The Dollars and Cents (Sense) of the Money Dance Tradition

Have you ever attended a wedding reception that has included the money dance? If it’s not a wedding tradition you were familiar with, did you wonder why wedding guests were showering money or pinning bills on the newlyweds and lining up to dance with them? If you answered yes, keep reading! 

The money dance is a cultural tradition at many wedding receptions where guests offer the newlyweds money to dance with them, pin money to the clothes of the newlyweds, or they simply shower the couple with money. The purpose of the custom is to help establish the couple in their new life together, or to show them just how much they are loved and appreciated.

Even for a couple whose heritage includes the money dance, it still may be a difficult choice whether to include it or not. They may worry that guests will see it as an overt money grab. But, we feel, if it’s communicated that it’s both a cultural celebration & family tradition, as well as an excellent way for guests to interact with the newlyweds, the couple should go ahead, and have fun with it! And, even if both of you don’t share the same cultural or familial traditions, it can be a fun and memorable way to unite the two families.

The Meaning and History Behind the Money Dance

The money dance also goes by the dollar dance, money spray, or the apron dance. The details of performing the money dance varies quite widely across the many cultures which practice it. So, with it being such a widespread tradition, there is no definitive answer as to when it started or which country or culture was the first to start including it as part of a wedding celebration.

Variations of the money dance are popular in Poland, Greece, Nigeria, Philippines, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Portugal, Cuba, Latin America, Mexico, Eastern Europe, and many other countries. And, naturally, people brought and preserved their cultures when immigrating to America, as such the money dance is part of a great many wedding celebrations in the United States!

Modern Money Dance Ideas

As revered as the tradition of the money dance is, and as nuanced as the details can be for different cultures, here are a few ideas to modernize the tradition and make it fresh.

Borrowing from the Polish tradition; after the guest dances with the newlyweds, a waiter could offer them a small shot of premium alcohol like Crown Royal.

If pinning the money onto clothing is an expected custom, the newlyweds can consider changing into a second outfit to avoid ruining their gown or tux.

After playing whatever the culturally traditional song is expected, the couple are free to be creative. For example: getting the DJ to create a song mix with the word “money” in the hook. But keep it fun and tasteful.

While the Portuguese tradition is to pass the bride’s shoes around the room for contributions, they could consider a second pair of less expensive shoes for the actual money collection.

Alternatively, the game could be changed to substitute little love notes written by the guests, which could also be pinned to newlyweds, or they could simply be collected and taken home for when the couple need inspiration and a little love boost.

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Creating An Immersive Experience For Your Guests

Thinking of, or currently planning a themed party?! Marvelous! But, have you thought about taking it a few steps further to create a fully immersive party experience for your guests? You might be wondering… what is the difference?! Well, keep reading to find out!

Hosting a fully immersive party experience requires creating a rich, dynamic and riveting encounter that will transport your guests straight into another world. A World that blurs the fine line between fantasy and reality! An over-the-top event that will delight and engage all of the 5 senses in unanticipated and thoughtful ways. It has been our experience, with events we’ve been a part of, that doing so will result in a remarkably memorable celebration, that will wow your guests and will continue to live on and on in the stories they share of their experience!

Now it’s time to explore some of the immersive event elements to really make your party pop!

Create Mood With Themed Decor

Simply hosting a party based on a theme – instead of a more typical celebration – is one of the best ways to create an unforgettable experience for the guests in attendance. When everything from biggest reveals to the smallest details, are in keeping with the theme it can create powerful ways to immerse guests into the alternate reality you’re creating.

For example… you’re aiming for an enchanted forest party theme. In that case, you’re likely to plan on using different lighting effects as well as decor foliage to create the effect you’re after. But, if you want to really elevate the experience for your guests, you should also think of engaging their sense of smell with scented candles or essential oils in lively woods-inspired fragrances to create that mystical forest ambience you’re going for.

Moving on from there you can think about how to use different decor textures to engage the sense of touch. Maybe you want guests to feel compelled to reach out and touch things, if so, elaborate floral arrangements with contrasting textures, including branches, leaves and flowers could be set against gorgeous sueded or silk tablecloths to create both visual and textural interest, and to elevate the sensory experience of your guests while they’re seated at their tables.

Dramatic Lighting Can Make Your Event

Lighting and sound effects are incredibly important elements when hosting immersive experiences! They can be fine tuned to each of the different stages of your party. And, doing so will help to set the tone, pacing and energy of the entire event.

