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...):

[Lurker]

Go quietly sometime and see for yourself

Been there, done that, passed on the T-shirt.

[Gone_Postal]

didn’t King David Dance and was called a fool ...as times change they stay the same

[NYer]

Lol!! You’re absolutely right .. this would definitely enliven a wedding reception.

[AnAmericanMother]

It's a Lutheran church. Christ Lutheran, on Capitol Hill in St. Paul. ELCA.

It looks rather chaste and un-ornamented for a Lutheran Church. Except for the wonderful high altar, I would have said Methodist.

[AnAmericanMother]

There's a T-shirt?

I'm sorry you didn't perceive the wonder and the joy.

[brytlea]

Congratulations, and hope the wedding goes smoothly. We just attended the wedding of our middle son (last of 3 to get married) and it was great, everything went smoothly. When the bride and groom left the guests blew bubbles instead of throwing rice, which was cool, but what is really cool is the photo of them walking out of the church with bubbles in the air!

[Ready4Freddy]

And as you mentioned, the fact that the guests were taken by surprise just made it even more fun.

Oh, and I got something in my eye during the vid, kinda made it water a little.

[Melian]

“Yea, a Catholic Church is the last place on the planet one would encounter an example of pure unbridled joy.”

Wow. I’m Catholic and I’ve seen lots of unbridled joy at Catholic weddings, baptisms, and Confirmations. We might not have danced like that, but it’s there.

I cried watching the video because it was so joyful and sweet. However, when Catholics get married, we prefer to concentrate on the dignity of that vocation, the seriousness of the sacrament of Matrimony, and the presence of God at the union. Add in the fact that Catholic marriages are supposed to last until death parts you, and you can see why most Catholics look pretty serious at their weddings!

[nuconvert]

Nice that they have such fun friends and relatives.
Went on a bit long though, and I think the bride ended up being a bit cheated out of her ‘walk’ down the aisle. She had less time than her bridal party which got to do it twice.
All in all, looked like a fun day.

[magslinger]

Coming soon to a church near you. I am not a great fan of this, but it’s their wedding. My only objection is that it will probably incite imitators. Very bad imitators. I predict wardrobe malfunctions and injuries in the near future.

[supremedoctrine]

Don’t you know FReeper ‘Lurker’ is actually Christopher Hitchens?

[freedumb2003]

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.

Quite the little ball of hate, aren't we?

[freedumb2003]

I think that marriage is a joyful, yet important rite. It is a solemn oath of bonding.

The ceremony itself should have a certain decorum, else you are making light of the importance of the reason for it.

This sort of nonsense tells us the participants don't give a whit about what they are about to do and find it just an extension of their probable living together for God knows how long.

Another dagger in the heart of marriage.

[mware]

Can't be sure but it looks like a woman was the celebrant.

If so it was not a Catholic service.

[Gerish]

I thought it was very inappropriate for the Church ceremony, cute but disrespectful if you ask me. However, I think it would have been great at the reception, especially when the couple and bridal party were being introduced.

[PapaBear3625]

It's not a Catholic church and not a Nuptial Mass, so it's o.k. as far as I'm concerned.

Considering the pastor is a woman, it's pretty evident that it's not a Catholic wedding.

[american_ranger]

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.

During my training to become a Lutheran I had a test. One question was name the two types of sin.

My answer, "Original and extra crispy."

Thank God the pastor had a sense of humor.

[Pharmboy]

Methodist was my second choice. Thanks for running it down.

[Lurker]

Oh lighten up. A wedding is supposed to be a time of joy and happiness.

Or maybe you missed that part of the Bible that says "Make a joyous noise unto the Lord."

Catholicism...sucking the fun out of Christianity for 2,000 years....

[mware]

One of the greatest joys of a christianing at our parish is the dedication of the child before the Blessed Mother.

Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVR7I72-KrE