Despite the myriad videos out there today of brides and grooms delighting their guests with show-stopping dance moves, not everyone can achieve those results without help.
Many couples find that pulling off a successful first dance, especially something elaborate or choreographed, requires professional guidance from an instructor.
If you’ve been thinking about taking dance lessons to prepare for your wedding, we have some advice that will help you enjoy your experience and fully reap the rewards of your efforts.
Why Go With Lessons?
To be clear, taking wedding lessons are not a requirement for a successful reception. Plenty of people forego them and have wonderful, memorable weddings.
A recent article in MathaStewart.com featured interviews with couples who’d gone both routes. One couple, who skipped the lessons, said they wanted their first dance to be relaxed: They went with the flow and had no regrets.
Another couple, Vanessa Delmer and Robin Delmer, told reporter Claire Sullivan they felt their lessons gave them a real leg up on their wedding preparations. They went all in and mastered a choreographed presentation.
“I'm a trained dancer, but it doesn't come naturally to Robin, so having choreography helped him feel more comfortable,” Delmer said. “Not only are lessons fun, but they boost your confidence for your wedding day—and any other time you hit the dance floor. And the experience improved our communication as a couple."
Wedding dance lessons can indeed help boost your confidence, and taking them together can provide you and your partner with special, memory-making moments to share.
Not only that, but dancing is an excellent form of exercise, which can be a great stress-buster during your wedding planning process. It also provides long-term health benefits including improved strength and flexibility. Dancing, which gives you healthy doses of endorphins, can improve your mood, too, which is yet another way to ease pre-wedding anxiety.
By the way, lessons can also be a nice option for the mother-son dance or the father-daughter dance. Or, if you feel that as a member of the wedding party, you should be getting people out on the dance floor, lessons may help boost your confidence.
Steps in the Right Direction: Preparing for Lessons
If you are considering dance lessons, you’ll want to know what kind of financial commitment you’re making.
Generally, lessons range from $50 to $150 per hour, but your costs will be impacted by your location, the teacher or business you work with, whether you opt for group or private lessons, and the number of lessons you want. Talk with prospective instructors/dance studios about what their sessions include and if packages are available.
And, as with all wedding services, price shouldn’t be the only factor you consider. Read customer reviews carefully. Do the instructors you’re considering treat their clients with respect? Are they patient? Do they offer choreographing services? And, particularly important, do they honor their customers’ vision?
As far as the number of lessons you’ll need, that will depend on your dancing experience and your goals (mastering the tango versus learning a choreographed routine). Learning the basics can require as few as three lessons while working on something that requires great precision can take five to nine lessons.
As you can see, dance lessons involve a significant time commitment. Most dance studios encourage couples to start lessons at least three to seven months before their wedding so they have the flexibility to reschedule lessons here and there when life happens.
Finding a Studio
In the Houston area, if you Google “ballroom dance classes near me” or “private dance lessons,” you can find a wealth of options including Arthur Murray Dance Studios and Fred Astaire Dance Studio locations.
Most studios and instructors offer lessons in many types of dance. Ballroom dance, which refers to dancing by two partners, can include rhythm dances like the Salsa, Mambo, and Merengue; smooth dances like the Tango or Waltz; and even Country Western Two-Step.
Your Song and Dance
As you select the song for your first dance, remember that it, like all elements of your wedding, should be a reflection of your personalities.
You also should select a song that lends itself well to the type of dance you’re interested in.
MyWeddingDanceCoach.com suggests making a song decision before you begin your dance lessons—or at least narrowing your selection down to two or three possibilities so you can work with your instructor to select the best possible option for your dance.
If you want to dance to a compilation of songs, have the music professionally edited in time for your first lesson so you can master dancing to it.
As for the length of your dance, most experts recommend keeping it to about 1 ½ to 2 ½ minutes so your guests remain engaged.
Dressing for Success
Dancing in comfortable clothing and shoes is one thing, pulling it off in wedding apparel is another. Talk with your instructor about your wedding dress and how it could impact your freedom to move, spin, or do a lift. And while you’re at it, it wouldn’t hurt to talk with your tailor during dress fittings about the dance you’re planning so they can help you prevent wardrobe malfunctions. You might even want to try a few dance moves in your dress so the tailor can make appropriate adjustments.
And, while you may want to work on mastering your dance routine in comfortable shoes, be sure to put in some practice time wearing your wedding shoes to prevent mishaps on the big day. This advice also applies to grooms, who will be wearing dress shoes they may find stiff at the wedding reception.
A few additional dance lesson tips:
Try to get the size of your wedding venue’s dance floor and discuss it with your instructor so you don’t end up with choreography designed for a much larger space.
Don’t limit your preparations to lessons with your instructor: Schedule practice time as a couple so you can move from learning your moves to perfecting them.
Avoid the temptation to teach and correct your partner during lesson and practice time, even if you have dance experience. You’ll save yourself considerable aggravation if you leave the feedback and guidance to your instructor.
If you’re planning something special for your dance, make sure your photographer and videographer know about it, when the dance will start, and about how long it will be.
When it’s time to dance at your wedding, it may help to remember that aside from you and your partner, no one knows your routine. So, if you make a mistake or have to skip a move, in most cases, no one will notice.
And, finally, as you begin your wedding dance, take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy this moment with your partner. Don’t stress so much that you rob yourselves of a joyful memory.
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