Reception, dance and gifts

The first dance, the money dance, the cake, the envelopes and the long night of dancing.

Reception is when the formal part ends and the party begins. There are speeches, a first dance, the cutting of the cake, the money dance, the gift envelopes and long hours of music. It is a mix of the traditional and the new, and it usually decides how the day is remembered.

Speeches and first dance

In Britain speeches come from the father of the bride, the groom and the best man. In Ireland the father and the best man speak, and in Germany a friend performs a skit. In Greece and the Balkans, a circle dance like the kalamatianos opens the floor. The first dance may be a waltz, a pop song or a choreographed set.

Money and gifts

The money dance is performed in the Philippines, Poland and Greece, where guests pin banknotes on the couple. In Jewish and Arab weddings, guests may give cash. In China and Vietnam, red envelopes are given at the door. In Nigeria spraying cash on dancers is common, though it is regulated in some places. In the West gifts come from a registry or a honeymoon fund.

The end of the night

Weddings end with a last dance, a bouquet or garter toss, a sparkler exit or the couple's departure in a decorated car. In India the vidaai marks the bride's emotional departure from her parents' home.

About this page

Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Reception, dance and gifts (stage of the wedding). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreKalamatianosΚαλαματιανός A popular Greek folk dance performed in a chain at weddings and social gatheringsPerformance · Reception, dance and gifts 🇬🇷 Crete, GreecePentozaliΠεντοζάλης The vigorous Cretan war dance of high jumps and improvisation that marks the wedding procession.Performance · Procession and arrival 🇵🇱 PolandSto lat A Polish song sung to wish a person long life and good health at weddings and other gatherings.Performance · The wedding feast

🇵🇱 Poland and 1 morePolonaisePolonez A stately Polish partner dance in triple metre that opens weddings and formal celebrations.Performance · Procession and arrival 🇬🇷 GreeceTsamikoΤσάμικος A traditional Greek folk dance performed at weddings and festivals, known for its slow tempo and acrobatic leaps.Performance · The wedding feast

🇪🇸 Seville, SpainSevillanas A traditional Andalusian folk dance performed by couples at weddings and local festivals in Spain.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreChicken DanceDer Ententanz A novelty polka song and accompanying hand movements performed at weddings and festivals.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇦🇹 Vienna, Austria and 2 moreViennese waltzWiener Walzer The fast rotary ballroom dance that originated in Austria and defines the traditional waltz.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇲🇰 Galičnik, North MacedoniaGaličnik Wedding FestivalГаличка свадба (Galička svadba) A recreated traditional wedding in a North Macedonian village that turns a local rite into an annual festival.Feast custom · The ceremony

🇭🇺 Hungary and 5 moreCsárdás A Hungarian folk dance that begins slowly and ends with a fast spin.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreBulgarian wedding musicсватбарска музика Fast-paced instrumental music played at Bulgarian weddings that blends folk, Romani, and Turkish styles.Performance · The ceremony 🇬🇷 GreeceLipothymiarikosΛιποθυμιάρικος (Horos tis Nifis) A Greek wedding dance where men mimic a fainting bride in the early morning hours.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇷🇴 Romania and 7 moreHorahora (Romanian), horo (Bulgarian), oro (Macedonian), horah (Hebrew) A circle dance held at weddings across Southeast Europe and among Jewish communities worldwide.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreCountry dance A social partner dance from England where couples follow a caller through repeated figures in long lines or squares.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts 🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreMoney dance A reception ritual where guests give cash to the couple while dancing or showering them with notes.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts

🇷🇸 Serbia and 2 moreKoloКоло A South Slavic circle dance performed at weddings and social gatherings across the Balkans.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇩🇪 GermanyGroßvatertanz A traditional Saxon dance played at the end of wedding celebrations to mark the finale.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇺🇦 Ukraine and 4 moreKorovaiкоровай (Ukrainian), каравай (Russian), кравай (Bulgarian) A large round braided bread shared at weddings to bless the couple and unite the community.Feast custom · The ceremony

