I consciously wanted to avoid not only the first dance, but also all of the other obligatory dances (father-daughter, mother-son, etc.) To me there’s always something forced, and slightly uncomfortable, about them. I knew I wouldn’t enjoy it. My (now) husband agreed. So you can imagine our horror when no one would start dancing until we danced together. It was frustrating, to say the least, and even a little embarrassing, since we hadn’t planned on a first dance and the first song to come off the iPod playlist was, ahem, Neil Diamond. We tried to make the best of it.

It was kind of like that for the whole reception, though. Maybe our wedding was a little TOO relaxed – people weren’t all that into dancing. We did, however, get a good Hora going, and that was truly memorable. To anyone planning to Hora at their wedding: it was the single most terrifying moment of my life. Nothing says disaster like strapless lace and satin atop a chair!

{All images via Peter Doyle Photography}