What time did you have/are you having your 1st dance?

Hi Moya50,

I can share my observations, as a photographer/ videographer, over the years of couples having their first dance. It all depends on the following:

What time your wedding meal/ speaches finish

How many guests are already there from the daytime.

What time the evening guests are invited from.

Is the disco/ dance to be hel in the same room as wher you had your meal and therefore, it is needed to be rearranged and DJ needing to set up after it is cleared (as this can take an hour or more, itself.

Most of the couples tend to have their first dance around 7.45 to 8.30pm. And of course, some will leave it until 9.30 to 10.00pm. You will then start to see a lot of the daytime guests start to leave early.

If your meal finishes, say around 6.00 to 6.30-ish, then you could just mingle with some of the guests, go to your room to freshen up or take a rest (if you are staying at the venue!

Whilst, it is good idea to wait for evening guests to arrive, the daytime guests may be eager to get on the dance floor earlier.

It really just depends on how you feel on the day but will add, just enjoy yourself and everything else should fall in place. Hope this did not side-track too much.

No thats great advice bob, your right, a lot of my family are quite elderly so will have probably left by 9pm and I dont want them to miss it!

I'm not having the traditional "first dance" - we're doing ours at the end of the night just before we leave (to start the slow songs at the end of the evening)

At the weddings i've been to and heard about, the first dance tends to be the very first song the DJ plays...

Not sure if that helps you at all ?

Moya, not sure if this will help but I've gone through all my timings with the hotel as follows - The evening guests will be invited from 7.30pm, the band will start at 8pm and the Hotel suggested the first dance be 8.15pm. I guess its up to the individual couples though.

We had ours at about 8:30ish. We finished our meal about 6:30 and then we went off to have some more pics taken and the guests went to the bar and the magician went around and entertained whilst the evening guests turned up. The disco did start and the kids were in there dancing with their parents etc, people kept coming in and out of the disco room and then we had our first dance and then the disco really kicked off!

ETA: I wish we had had our first dance a little earlier so that we could have had longer on the dance floor as our venue chucked us out at 11 so we didn't really have that long at all and it really did just whizz by!

As early as possible really! Can't remember who just said it but some people may feel they have to wait for the first dance to get up on the dancefloor.

Our evening reception starts at 730 when we will be having music for the children (HSM and the like! We did this at our engagement party and the kids loved it) and then first dance by around 8 when hopefully most of the evening guests will have arrived.

Thanks guys, that really helps. I think on this one im going to go against his advice and go for about 7.45/8, that way the day guests are still there and we can get the party started, OH and I love to dance so if we leave it to 9 then thats half the night passed with everyone standing around!

x

Gr8 question Moya!!!

Does anyone think putting the time of the 1st dance on the invitations would be a good idea??

i remember going to a wedding and missing the first dance

Also my day guests are only about 30 ppl so worried it might seem a bit desserted... unsure what to do... Maybe invite the evening guests at say 7pm and have 1st dance at 8pm? Ooo its hard!!!

Evening guests arrived at 7.30 and the first dance was aimed for 8pm but was at 8.15 due to the band taking a whilieeee to set up....

whats the point of having a first dance at 9pm, thats a longggggg time for your guests to wait for the dance floor to be officially opened!

I'm often asked this....and there is no definitive answer.....its really when it suits you. I have done it after the buffet for some and immediately the evening starts for others.

Couple of things already mentioned.....some people are reluctant to venture onto the dance floor until after the first dance as they feel its a little improper. The first dance often signals the start of the party. Nerves......I've had many B+Gs anxious to do the first dance as early as possible because its the last formality where they are centre stage.

I'm quite against making a definite time for the first dance and usually have an agreement with the B+G that they nod me the wink when they are ready.....for several reasons. A wedding very rarely runs exactly to time. Some evening guests might not have arrived and will be disappointed to miss it. On one occasion I had the brides mother nipping home to check on the dog....so we waited for her return before doing the first dance. On another occasion, it was scheduled for immediately after all the guests had come back into the room......when I went to check if the bride was ready, she was looking exhausted and flustered, and worried that she hadn't had chance to say hello to some evening guests that had just showed up, so we delayed it by 20 minutes....which worked out perfectly. The other thing to consider is if your tog isn't staying all evening, you may want it as soon as possible so that he gets some shots. Another idea is after all your guests have arrived back in the room, have a grand entrance straight onto the dance floor, then into your first dance.

In summary....there's no right or wrong time.....its personal preference. My advice is to be a little bit flexible and arrange with your DJ or band that you will indicate to them when you are ready.

Hope that helps ?

I think that we are having ours at around 8.30 we went to a friends wedding recently and they did theres at 9.45 and no one danced before that they were a bit dissapointed about it but guests didnt arive till 9 i say if they want to see you do your first dance they shoulkd turn up early x