5 Father Daughter Dance Alternatives

One of my favorite moments during our wedding was the father daughter dance. We danced to Steven Curtis Chapman's Cinderella. Although, to be honest, I think I'm probably the only person in the world who actually knows that. I heard the song on the radio once and instantly knew it was my father daughter dance song. But, what about someone who doesn't want to do a father daughter dance? You don't have to. There are father daughter dance alternatives.

5 Father Daughter Dance Alternatives

There are lots of reasons you may be looking for a replacement for father daughter dance. Maybe your dad isn't in the picture, maybe he has passed away, maybe he can't make the wedding. Whatever the case is, you may be trying to figure out what to do.

We have five great ideas for you.

1. Skip it.
This is the most simple one, but the one people overlook. No one says you have to have a father daughter dance. Everything about your wedding is optional, except the actual getting married part. That part you have to do.

So if you don't want to do the father daughter dance, don't do it. We actually skipped the mother son dance because Pete's mom passed away four years before we got married, and not one person came up to me to say we forgot it.

2. Dance with your mom.
Some people skip the father daughter dance because there's no dad in the picture. But think about who is walking you down the aisle. If that's your mom, then ask her to do a mother daughter dance instead. It would be an incredibly beautiful moment for her.

You don't have to slow dance with your mom like you would with your dad. Instead, pick something fun like Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and just dance and jump around and make a beautiful memory with your mom.


3. Dance with your siblings.
Do you have a brother you are really close with? Or how about a couple brothers?

There are so many tear-jerking videos online where a bride dances with her brothers who keep on stepping in during the song's duration. The one above has their late father's voice interjected in the song and my gosh, I don't know anyone who can watch it without crying.

4. Dance with your father-in-law.
Price Charles walked Meghan Markle down the aisle to Prince Harry because Meghan's dad wasn't able to attend the Royal Wedding. What a great father-in-law. Your father-in-law could step in for other roles too.

I was reading something recently about a woman who lost her dad young and started dating her boyfriend around that time. Her boyfriend's dad stepped in to be a father figure ... and eventually became her father-in-law. If you have that type of relationship with your father-in-law, he would be a great choice for your father daughter dance partner.

5. Have a family dance.
Instead of focusing on solo dances, why not do a family dance instead of father daughter dance?

Have the mother daughter dance -- and at the same time, dance with a male figure who you feel comfortable with, have your fiance's dad dance with a sister, have your mom dance with a brother, have a few aunts and uncles who may be interested, etc. Having a big group together will take away from the fact that you're not having a traditional father daughter dance.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Which of these father daughter dance alternatives is your favorite?