been uncomfortable for many guests had we had our big, planned event.

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This is my feeling as well. Unless the majority of your guests will be expecting it, then the dance itself has a high probability of being a vibe/mood killer (it stops all the fun on the dance floor) and quite awkward. Most people don't carry cash (again, unless they are expecting this event), aren't interested in paying to dance with you, and would prefer to just keep socializing or dancing (whatever they were already doing).

I have seen this go very badly at a number of weddings (I used to work as a catering server) that clearly had no cultural tradition for this.

View Quoted Comment 30minutes!! What the heck lol! Heck no lol no one has time for that. Thanks for that insight. If I see someone waiting to cut in and the person Im dancing with has had a decent amount of time dancing with me, I will definitely help move things along. And same here, it’s common with FH’s family but not mine.

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What Maggie said.

Every wedding I've been to with it, which is a lot because it's very common where I grew up in a mostly white midwest town, the MOH/BM were in charge of collecting the money and letting the next person in line cut in, depending on how long the line was and how much someone gave the dance could be as short as 20-30 seconds or almost a minute, but I'm skipping it at my wedding, the midwest people traveling to jersey might miss it, but I and my FH's side won't.

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Agree with all of this.

I rarely have cash on me, and would not be expecting this at a wedding. Participating would be very awkward.

Unless it is a part of your culture and many of your guests are familiar with it and expecting it, I think it should be avoided.