Wedding Dance Blog

It’s your wedding dance, and you’re not a dancer. Uh oh! Don’t freak out. You’ll be fine, especially so if you treat where so many have danced before. The standard wedding songs, and wedding dance steps that so many people your for their first wedding dance. These three dances are the standard wedding reception music. The foxtrot, the swing, and the waltz comprise a large portion of standard wedding first dances. However, you don’t want to be just standard, right?

Within these wedding dances, even theses standard choices, there’s so many options for making your first dance something really special. The choice of wedding song will be your greatest choice, and it will likely dictate the style of dance that you do. Let’s talk about each dance style in this article, and how they all relate to wedding dancing.

First, there is Foxtrot. The Foxtrot originated in 1914, in none other than New York City, by none other than Harry Fox (imagine that).  It’s considered one of the most versatile ballroom social style of dances, and it can be danced to a really wide variety of music and tempos. It’s much like a walking, smooth, relaxed style of dance.  Sounds easy eh?

Next up, the classic waltz. A beautiful dance for your first wedding dance, but not as easy as foxtrot to be sure. The Waltz originated near Vienna (yeh, saw that coming), and by the 17th century (yes, long ago), it was danced in the ballroom all over the place. Today, it’s pretty social. This dance moves a lot, and is elegant, regal, and graceful IF you can actually pull it off. Never danced? Waltz wedding dancing is a tough sell!  While the basic step is a box step, there’s a lot of other things (such as rise and fall and sway) which make this a dance for the real dancers!  Yes, there is simple waltz, but …

Does it compare to swing? Really, does anything compare to swing?  Swing is fun, playful, hot, fast (or slow), and marked by a combination of rock steps and triple steps. It can be danced to variety of music, and while lacking the grace (perhaps) of waltz, or the formality of foxtrot, it’s for the young (or young at heart). Uptempo music that makes you want to move – it’s a very common first wedding dance to be found at a wedding, and wedding songs in swing are covered by most wedding bands during the wedding reception!

Are there other choices for your wedding dance?  Yes, to be sure, there are. These are only the most common wedding dancing styles!

You’ve got your date picked out for your wedding. Wedding planning is in full gear. You are working on the seating chart for your wedding ceremony, when wham you’ve got to start planning that first wedding dance. Here’s our top ten tips for a spectacular wedding dance!

1) Select a romantic song with a good easy to hear dance beat and a song that keeps a consistent beat throughout the song.  That’s right, this will keep it nice and smooth!

2) Select a song that is less than 3 minutes long. Two or two and a half minutes for your first dance is just right. You don’t want everyone starting for too long – you want to make an impression on the crowd and each other – and then let other people get to it!

3) Big Tip – You must start your wedding dance lessons at least 3 months before your wedding! This will give you enough time to plan, practice, and perfect you dance. It will also allow for unforeseen missed lessons and practice, and will reduce stress.

4) Make your First Wedding Dance photographically interesting so that you will end your wedding day with Video and Still photo’s you will be proud to show off to friends, family, and your children in years to come.

5) Ask your wedding dance teacher for some sexy moves dips, turns, and spins to get memorable and exciting photo’s! That’s right, plan the beginning, middle and end!

6) Having a good idea of the size and shape of your wedding reception dance floor will be important so that you can practice and get used to dancing in that amount of space.

7) Like 5, above, Plan how and where you are going to start (enter), and end your dance. Also, advise you Band leader or DJ how and when you plan to start and end your First Wedding Dance. Also let your Photographers know. Further, plan what will happen when you end your wedding dance. Will you invite everyone onto the dance floor or just your parents and/or grandparents?

If you are taking wedding dance lessons (or using a Video) you should plan to practice at least twice a week, a half hour or more each time. Practice is very important (especially for the groom) between dance lessons in order to really feel comfortable and be able to look and feel relaxed on your wedding night. Practice sometimes without the music, especially at the beginning stages, it will help you concentrate on perfecting your steps, and leading or following. Keeping time to the beat of the music is very important-feel the beat !

9) Just for the guys (grooms)…you are going to discover, that once your get over the initial fear and trauma of taking wedding dance lessons, it can be a lot of fun! The best part is you will learn to lead, take control), and your girl will not only enjoy it, she will actually let you lead (maybe)! Remember if you don’t lead she will. Also if you don’t lead she can’t follow. Remember you are the captain of the ship while you are on the dance floor.

10) Become comfortable dancing the steps first, then smoothly combining all the steps and keeping time to the music. Your confidence and lead will improve the most after you are comfortable with the steps. Remember this is a team effort, the cooperation and teamwork you developed on the dance floor while learning and practicing will serve as a foundation for cooperation and teamwork off the dance floor.

Good luck on your first wedding dance!

Your First Dance, your First Wedding Dance. Whether you are brand new to dancing, or have danced for many years, this is going to be a very special event. Wedding planning has typically taken up most of your time, and plans for the wedding reception is taking up any free hours. So, typically, your wedding dance is not the first thing on your mind as the big day approaches. However, this dance, your first dance, will last a lifetime, and it deserves some special attention!

So lets talk about your wedding dance, and how we can make this special first dance something to smile over, and look forward to. We don’t need any more stresses in our lives, especially iwth the major wedding planning taking so much of your time, so first step, relax. This will be one of the most enjoyable parts of your wedding, and no, it doesn’t matter if you’ve never danced a single step in your life.

So, what style of dance are perfect for your wedding? How do you envision your first wedding dance? Well, typical wedding dances consist of the four standard ballroom dances. Your first dance might be a waltz, foxtrot, or the ever popular swing dance. In addition, a slow and sensual rumba is always a popular choice. These are the standard choices, but you don’t need to feel constrained by those! Quite the opposite … feel free to make your wedding dance memorable. Choose a wedding song that is really special for you!  

What comes first, the choice of wedding dance, or the chose of wedding song? Honestly, for everyone it’s different. Most people cherish a favorite song, and some have always imagined their first dance to be played to certain styles of music. If you’ve never danced before, it doesn’t really matter what style of dance you choose, it’s going to be your passion for each other, and the fun of the wedding song, that really propels the first dance to be something truly special.

And don’t forget, simply because others have chosen the standard dances to represent their first wedding dance, you should feel free to cut loose! If it’s a fiery, passionate salsa dance you desire, or a sensual and slow rumba, the most important thing is to simply choose it early! Give yourself time in that busy wedding planning schedule to practice, and everything will flow just like magic.