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I know I’m not the only one who was shaken up by yesterday’s news that Michael Jackson had suddenly passed away. I remember sneaking into my older brother’s closet when I was little and discovering his instructional booklet on how to moonwalk, which I thought was just about the coolest thing ever (that was before I discovered layering neon socks). Despite my love for M.J., I’ve always been a little bit terrified of the Thriller video, but this past Halloween I faced my fears (and dancing phobia) and learned part of the Thriller dance for our friend’s wedding. My friends and I persuaded the entire wedding party to surprise the happy couple with a dance routine, but once we actually started practicing in living rooms, the enthusiasm died down and we were left with only four of us (including Mr. Candy Corn, who so graciously volunteered to take on the role of Michael). I even found a Thriller-riffic jacket from Target that I styled with some black duct tape to add that extra touch to our “performance”. We had our friend and fellow bridal party member videotape the dance, but unfortunately he hit the wrong button and managed to leave us without any blackmail in the form of a YouTube video.
We practiced in the basement of the mansion one last time before heading to the tent and surprising everyone with our zombie moves. Right about now is when I was wishing we had invested in a fog machine to make us look a little less… uhm… sad.
So glad I took off the heels before doing the zombie walk. I would’ve landed flat on my arse.
Note the look of boneheaded concentration on my behalf. I was determined to nail our two minutes of embarrassing dancing.
Black duct tape is the new black.
Are there really any words for my facial expression in this one? Jennifer Garner in 13 Going on 30 I am not.
Mr. Candy Corn was hamming it up. I think he secretly enjoyed wearing that jacket a little too much.
I especially like my dedication to the ugly zombie physique in this one. That is love right there, folks.
Victory was ours! We successfully embarrassed ourselves for the newlyweds and made their night complete with our antics.
Our friends (the cute bride and groom up above) had been joking with us leading up to the wedding about how they expected us to whip out a Thriller dance routine, but they never actually expected it. Thanks to the awesome tutorial on Thrill the World, we were able to make them proud.
After Mr. Candy Corn and I heard the confirmation on CNN that Michael Jackson had indeed passed, we busted out our terrible zombie moves in the living room to tribute him in our own little dysfunctional way. His memory will definitely live on.
Here are some extra photos from our friend’s Halloween wedding, which we were lucky enough to be a part of:
The masquerade bridal party in front of the beautiful Sayre Mansion in Bethlehem, PA.
Us gals trying to hold back the giggles and look somber.
It was pretty f-f-f-freezing outside, but we masked it quite well, I do believe!
The beautiful bride and groom, two of our best friends and our roommates from college.
I loved their idea of using a red and black color scheme for a Halloween wedding.
Their red velvet cake was di-vine. I wish I had eaten more of it, but I was too nervous for our surprise dance to muster up an appetite.
I must say, their dance moves were far better than ours.
I loved their choice of offbeat wedding bands, so pretty and perfect for their style!
Every wedding should have adorable children dressed up as superheroes.
Their wedding was just two weeks after ours and I think I was able to enjoy it almost as much as ours because there wasn’t any added pressure on us (apart from having to nail down the zombie dance).
All photos courtesy our friends & newlyweds, Erin & Dan.
Does anyone else in the hive have any fond memories of Michael Jackson they’d like to share?
I remember my older sister trying to teach my dad to moonwalk in the living room!
Choreographed surprise Thriller dance aside in its own awesomeness, I love the red details and the little red gloves the bridesmaids are wearing! Looks like a very elegant yet sweet and personal wedding.
RIP MJ 
Michael’s music has always been a huge part of my life… I named my dog Billie Jean! This is probably going to be the biggest celeb death to impact me in my entire lifetime. His music was a huge gift to the world.
Awww, I’m still in shock!
Mr. Bruschetta and I got engaged to “Billie Jean” — because he mustered up the courage to get down on one knee, and that just happened to be the song the band was playing!
And my parents tell me I was born the day after the moon walk made its TV debut — the doctor and my dad couldn’t stop talking about it!
About a year and a half into dating, my FI attended my cousin’s wedding with me. Now, he had met my extended family and came to many family functions but there was never really a chance for them to see just how cool he is.
So at the wedding, everyone was dancing and having a great time. Then “Thriller” came on. He and I were dancing to the begining then the chorus came on.
O.M.G. He started busting out the ENTIRE dance (he is the baby to 4 older sisters who taught him the dance).
My family went nuts!! Cameras came out, a circle formed around him and everyone was cheering him on. From that moment, he was IN the family!
We actually got 3 calls yesterday asking if he would be replacing MJ.
RIP MJ!!
I was part of a dance group that did a MJ tribute. My part was as a hooker in a speak-easy, preening to the tunes of “Smooth Criminal”. Sigh.
These are great pics, btw!
My brother and I were little when the Bad album came out, and I remember we used to play the CD (the first one my parents ever bought) on the stereo in the living room, and he would spin around the carpet on his heels to “Bad” and then fall on his butt (intentionally). My mom was actually picking an MJ song for my brother to make his “grand entrance” on for her wedding (this Sunday); I wonder if she still will?
