The Wedding Dance Deluxe System for Beginners. Learn to dance at your wedding. Waltz, Swing, Rumba, and Foxtrot on Two complete DVDs. 
Wedding Dance Tips: 10 Wedding Dance Tips to Make your First Dance Spectacular!
October 27, 2009
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!
Wedding Dance: Wedding Planning your First Dance – From your Wedding Music to your First Dance
October 27, 2009
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.
Do you think Love Story by Taylor Swift would make a good first dance wedding song?
March 9, 2010
At a 2010 wedding? Or will it be annoying and over-played by then?
I think it would be nice but you might hear something you like better before then.
Ben & Cindy’s Surprise First Wedding Dance Original
March 8, 2010
Our 1st dance at our wedding. Song profile includes You Send Me by Sam Cooke and My Humps by Black Eye Peas.
Duration : 0:2:35
Planning Your Chicago Prom Event
March 8, 2010
As the spring semester of high school resumes in Chicago, many students begin to have prom on their minds. Prom committees have usually formed at this point and a lot of the necessary steps to plan the event have already taken place. Planning a Chicago prom can be quite a task and can often go unrecognized and unrewarded. Often times if the prom dance is a flop the members of the committee will take a lot of the heat. So to help avoid some of those unnecessary negative comments we’ve created a step by step guide to help aid you in the planning of your Chicago Prom.
So where do we begin? When is the right time to start thinking prom? The correct answer would one year prior to the date. There are several things that will need to be taken care of that time. Listed below are a few steps you’ll want to take one year prior to your Chicago Prom event……
- Choose prom committee members and create sub-committees. Without the prom committee there would be no prom, so having the right leaders on the committee can often make or break your event. Your Chicago Prom committee should be made up of advisors and various student volunteers.
- Set a realistic budget. Creating a realistic budget is a very important step in planning a prom. You’ll want to begin by collecting the most detailed information on how much each element will cost. This will give you a good idea for how much to budget for. You’ll then want to take things into account like how much money will be coming from fundraising and from sponsors. From there you can then determine how many tickets you’ll need to sell to break even for the event.
- Set the date. Setting a date for your event can be very difficult. You’ll want to take things into account like holidays, school activities, sporting events, and even neighboring school’s prom dates. You’ll want to choose a date that coincides with all of those things. Nine times out of ten you probably you won’t be able to please everyone with the selected date.
- Choose you location/venue. You’ve successfully created a budget and selected a date now it’s time to book a venue. When choosing a venue you’ll want to find a facility that will be able to hold your crowd comfortably. You’ll also want to look into food and catering options at those venues. If you’re planning on having entertainment and dancing, will the venue be able to accommodate those needs? As you search for venues you’ll notice a lot of reception halls prefer not to host school proms on Saturday evenings because they can conflict with their high priority wedding dates. Make sure you confirm your venue early as the longer you wait the harder it’ll be to settle on the right place.
After you’ve done all the steps above you’re well on your way to creating a successful Chicago prom, you can now relax and have the next couple months off before the next batch of planning begins. Around 8 months before your prom you’ll want to pick up with the committee meetings again and begin the next stages.
- Choose a theme. Choosing a prom theme often can be one of the most important decisions your prom committee will make. Choosing the right theme can make your prom stand out from others in the past and can be that key component in creating a memorable night. When choosing a theme you’ll want to think of the mood you’d like to portray that night. You’ll want to take into consideration whether you’d like to portray a fun mood, romantic mood, or even a mysterious mood. A good Chicago prom theme should revolve around an innovative title, unique decorations, and a treasured song. This is when you’ll want a lot of input from your committee members.
- Discuss fundraising opportunities. Fundraising is very important in planning a Chicago prom and should never be overlooked. After adding up the total expenses and dividing it by the number of students attending the event the cost per ticket can many times be rather expensive. Students are usually aware that prom isn’t cheap so fundraisers are often appreciated. There are hundreds of fundraising ideas available on the internet and you should utilized them when planning your event.
- Book your Disc Jockey. This is another crucial and overlooked step that many don’t spend a lot of time on. The success of your event a lot of times rides on the music that’s to be played and the DJ that’s playing it. There are hundreds of Chicago DJ companies and only a handful of good ones. Make sure you spend some time when selecting your entertainment. Prices can vary greatly; most Chicago Prom DJs are priced around $1,000 and go up from there. You’ll want to hire an experienced disc jockey that specializes in prom entertainment, not just your average wedding DJ.