Exterior architectural lighting can also be used at your event venue to amazing effect by lighting up buildings (entryways, pillars, landscaping) as well as natural elements, such as trees, gardens, patios or water features.

Projection Mapping For The Win!

This amazing technology uses video projection to cover surfaces such as walls, floors, ceilings, the outside of buildings and even water features. Using projection mapping has the power to transform the event space into an eye-catching, startling, and immersive alternate reality. 

Projection mapping technology is incredibly versatile – and becoming more elaborate all the time –  and with the right expertise, and vendor, it can be tailored to any event! Think projecting the starry night sky onto the ceiling, think projecting swirling and bubbling water onto the floor, think projecting a mystical forest or creatures onto the walls. Sounds dreamy right?!

Actors! Yes… That’s Right! Actors!

Depending on the type of party, size of party and theme you’re planning, the use of real character actors is a clever – and often underutilized – way of truly immersing guests into your experience.

Maybe an Elvis impersonator does a set for a Vegas themed event, maybe Sherlock Holmes and Watson pop by to explain the rules for a murder mystery party, maybe Liz, the Queen of England stops in for a cup of tea at a garden party event! 

The sky’s the limit. The main point to remember is that whichever elements you choose to include, the safety and comfort of your guests is always the top priority. As such, they should never feel  that they’re being forced to participate in activities. And, actors can create those immersive experiences for your guests, while requiring nothing of them but to observe, and hopefully in the end, draw your guests into participating in the fun!

End Note: If you want a truly immersive experience for your guests, try a few of these ideas on for size! Whether you embrace one of them, or all of them, they will be sure to help you level up the party experience!

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Gender-Neutral First Dance Songs For Your LBGTQ+ Wedding

Let’s face it, selecting your wedding music – and your first dance song in particular – is challenging for everyone, let alone couples who fall on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. As such, you probably want/demand/hope for something that is a bit more unique to celebrate the most special moments of your big day! It’s incredibly important that we find ways throughout the evening to celebrate your love and commitment together, while ensuring that there are no awkward moments as your first dance song plays: perhaps singing about a gender that neither you nor your partner identify with! You certainly don’t need that on a day that is supposed to be all about your love and starting your new lives together! And, and Beat Train Productions, we’re deeply committed to giving every single couple – regardless of their sexuality or gender expression – a wedding dance experience of a lifetime!

So, without further ado, and no matter what kind of first dance you’re after; here’s a small collection of our favorite gender-neutral first dance songs.

Gender Neutral Love Songs

“Oh My Love” by John Lennon

“The Luckiest” by Ben Folds 

“You Are The Reason” by Calum Scott

“I Was Born To Love You” by Queen

“Truly, Madly, Deeply” by Savage Garden

“Best Of My Love” by The Emotions

“More Than Words” by Extreme

“You Are The Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne

“Tip Of My Tongue” by The Civil Wars

“How Long Will I Love You” by Ellie Goulding

“All Mine” by Portishead

“Adore You” by Miley Cyrus

“Stand By Me” by Ben E. King

“It Had to Be You” by Frank Sinatra

“Dance Me To The End Of Love” by Leonard Cohen

“Welcome Home” by Joy Williams

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston

“Latch” by Sam Smith

“Halo” by Beyonce

“Come Away With Me” by Norah Jones

“Unforgettable” by Nat ‘King’ Cole

“Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion

“I Choose You” by Sara Bareilles

“Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis

“At Last” by Etta James

“A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri 

“Sea of Love” by Phil Phillips

“First Day Of My Life” by Bright Eyes

“I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz

“In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel

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How To Be a Good Guest At a Big Indian Wedding

Those of you who don’t come from South Asian backgrounds (myself included), and who haven’t been invited to one before, may be wondering just what to expect at an Indian wedding. Even if you have attended a wedding ceremony in the past, or even many Indian wedding ceremonies, consider that with well north of 30 distinct cultures all within the country, no two Indian weddings will ever be exactly the same! It’s important to know the type of Indian family. Are they North Indian? South Indian? Punjabi? It makes a huge difference! And, also take some time to recognize that it will still come down to how cultural nuances are addressed within the two uniting families!

What should I wear to an Indian wedding?

First things first, you can go wrong with vibrant colors (just leave red to the bride), pastels are great for during the day, and jewel tones are best for the evening! And, avoid the colors black and white, which are seen as the colors of grieving and ill-luck. And, if you’re invited to more than one part of the wedding celebration (they tend to be multi-day affairs), you should have different outfits for each ceremony. And, jewelry tends to be an important part of Indian wedding attire! 

