Wedding First Dance Tips: 5 Most Overlooked Details
As you get closer to your wedding day, you will start realizing details that you haven't thought about before. Besides your ceremony programs, wedding favors, sitting chart and etc., here are 5 most overlooked details about your first dance that you should know about.
Duet's students, Susan and Dennis, dancing at their wedding. Photo by Nakai Photography.
Wedding Dress
If you are going to dance at your wedding, it's important to take your wedding dress into consideration. If you have a mermaid dress, you will have to practice taking smaller steps in your lessons because the mermaid dress will limit the size of your steps. If your wedding dress has a train, make sure to bustle it up before your first dance so that you don't step on it when dancing. If you have a big full dress, you will have to practice dancing farther away from your partner to avoid stepping on the dress. Make sure to show a picture of your dress to your teacher so that he/she can make modifications to your dance steps if necessary. Some brides even change into a different dress that is easier to dance in just for the first dance. That way, you don't have to worry about any dress malfunction and really enjoy dancing at your wedding!
Wedding Shoes
It's a good idea to practice in your wedding shoes or shoes that are similar to the ones you will wear at your wedding. Especially if you are wearing high heels, you should get used to the feel of dancing in them. It's also helpful to break your shoes in before your big day.
Size of your Dance Floor
While some dance styles take up more space and some take up less. Knowing the size of the dance floor at your wedding can help your teacher choose styles and steps that are most appropriate for your wedding. You don't want to run into your guests or tables while you are dancing at your wedding!
Length of your First Dance Song
Keep your dance short and sweet. Dancing in front of people can be nerve-racking and minutes on the dance floor can feel like forever. To make sure your guests don’t get bored, keep the dance under 3 minutes. If your first dance song is longer than 3 minutes, you can either have your DJ fade it at around 3 minutes or your band play a shorter version of it.
Version of your Song
Make sure your DJ has the correct version of the song that you'd like to dance to. And if you have a band, make sure they play the tempo that you've been practicing to. Sometimes, a slight tempo change can really throw off your dancing!
What other wedding dance details can you think of? Please comment below.
If you enjoy this post, you may also like "Top 10 Contemporary First Dance Songs 2014."
The Duet Team is a group of friendly dancers who are passionate about helping people and sharing the joy of ballroom dance. And we love to make new friends and have fun at work! Duet Dance Studio is located in Chicago West Bucktown. We offer ballroom dance lessons, wedding dance instruction and private dance parties. Online Wedding Dance Lessons and Skype dance lessons are also available! Dances we teach include Salsa, Swing, Tango, Bachata, Merengue, Waltz and Foxtrot. Sign up for an introductory dance lesson now to get started!