- Begin discussing decoration ideas. Now is the time when you’ll want to start talking decorations. You’ll want to choose decorations that revolve around your theme for the evening. As you plan for you Chicago Prom you’ll be surprised as to all the decorations available out there. You can always buy pre-assembled decorations, but they’ll cost you. Talk with your committee members and see what they can come up with on their own. This can help save on the decoration costs. A lot of schools in Chicago have actually cut back on their decorations and have invested their money into the dinner and the entertainment. This may be an route you’d like to take.
You’ve now completed most of the important steps towards planning your Chicago Prom. We recommend waiting about 2 or 3 months prior to your prom before you begin with the next steps.
- Order invitations, programs, party items, and tickets. Now is the time when you’ll want to send out for these important items. It can sometimes take a few weeks to get things printed so be sure to get your final work to the printers before it’s too late. You’ll also want to order your royalty party items like crowns, sashes, tiaras, and etc.
- Begin your advertising campaign. You’ll want to start hyping the excitement of your Chicago prom. You may want to consider hanging posters, placing ads in the school newspapers, hand our flyers, and/or even run commercials on your student radio station.
- Book a photographer. At this time you’ll want to finalize your photographer. You’ll want to decide how pictures will be taken that night and where in the venue will they run their operation. Often times schools will use their yearbook photographers for the miscellaneous photos and then hire another professional photographer for portraits. You’ll want to consider several options with your prom committee.
The time has finally arrived and it’s now 2 weeks prior to your event. It’s crunch time and there are a few other details that’ll need to be taken care of….
- Send out your invitations and start selling your tickets. Choose a central location in your school to setup a ticket sales booth. Make sure the kids are aware of this location. You may want to sell tickets at normal prices for the first week and then raise the price as the event draws nearer. This will encourage immediate ticket sales and will prevent students from holding off until the last day to purchase their tickets.
- Confirm your vendors. Now is the time when you should finalize all the details with your venue, DJ, caterer, and photographer. You’ll want to make sure everyone’s timeline is laid out the same and there aren’t any conflicting schedules. You’ll also want to confirm your theme song with your Chicago Prom DJ. Don’t forget to call your chaperones as too!
- Setup a schedule for decorating your venue. You’ll want to assign committee members the task of decorating the venue. Make sure you confirm times with the venue and they are ok with you hanging decorations. You’ll want to take time and read through any instructions kits that came with your decorations. Make sure all the pieces are included in your kits and figure out the estimated time it’ll take to set them all up.
- Hold nominations for prom court. This job usually falls under your job description as well. You’ll want to decide how nominations will be made and who will conduct them at the event.
After you’ve completed the above steps you should be well on your way to create a successful Chicago Prom. As you can see a lot of work and time goes into planning a big event like this. When it’s all said in done though, the students you work with will remember this night for the rest of their lives.
Stevie Dee
http://www.articlesbase.com/teenagers-articles/planning-your-chicago-prom-event-706688.html
What do you think of the song inevitable by anberlin as our first wedding dance?
March 6, 2010
We arent set on it. but we dont want anything thats been done a thousand times over. and we hate country.
That’s such a sweet song — one I would consider for my own wedding (whenever that happens).
I say go for it if both of you agree to it.
BEST and UNIQUE SUPRISE FIRST WEDDING DANCE: Casey and Leighann Brock
March 6, 2010
My husband and I thought this would be fun instead of the 6 minutes of slow song! Hope you enjoy!!!
Duration : 0:5:27
How to choose music for a Wedding Reception
March 5, 2010
Choosing the right style of music
When selecting a band for your wedding reception you should
think about atmosphere. Do you want a party atmosphere for
dancing or would you prefer more background music to allow more
conversation?
For the party atmosphere, most people like the band to play “a
bit of everything” from the 50s to present day to suit the wide
age ranges of wedding guests. Professional wedding bands tend to
have a wide repertoire of music and can normally adapt well to
suit any wedding reception.
Jazz bands are very popular for providing music at a
wedding reception. They can add an extra touch of class to your
wedding.
To select the right band for your event consider the taste of
your guests, their age range and whether they would like to
dance, listen to the music or a mixture of the two.
Your first dance
Most couples like to choose a well known song for their first
dance. Get any specific requests to the band well in advance so
the musicians have a chance to prepare them before the wedding
reception.
Popular first dance requests:
‘Angels’ – Robbie Williams
‘Lets Stay Together’ – Al Green
‘It Had To Be You’ – Harry Connick Jr
‘Stand By Me’ – Ben E King
‘We Have All The Time In The World’ – Louis Armstrong
‘Wonderful Tonight’ – Eric Clapton
‘Let There Be Love’ – Nat King Cole
‘Everything I Do (I do it for you)’ – Bryan Adams
Finding a wedding band to suit your budget
The cost of a wedding band varies depending on their style of
music, how many musicians are the band require, how popular they
are, how long you want music for, what time the musicians need
to arrive and the travel distance involved to get your wedding
reception venue.