Next up, Feel free to wear traditional Indian wedding attire if you like, but if you decide not to, that’s okay too, just keep your wedding attire modest. Typically women don’t wear dresses shorter than their knees and cover their shoulders, while men should wear long sleeves and long pants. Also, if you’re attending the wedding ceremony, you (both men and women) may be required to have a head covering. 

How long is an Indian wedding?

A typical Hindu Indian wedding timeline stretches on for a fantastic three days. The Hindu wedding ceremony, which takes place on the third day, usually lasts between one-and-a-half to two hours and is then followed by the reception. Hindu weddings often take place outside under a canopy known as a Mandap, but if the Mandap cannot be placed outdoors, it will be built inside. When it’s constructed, each of the four pillars of the bridal canopy represents one of the four parents. After the bride’s parents give her away, The bride and groom will walk around the fire four times. Each turn around the fire represents a major goal in life: Dharma, morality; Artha, prosperity; Kama, personal gratification; and Moksha, spirituality. There will be many important ceremonial steps after this, and once the ceremony is complete, guests will be invited to toss petals and flowers to wish the bride and groom happiness and prosperity. After that it will be time to move onto the reception! The whole wedding day will clock around an exceptional 16 hours of celebration!

Will the newlyweds kiss?

In keeping with tradition, there is often no kiss at the end of a Hindu wedding ceremony as it is considered too personal and intimate for such a public setting. That being said, it really comes down to the mentalities of the couple themselves as well as those of both of their families. 

Should I bring a gift?

Likely not! “No box gifts” instructions are often found at the bottom of Indian wedding invitations. The gift of choice, if a couple does want one, is generally money to start their new lives together (or to help pay for their big wedding). But when deciding, always make sure the amount ends in one, as in $101 instead of $100, as numbers that end in one are considered auspicious.

Final note… our biggest tip is to embrace the experience, have fun and be respectful! And, really that’s good advice no matter where you find yourself!

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How To Rock Your Cocktail Party Reception

You and your fiancé have weighed all your options and have decided to embrace a cocktail reception for your wedding reception! Awesome! Some of the best parties we’ve been to have embraced the more informal cocktail style reception! So without further ado, here’s a list of tips and tricks to bring the fun and rock your cocktail party celebration!

1. The food is a really big part of a cocktail style wedding – it truly is one of the main features – even more so than during a sit down dinner, and as such there are many opportunities in the hors d’oeuvres, food bars, desserts, and late night stations to have fun or maybe even theme the entire menu to your (and your fiancé’s) family heritage or traditions or your personalities.

2. Keep the food coming all evening! Seriously! People will be dancing and enjoying cocktails and will burn off all of those hor d’oeuvres fairly quickly. And, you never want your guests to leave because they’re hungry, and too many cocktails with too little food isn’t a recipe for fun, it’s a recipe for an early night!

3. Even Though you’re having a cocktail party style reception, it’s best to still include some cozy seating nooks or areas and even a small collection of tables and chairs. Your older guests, or guests with young children will appreciate a place to sit and talk while they have a bite to each. You seriously don’t want your guests to leave so that they can sit down and take a rest, so give them the opportunity to do that and your party, so they’re ready to get back to partying!

4. If you want to have a great party, make sure your venue isn’t too big and cavernous! Ideally you want to hit that sweet spot where your reception doesn’t feel crowded, but still feels intimate. And, the same goes for your dance floor! People tend to feel a little shyer and slower to warm up if the dance floor is too big or the guestlist isn’t big enough to fill it! Also, if you hire a DJ, they will often need to bring more equipment to fill that large space, which could affect your bottom line as well as increasing set-up time. 

5. Since you’re unlikely to have as many formal wedding reception elements in a cocktail style reception, you may need to tweak the wedding timeline. Sometimes shorter is sweeter when it comes to cocktail receptions. Guests will be coming ready to party and if they arrive at 6pm oftentimes a 6 hour cocktail reception can be too much without some of the more time consuming elements of a traditional reception. After all, you want our guests to come, mingle, celebrate, enjoy and party, but it’s always best to end the party on a high note, leaving the guests wanting just a little more. It’s kind of like having out of town guests… the best visits are the ones you wish were just a little longer, the worst are ones that go on too long.

You are, of course, welcome to take or leave our advice, and do what works best for you, but these are some of the elements of the most successful cocktail style receptions we’ve been a part of!

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