🇵🇱 Poland and 1 moreBadchenבּדחן (badkhn) The Ashkenazi Jewish wedding entertainer and master of ceremonies who guides the couple through ritual stages with song Performance · Engagement and betrothal

🇺🇦 Kolomyia, Ukraine and 2 moreKolomyikaколомийка A fast Ukrainian folk dance with rhymed verses, celebrated at weddings in western Ukraine and Canada.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇷🇴 Romania and 4 moreCălușariCălușarii A traditional Romanian spring dance and male society known for acrobatic leaps and ritual healing.Performance · The weeks before

🇩🇪 GermanyLandshut WeddingLandshuter Hochzeit A four-year historical pageant in Bavaria re-enacting the 1475 royal marriage of George and Hedwig.Setting · Engagement and betrothal 🇭🇷 Croatia and 2 moreBećarac A humorous folk song sung at weddings and village parties in Eastern CroatiaPerformance · The wedding feast

🇫🇷 France and 5 moreChapelloise A circle mixer dance with partner changes kept in the European Balfolk scenePerformance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇷🇸 Serbia and 5 moreČočekčočек (Serbian/Macedonian), кючек (Bulgarian), çyçek/qyqek (Albanian), sistemul (Romanian), Tsifteteli (Greek) A Balkan wedding dance with a distinctive nine-beat rhythm, kept alive by Romani musicians and village celebrations.Performance · The wedding feast

🇬🇷 Crete, GreeceSoustaΣούστα A Greek courtship dance performed at weddings to display romance and agility.Performance · Procession and arrival

🇷🇴 Romania and 5 moreKlezmerקלעזמער The instrumental wedding music of Ashkenazi Jews, blending Eastern European and Jewish ritual melodies.Performance · Engagement and betrothal 🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreZwiefacher A Bavarian couple dance that shifts between three and two beats per measure.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇭🇷 CroatiaNijemo kolo A silent Croatian folk dance where couples move in a circle without music.Performance · The ceremony 🇬🇧 Newquay, United KingdomTroyl A Cornish barn dance or social gathering featuring music, song, and communal dancing.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇷🇴 Romania and 5 moreKlezmerקלעזמער The instrumental dance music played by Ashkenazi Jewish musicians at weddings in Eastern Europe and beyondPerformance · Engagement and betrothal

🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreQaytarma A Crimean Tatar folk dance of cyclical motion performed at weddings and holidays.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇬🇷 Crete, Greece and 1 moreSyrtosΣυρτός A traditional Greek line dance where partners hold hands and follow a leader through slow and quick steps.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts

🇬🇧 Edinburgh, United Kingdom and 5 moreScottish country dance A social group dance where couples trace progressive patterns to traditional Scottish musicPerformance · Reception, dance and gifts

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Csárdás: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Chapelloise: Unuaiga, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Landshut Wedding: Oktobersonne, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sevillanas: Anual, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Qaytarma: Gottfried Heinrich Geißler, Public domain, source
Klezmer: Syrena Records (Warsaw), Public domain, source
Hora: Chajeshukarie ( talk ), Public domain, source
Syrtos: Muriel Pécastaing-Boissière pour Cédric Boissière, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Sousta: psyberartist, CC BY 2.0, source
Country dance: Engraving by William Hogarth, CC BY 4.0, source
Bread and salt: Olli Niemitalo, CC0, source
Kolo: Sasa.mazinjanin, Public domain, source
Großvatertanz: traditional, Public domain, source
Galičnik Wedding Festival: IvanaKrstik, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Kolomyika: Teodor Axentowicz, Public domain, source
Viennese waltz: Sigismund von Dobschütz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Chicken Dance: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Čoček: Модернист, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Badchen: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Klezmer: Unknown artist identified as "M.D.", Public domain, source
Nijemo kolo: Outrageous zone, CC BY 3.0, source
Călușari: El bes, CC BY 3.0, source
Polonaise: Korneli Szlegel, Public domain, source
Bulgarian wedding music: Allen Ruttenberg, CC BY 2.0, source