The following table shows guide prices to give you an idea of
how the cost varies depending on the number of musicians and
length of performance: Solo Musician 2 Hours
£150-250 4 Hours £250-350 Duo 2 Hours
£250-400 4 Hours £400-550 Trio 2 Hours
£400-600 4 Hours £600-700 Quartet 2 Hours
£500-700 4 Hours £700-900 Quintet 2 Hours
£600-800 4 Hours £800-1000 Sextet 2 Hours
£700-900 4 Hours £900-1300 Septet 2 Hours
£750-1000 4 Hours £950-1500
If musicians will have to travel more than 75 miles for your
wedding reception, modest travel expenses should be added to the
above prices.
Set-up time
The Musicians Union state that reasonable set-up time should be
included when booking a live band i.e. the band start charging
from the time at which they are booked to arrive. Therefore, the
above 2 hour guide price would consist of roughly thirty minutes
set-up time for the band and an hour and a half of performance.
Cost vs Quality
LastMinuteMusicians.com believes that quality should be your
main concern when booking a band for your wedding reception. Pub
bands, although cheap, often lack the experience and reliability
of professional wedding bands. Don’t risk the success of your
wedding reception by booking a cheap pub band.
Worst case scenario
Should the unexpected happen and your musicians let you down at
the last minute, most pub bands would struggle to find an
appropriate replacement band. However, most professional wedding
bands (such as Wedding Bands at www.La
stMinuteMusicians.com have a back-up network of quality
customer services and endless music industry contacts to call on
in times of crisis.
Your wedding reception venue
Check that live music is permitted at your wedding reception
venue. It is now UK law that venues must have a license if more
than two musicians will be performing live. If your venue
doesn’t have such a license, consider booking a duo – piano &
singer or sax & piano are popular choices.
Some venues have sound level limiters, which cuts off power to
the band if they exceed a certain volume. If this is the case,
don’t forget to tell the band. Also, remember to check that
there is a power socket available near the area in which you
would like the band to perform.
Musicians will have to bring heavy equipment to your venue so it
is always a good to idea to check with your venue to ensure that
there is somewhere for the band to park. The more details about
the venue that you can tell the band, the better!
What next?
If you live in London or the South East try browsing Wedding Bands for hire in London and the South East. If
you live further a field click
here to search for a wedding band near you.
Note: This article is copyright www.La
stMinuteMusicians.com and may only be used to add content
to your web site with our permission. Please email webmaster@LastMin
uteMusicians.com to let us know if you intend to use it.
Remember to include your full URL.
Adam Hughes
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/how-to-choose-music-for-a-wedding-reception-3361.html
Is this too weird for a first dance wedding song ("You’re my theme for a dream" by Cliff Richard)?
March 3, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMNvJGdWays
my sister’s wants this song for her first wedding dance….. because her fiance sung it to her once and also the song has "angel" in it and he calls her angel.. i’ve never even heard of it before she told me… its cute though but not really a wedding dance song. its from the 60’s. her fiance is 52 she’s 23.
The music chosen for the first dance at any wedding should be something that is specific to the bride and groom. Something that has special meaning and/or memories for them.
What others may chose to think of it should not come into it.
Beulah
PS. Cliff is a pop , easy listening and gospel singer. not country.
Longest Surprise First Wedding Dance – Funny wedding first dance in Kauai
March 3, 2010
Funny surprise wedding first dance at a wedding held in Kauai (Hawaii) maybe even the longest. The first dance started with ‘Best Is Yet To Come’ then surprised everyone with Evolution of Dance with some Soulja Boy at the end.
Credits
Best Is Yet To Come – Michael Buble
Hound Dog – Elvis Presley
Twist — Chubby Checker
Stayin Alive – Bee Gees
YMCA – Village People
Kung Fu Fighting – Carl Douglas
Keep On – Brady Bunch
Grease Lightning – Grease Cast
All Night Long – AC/DC
Billy Jean – Michael Jackson
Thriller – Michael Jackson
Oompa Loompa – Willy Wonka
Mr Roboto – Styx
Break Dance
Walk Like an Egyptian – Bangles
Chicken Dance – Swiss accordion
Mony Mony – Billy Idol
Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
Gang Sugarhill – Apache Lyrics
Jump Around – House of Pain
Big Butt – Sir Mix-A-Lot
Knocked Down (Tubthumping) – Chumbawamba
What Is Love – Haddaway
Cotton Eyed Joe – RedNex
Macarena –
Lose Yourself – Eminem
Hey Ya – Outkast
Dirt Off Ur Shoulders – Jay-Z
Soulja Boy Crank Dat – Soulja Boy
Duration : 0:9:13