The First stagger

The first stagger, or the first dance, as it is traditionally called, is meant to look romantic and depicts a couple in love. In my experience, it is two people who may well be in love, but rather than dancing, they are holding on to each other for dear life after the quantity of alcohol that has been consumed.

After the couple have swapped spit while snogging each other’s faces off, and everyone has gone, ‘Awwwww, look at that, isn’t it sweet?’ Once the first stagger is over, the floor is opened up to the other pissheads at the party. Sometimes there is a father-daughter dance and a mother-son dance. I have seen a father-son-in-law dance; the culprit is in the photo at the top of the page.

With the traditional first dances over, the floor is opened up to all comers. First to arrive, of course, are the ladies, minus the usual handbag; they really do look like fish out of water with nothing to dance around. The men, in the meantime, congregate around the bar, plucking up the courage to join the fray and try their luck. That is, of course, without Uncle Dave, who’s had enough Dutch courage for everyone and is still trying to pull the maid of honour.

This is the preamble to the full night-time shenanigans, a gold mine for photographers who like to hang back and watch the antics of the night unfold.