Today’s your wedding day and you’re so happy to be sharing it with your family and friends. You’re quite sure everything will be perfect. You’re even confident about the first dance. Here’s why.

First, let’s learn about the wedding tradition called the first dance.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Please join me in welcoming, for the very first time as husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. _______!“, announces the host as you confidently take the floor.

What you need to know about the first dance.

• The first dance symbolizes a new partnership that requires give and take both on the dance floor and off.
• Gentlemen, please know that your lady really wants to dance with you because you’re her best partner.
• A lot goes into planning a wedding. For this reason, don’t let the thought of dancing in front of your guests add to your stress. Call in the pros and start some lessons now.  
• Be sure to schedule your lessons a few months before your wedding day. After all, you’ll want to have plenty of time to practice. If you put it off until the last minute you’ll add more pressure just when you don’t need it.
• Some couples worry about forgetting their routine. No problem. If you need a brush-up lesson, it’s easy enough to arrange.

What to Expect at the Lesson and Consultation

The lesson is designed to introduce you to the elements of dancing. Also, because everyone learns differently, your instructor can get an idea of where you’re starting from.

Many couples have a special song they want to use. Make sure to let your consultant know what your song is so he or she can tell you about your options. It’s a good idea to bring it with you.

Seems like many of the special songs that engaged couples love are actually Viennese Waltzes. Read this Dance Safari post, “Viennese Waltz, A Dance You’ll Fall in Love With“.

By the way, why not take advantage of your teacher’s expertise and ask for advice on buying ballroom dance shoes for your wedding. With this in mind, check out this post that explains the reasoning behind this,
“Want Walkable Wedding Heels? Try Dance Shoes!“.

Okay, so what are the 3 ways to prepare for the first dance?

In my experience, these are your choices:

1. You and your fiance can learn to dance.  

When the music starts he leads, she follows and off you go.  Besides being simple and cost-effective, you’ll have a hobby that you can do together for the rest of your lives.

2. How about some ‘light’ choreography? 

To give a lightly choreographed routine some structure, you’ll be taught groups of steps that you perform one right after the other. In addition, you’ll dance some basics in between each series of patterns.

3.  Or, you can learn a fully-choreographed routine.  

If you’ve always dreamed about dancing your heart out on this day, a fully-choreographed routine is for you. Think “Dancing with the Stars”.

A performance like this usually includes fancier moves (lifts, dips, and side-by-side steps).  Not only will you learn customized choreography, but also things like walking onto and off the floor and taking a bow are practiced, as well. The downside to this spectacular is you can only do it to one piece of music. 

But, think about it, wouldn’t it be cool to redo it at your first-anniversary party!

When to start? It time to get started once you’ve tried a lesson, are convinced that you can learn and that you’ve picked the right teacher. What are you waiting for?