Best wedding processional. Ever. Now, the backstory...

Deacon's Bench ^ | July 25, 2009 | DEACON GREG KANDRA

[NYer]

Well, the couple who launched this terrific wedding video are speaking out about their exuberant nuptial boogie.

They popped up a couple days ago on TODAY:

Most couples wait until the reception before breaking out into the Funky Chicken on their wedding day, but Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson figured, why wait to unleash their unbridled joy?

The 28-year-olds floored their wedding guests by having their whole bridal party — including seven bridesmaids, five groomsmen and four ushers — boogie down the aisle in a choreographed dance more at home in a Broadway musical than in a somber church.

Groomsmen split into sides as Heinz did a somersault in front of the wowed crowd — and the gown-clad Peterson quickly followed, shaking her hips to Chris Brown’s “Forever” while pumping her bridal bouquet into the air during the June 20 ceremony in St. Paul, Minn.

Of course, some things are too good to keep to yourself. And when Kevin posted the wedding dance routine on YouTube, it quickly became a viral hit — some 700,000 people have already shared in the couple’s novel way of showing their matrimonial joy.

Heinz and Peterson (she’s keeping her maiden name) appeared live on TODAY Friday to tell their story of how their artistic self-expression on the biggest day of their lives captured America’s imagination and made them Internet stars.

After watching the video, TODAY’s Matt Lauer told the couple, “If that was a ceremony, I don’t know how you survived the honeymoon!” He then asked the couple who came up with the idea.

“It was mine,” Jill told Lauer. “I danced growing up and was a dancer through college and loved dance as a way to express yourself and share joy. So it was something I always thought about doing.”

The dance was bride Jill Peterson's idea.

It didn’t take her fun-loving husband Kevin long to agree to the idea, saying the decision to dance was “the first thing we really decided about the wedding that he wanted to do.”

They then broke the news to the parents that their wedding processional wasn’t going to take on the more reserved joy of a typical wedding. Jill admitted that her mom “was maybe a little nervous,” and Kevin said his parents were “definitely apprehensive,” but didn’t try to talk the two crazy kids out of their plan. They swore them to secrecy so other wedding guests wouldn’t know what they were up to.

Next up was a dance rehearsal for the wedding party. Anyone seeing the YouTube video might think the whole party was composed of dance professionals — the bridesmaids alone, with their waving-hands routine at the altar, are worth the price of admission. But Jill said it was actually more seat-of-the-tux than the final result would indicate.

“We [practiced for] an hour and a half,” Jill told Lauer. “A lot of that, people were sort of making up as they went, people just got really into it and went for it. We just gave them a general layout.”

The wedding party rehearsed the dance for just 90 minutes.

While guests were clearly overjoyed at getting a floor show even before the champagne flowed at the reception, Kevin and Jill are adamant they weren’t seeking a quick kiss of fame by posting their dancing high jinks on YouTube. Like many other viral video sensations, it was originally intended for friends and family.

“I put it up because her dad had been really harassing me to get it out to some of his other family members, and it exploded,” Kevin said.

TODAY’s Meredith Vieira noted that fans of the video are in for a special treat — the whole wedding party will appear on TODAY Saturday to do an encore of their now-legendary aisle dance.

Lauer was clearly amused by the couple and their video.

“If you can have that much fun at the wedding, that much fun will carry over also into your marriage,” he told them. “What a great sign and what a great gift.”

UPDATE: Mike Hayes, the venerable God Googler, has his own take on this controversial conga-among-the-congregants. Check it out here.

And if you just can't get enough of the "Forever" dance, check out the live perf the wedding party recreated for the TODAY show (personally, I like the original a lot more, and I'm starting to think their 15 minutes are just about up...):

[metmom]

Geez, that’s twice now.

[Kleon]

The dresses aren’t strapless...and ‘simulated sex moves?’ are you sure you got the link to the correct video? LOL...I have watched now about half a dozen times...and I don’t see it.

Yeah, I was wrong about the dresses being strapless. I misread one of the comments. But some of the moves are definitely too sexual for Church, @ 1:00 for example.

[Jo Nuvark]

You’re fun. Let’s be FRiends?

[Jo Nuvark]

You’re fun. Let’s be FRiends?

[Jo Nuvark]

When I attend a wedding I’m struck by how out of
character everyone is. Tuxes are out of decade
(century), the dresses make the bridal party look
uncomfortable, while the ceremony and the flowers
seem to be the only elements that are genuine. What
is refreshing is they are being themselves (not in
an “Animal House” way), but in a way that I believe
pleases God. Watching this video gave me joy and
made me cryle (smiling with tears).

[AnAmericanMother]

All I can tell you is that 32 years ago we decided not to have morning dress because we thought it looked stiff and out of date . . . so we wound up with the boys in PEACH TUXEDOS with contrasting ruffles, platform shoes, and enormous contrasting bouttonieres, which all things considered looks far worse three decades later than morning dress (which never changes). My kids laugh themselves silly at our wedding album, and we look at each other and kind of smile sheepishly. At least I wore my mom's wedding dress, and IT looked just fine!

Americans are not very formal people and many have completely forgotten how to dress (look how everybody's always grousing about people showing up at Mass in sweat suits or shorts). If you never even put on a suit in your ordinary life, of COURSE you're going to look stiff in a tux, and ladies whose regular dress is a jeans skirt and Tshirt are going to be uncomfortable in a formal gown.

It may just mean that folks need to get used to dressing up a little bit so that getting married won't be such a shock to their systems.

On the other hand, I agree that most bridesmaid's dresses (AND mother-of-the-bride dresses) are absolutely AWFUL and something should be done about THAT.

[AnAmericanMother]

Sure! :-D

[T Minus Four]

Yea, a Catholic Church is the last place on the planet one would encounter an example of pure unbridled joy. Now if you're looking for guilt, and an extra helping of that ridiculous concept 'original sin', a Catholic Church is the perfect place to go.

I just spit Diet Dr. Pepper all over my monitor and some went up my nose!

[brytlea]

LOL

[red irish]

You mean if marriage and the worship of God is sacred and a blessing from God uniting two people?! That was nothing more than a reflection of the adoration of something hollywood would do in a stupid movie. Or maybe a jackass stunt. My daughters wedding was beautiful and a sacred event but we truly had a kick-butt reception! Which is where that little stunt should have been.

[red irish]

Are you always a disrespectful jackass when it comes to the Catholic church or is it just a way to get attention since this video didn’t have anything to do with the Catholic church. Grow up!

[red irish]

amen especially with 50% OF MARRIAGES ENDING IN DIVORCE