The Anniversary Dance is a great way to recognize the married folks that have come to your reception. It’s also a great way to include people in the biggest night of your life and the more people feel included the more they will remember your wedding!
So if you are unfamiliar with the Anniversary Dance let me walk you through how we do it.
The first step takes place during our consultation meetings, picking the perfect song. My favorite song for the Anniversary Dance is Remember When by Alan Jackson because it’s a good length (over 4 minutes, which is important, we’ll explain later) and it tells a story. If you don’t like country feel free to pick any song that follows those two requirements.
The second step takes place at your reception. Your DJ should explain to everyone that the next song is dedicated to all the married folks and invite them to the dance floor. Once the floor is crowded, the DJ will start the song and move to the next step.
Once song begins the fun begins as well. About five seconds into the song your DJ will say “if you’ve been married for less than a day, please step off the dance floor.” Obviously you and your partner will laugh and step off the dance floor. The DJ will then wait a few moments and say “if you’ve been married for less than a year, please step off the dance floor.” The DJ will do this over and over again until there are 3 or 4 couples left on the dance floor. Once the song ends your DJ should recognize everyone still standing and encourage a round of applause.
This final step is optional but we have found it really adds a lot to the reception. Once the song is over we ask everyone to please stay on the dance floor. We then walk to each of the couples and ask them (on the mic) how long they have been married and if they have any words of wisdom for the bride and groom. It always warms my heart how in love people can be after 35, 40, 45 years or more of marriage!
**The Anniversary Dance doesn’t work for every event. You will need to discuss with your DJ how long some of your guests have been married. If Grandma isn’t around anymore or if your folks are divorced, this might not be the best thing for you to include. Discuss your concerns with your DJ, they should have the knowledge to help you decide.**
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