The Wedding Dance of Wisdom

Recently, Eric and I attended a gorgeous outdoor wedding at Smith Mountain Lake (in Virginia). For those of you who are fans of the movie What About Bob, Smith Mountain Lake is where the 1991 blockbuster was filmed. The couple got married with the beautiful lake and a stunning mountain in the background. It was certainly one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve attended.

The reception was equally beautiful, but one part stood out to me more than anything else. To preface, let me begin by saying I am terrified of dancing in public. Up until this wedding, I have refused to dance with Eric at every wedding we’ve attended together (including our own). The deejay at this wedding called all the married couples up to the dance floor.  And for whatever reason (I think it was because I was dressed casually – may the Lord richly bless the bride and groom for the part of their invitations that said “casual dress”), I walked with Eric onto the dance floor.

After all the married couples started dancing, the DJ asked all the couples who’d been married 1 day or less to step off of the dance floor. ~smile~ So, the newlyweds exited the floor.  Then he asked those who had been married less than five years to step off the floor. Then ten years, fifteen years, twenty years, twenty-eight years, thirty-two years, and so on and so forth. It was so sweet watching all the couples that had been married more than thirty years continue to dance together.

The deejay kept calling out years, and before long, only two couples remained having been married more than fifty years. Finally, one couple won out having been married more than fifty-four years. Once the deejay announced the winner, he asked the bride and groom to come back onto the dance floor where the bride danced with the older gentlemen and the groom danced with the older lady. While they were dancing, the DJ told the older couple to give the newlyweds advice on how to survive the first year of marriage. As it turned out, the couple who were married the longest were the maternal grandparents of the groom. It was the sweetest sight to watch the older generation impart wisdom to the younger.

Maybe you’ve seen this done at a wedding before or maybe you’ve never heard of having such a dance at a wedding. It was one of the most, if not the most, touching moments I’ve ever seen at a reception. If you are daydreaming about your future wedding or in the throes of planning your wedding, consider having what I now call the Wedding Dance of Wisdom at your reception. Even though you may be lost in the magic on your wedding day, it will be a blessing to honor the marriages that have made it through the tough times, and a blessing to hear how they traversed the ups and downs of life together!

Have you ever seen a touching moment at a wedding or reception that you would like to incorporate in your wedding? If so, please share it with us in the comments below!