Far less couples are having the Bouquet & Garter tradition at their wedding receptions. Unfortunately, the elimination of this event leaves a hole in the reception that is not always filled by dancing alone.
A new tradition has emerged in the past few years known as “The Anniversary Dance.” Where the Bouquet & Garter involves single guests, the Anniversary Dance highlights thr married couples.
Here is how it works… First, the MC calls for every married couple to join the bride and groom out on the dance floor. A romantic, slow song is played and the couples dance together. At the first chance, the MC will ask for all couple married just 5 years or less to exit the dance floor. Everyone else remains and continues to dance.
The next call is for 10 years followed by 15 and so on, and so forth. After a few minutes, the dance floor has been narrowed down to only a few select couples who all have many years of married experience.
Finally, towards the conclusion of the song, one final couple remains dancing and are declared the winners of the Anniversary Dance! The MC invites the crowd to give them a huge round of applause, and to finish things off, the bride and groom are called out to join them on the center of the floor.
This is the fun part… The bride and groom now honors their winners by presenting flowers to the woman, and a bottle of wine to the gentleman. For a grand finale’, the MC asks the winning couple for advice directed to the bride and groom. Obviously, the guests of honor are newlyweds, and can really benefit with great advice from such an experienced couple. Believe me, you can get some great lines here as this moment is purely spontaneous!
Great songs for the anniversary dance:
- Remember When – Alan Jackson
- Through The Years – Kenny Rogers
- What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
- As Time Goes By – Jimmy Durante’
- Colour My World – Chicago