In high school we did the finale to thriller - I always bust it out when it plays in public! Though, you’re right it looks way more awesome when it’s 10+ people than 4 or…just me 
What a great surprise!
oh I should mention I was in a dance company in high school…otherwise that statement just looks a bit strange…
Oh my this is awesome. Love the jacket and everything. I remember being 5 and grounded for something I had done. It was near christmas time and my mom had bought me my new xmas outfit (nice pink sweatshirt and matching skirt with glittery ice cream cones).
Well being the brat that I am, put on my outfit, my new patented black shoes and started walking around the living room table.
Guess what song was playing : The way you make me feel.
Its my ultimate favorite from MJ… and i still remember that memory as if it was yesterday… remember I was 5 
RIP MJ… you will be missed
Oh, MJ. My aunt and uncle used to throw these hilarious parties in their basement when we were little kids. One time my uncle dressed up as MJ and performed on this whole stage thing my aunt and uncle created…they had dark lights and everything! He did a medley of Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal, Bad, Thriller, etc. SO. AWESOME. We still talk about it all the time!
The first song we danced to was Billie Jean. It was an “OMG i love this song come dance with me!!” annoying college girl scene. Up until that point we had danced together…but not together. His older brother had to push him closer to me, we were still just friends at this point and he was such a gentle man that he didn’t want me to get weirded out by him. We left holding hands that night
Also when I was younger my older brother had a white MJ keyboard and song book. I got mad and threw it down the stairs once, (cut me a break I was 7) and it never worked again.
I have fond memories of hurrying downstairs after my bath to watch the Cosby Show & the MJ videos that premiered right after - anyone else remember that?
But my fave story is seeing my younger brother see the moonwalk for the first time.
He’s 19, and not one to hop on any kind of trend bandwagon whatsoever. When MJ had his first comeback around ‘01-02 ish (?) we were watching MTV and he was going on and on about how weird MJ was, and why was everyone thinking he was so great, blah, blah…
and right in the middle of his rant the tv showed the moonwalk. He stopped talking immediately and flipped out at how awesome it was. I will never forget the look of joy and amazement on his face, ever.
I was on the Pom-Pon squad in high school, and we did the Thriller dance for a pep rally in October. It was SO fun! A few years ago, one of my fellow pom members got married and we did the dance at her October wedding. It was harder than I thought to relearn the dance lol!
Mr. CC looks awesome in that red jacket!!!!
A more recent MJ memory- I tore the floor up at our reception during “Don’t stop ’til you get eough”… the music was perfect for twirling in my wedding dress!!!
I’m still shocked and this morning it was nothing but tears while trying to put on my makeup. My first album HAHA as a baby was Thriller on an actual record! I think my mom has it somewhere actually. I too know the Thriller dance and for my 27th birthday this year my family surprised me with an MJ themed party–posters and pics everywhere, his music playing in the background and, of course, I was asked to do the dance. He will be extremely missed. I just hope the media will give his family some space.
As for your dance—awesome! I might just have to bust out some MJ at my wedding, but I know no one else will dance with me to a routine
My mom, in her ’80s workout clothes, used to do aerobics in our living room to the album “Off the Wall.” And, at very young ages, my brother and I would do them with her.
My oldest brother had an MJ doll. It was basically the same size as a Barbie and came dressed in the outfit from the Thriller video. Priceless.
I was seriously scared of the Thriller video when I was very little. It’s the first music video I remember seeing.
I loved the morphing-people action in the “Black or White” video. I have that song on iPod and probably listen to it every day.
RIP Michael <3
“Can’t Help It.” The melody and the riffs…forget it. MJ had an appeal that fascinates every generation. My 11 year old daughter thinks “Remember the Time” is one of the best videos ever…and she saw it for the first time 6 months ago. She digs the choreography.
I remember when “Billie Jean” aired on MTV…it was such a huge deal. The music, the charisma, and the dancing - who else was dancing like that? What I didn’t realize until later was just how significant the airing of the video was. I loved Adam Ant, really loved Duran Duran, David Bowie, and all of the artists they played - but until MJ, MTV wouldn’t play AA artists. I was 10 so I don’t think I noticed how significant that was. He broke a serious color barrier…love him or hate him, that man is an icon personified.
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Miss Candy Corn, Philadelphia Age and Occupation: 27, Freelance Writer, Photographer and Illustrator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Front End Web Developer Blogging Since: May 6, 2008 Engagement Date: November 10, 2011 Wedding Date: September 2012 Venue: Our backyard! About Me: I’m a 27-year-old photographer, writer and illustrator who enjoys shooting weddings, catching typos in magazines, geeking out with Google Reader, watching Wonder Years marathons with my fiancé, and hanging out with our menagerie of pets. I’m an encore bride planning an intimate, offbeat backyard wedding with my fiancé (known around these parts as “The Ginger”), as we explore our adventures of homeownership.
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