Weddings are a time for family and celebration. But let’s be honest: the real reasons we go are the food and the dancing.

I was in a wedding this past weekend, and absolutely nothing feels better than stuffing yourself with a four-course meal then jamming out to your favorite songs on the dance floor. There are the staples you expect to hear, then the new tunes that have made their way into everyone’s playlist, but each wedding is different and sports its own motif.

There’s no way you can get away with not electric-sliding at a wedding. That’s a fact. However, as I listened to the DJ play song after song, I realized that it has truly become my generation’s turn to take over the turntables.

Gone are the days of the “Bunny Hop” and “The Twist.” I spent two choruses of “Teach Me How to Dougie” showing my 44-year-old uncle how to lean side to side and use his arms, and explaining the importance of swiping your hands over your head.

It’s now common place for a post-electric slide “Cha-Cha Slide.” It’s customary to make your guests pop, lock and drop it. Think about it: in the past year or two, have you been to a wedding that hasn’t forced you to “Cupid Shuffle?”

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad thing. A three-hour reception is now more of a cardio workout. I’ve been doing the “Cotton-Eyed Joe” since I was in middle school, and I still can’t make it to the end without questioning if I am having my first heart attack.

Regardless, my parents and friends still danced. While half of the dance floor knew how to Charlie Brown, the rest wiggled and hooted. She didn’t know the beat or the moves, but Nanny still took off her sweater and danced.

My generation has taken over a lot, but the wedding transformation is truly a sign that we are maturing and coming into our own. First it was social networking, then the job industry, now we are revolutionalizing the way nuptials are celebrated. What could possibly be next?

Contact Corianne Egan, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8652.