Memorable First Dance

How to Plan a Memorable First Dance

After the physical and spiritual nuptials are completed and the bride and groom have ‘sealed the deal’ with a kiss, it’s common for guests to anticipate a memorable first dance. There are many different ways to have a reception, but most of them contain one similarity: the bride and groom’s first dance.

In all the hustle and bustle of planning a wedding, the first dance may seem to be a relatively minor concern, but trust us… it’s not. With most of the guests likely having cameras and phones plastered to their hands, not to mention the professional videographer who is likely near, your first dance will be etched into digital memory for a long time to come. Why not make it memorable with these tips?

  1. Lower the lights. First, lowering the lights is a signal to your guests (who are likely milling around and chatting) that something is about to happen. If you haven’t had your first dance, they’ll figure out what’s next on the agenda. This will also allow your DJ to play with lighting effects as well.
  2. Choose your song by dance type. If you’re planning to execute an actual dance (waltz, swing, rumba, foxtrot, etc), you’ll need to choose music with the correct beat. The good news is that you don’t have to go with an instrumental song that nobody knows if you don’t want, as plenty of pop songs use these beats.
  3. Consider choreography. For those who don’t want to stand on the floor and rock back and forth, taking lessons together to prepare for the dance can be a good choice. You’ll have increased confidence, and be able to prove once and for all that you really can cut a rug. Also, taking the lessons together can be a fun activity as fiancées.
  4. If you can’t dance, waltz. For those who want a choreographed look but can’t be bothered to take intensive lessons, learning a basic waltz can be one of the easiest dances to master. It’s a classic, looks good, and takes very little effort.
  5. Don’t choose a long song. Particularly if you aren’t doing a choreographed dance that is flashy and exciting, a five-minute long ballad is likely going to bore your guests after the first couple minutes. Romantic songs that are three minutes or less are best. Of course, if you’re willing (and able) to tear it up with a salsa, this rule doesn’t apply.
  6. Save the drinking for after the dancing. It seems obvious, but this is a step that some brides ignore to their detriment. You don’t want to have been taking rumba lessons for six months, only to be too tipsy to execute.

Bring the guests in! Sure, it’s traditional to do the first dance alone on the dance floor, but this isn’t a hard rule. If you’re not willing to have a choreographed dance and you’re uncomfortable with the idea of all eyes on you for two straight minutes, break out into a conga line or a group dance after the first minute.

dance-floor-on-the-wedding-hall

Top 10 Viral Wedding Dance Videos of All Time

Looking for inspiration to make your first dance memorable, these are the top 10 viral wedding dance videos of all time! With the magic of the internet, we can look at literally thousands of wedding videos from around the world. Of course, the internet being what it is, some of these wedding dance videos have become extremely popular and have been shared around the world.

If you’re stumped on how to execute your own first dance, take a gander at these viral wedding dance videos for a glimpse at what everybody loves to see out of first wedding dances:

1

The Dirty Dancing. Of course, “Time of My Life” is probably a popular choice for a lot of first dances, but this couple actually did the dance from the movie right down to a T, including the part where Johnny lifts Baby over his head.

2

The JK Wedding Entrance Dance. This one went so viral that the hit show The Office paid homage to it. It features the entire wedding party dancing down the aisle to Forever by Chris Brown. Its popularity shows that millions of people agree that a fresh approach to the aisle is always welcome!

3

The Best Mother Son Dance Video Ever. Unique dances don’t have to be the province of the bride and groom! This fun take on the mother-son dance clearly makes the crowd go wild, and will be remembered for years to come.

4

The Best Wedding Speech Ever. Want to add some pizzazz to your wedding toast? Why not jazz it up with some professional dancers and a choreographed dance routine? This bride surely won’t forget this toast!

5

A “Crazy” First Dance. First dances also don’t need to be solo! This first dance for a couple is tightly choreographed and involves the entire wedding party.

6

A Breakout First Dance. This dance starts off slow, but breaks out into a fun and zany couple dance. Well choreographed and entertaining, this one certainly didn’t bore the watchers!

7

A Swing of a Dance. Set to a classic big band theme, this couple pulls off a more “traditional” swing dance routine that is entertaining, fast-paced, and yet classic.

8

The Thriller. Hey, you can’t go wrong with classic MJ. This is a fun way to include the wedding party in a dance that doesn’t leave all eyes on you and is set to something family-friendly and easily recognizable.

9

The Multiple Song Procession. This one is similar to the JK wedding entrance dance, but instead of the whole procession dancing to the same song, each member has his or her own!

10

10th Wedding Anniversary Dance. This isn’t exactly a wedding dance, but it’s an anniversary one! This couple makes it their own with a lively routine, and as a bonus… they have their kids join in!

There are plenty of different ways to make your wedding dance (or your wedding toast, or your mother/son or father/daughter dance) your own, and truly make your nuptials something that the guests will remember forever! Remember – it’s your day, and your dance should reflect your personality and individual style.

Marlin-D.-Woods

“From the moment we met with Carolyn, she made us feel like family. Carolyn was professional, classy, and didn’t push but, offered her professional, expert insight, and formal training to what put the “icing on the cake” to our beautiful wedding reception. As a result of her loving and warm interpersonal approach, she has become a permanent part of our family. My wife Jessica and I highly recommend Carolyn Paddock’s services. You won’t be sorry!”

Lindsay-and-Matt-wedding-photo

“Matt and I both want to thank Carolyn for working with us for the First Dance. Her choreography was great and she worked with us at our own pace. Everyone at the wedding told us our First Dance as husband and wife was the highlight of the evening. So again, thank you so much for everything!”

“Carolyn did an excellent job in choreographing our wedding dance with many creative moves. She was great in teaching us the steps and making sure our dance was the hit of wedding! After the “I do’s,” of course.” ~ Matt Taylor

Jessica-Brooks-Wedding

“I just want to thank Carolyn so much for Everything! Everyone loved the dance!  People were in tears and clapping.  It was magical! The makeup was beautiful, but even more than that I felt God sent her there to be there for me. She took the place of anyone important who was not there. like my Mom!  God sent her to me and I’m so Grateful.  Also  Thank you so much Carolyn!”

Dr.-Donna-L.-Goldstein-Wedding-Photo-2

“Carolyn-we are so grateful for your tutorage and choreography of our wedding dance! You made it so fun and easy for us to learn and practice during the busy weeks leading up to our big day- we hope you were proud of our results and would highly recommend your services to any other brides and grooms! We look forward learning more and keeping our connection.”

 

Also, thank you so much for the lovely make up application you did for me and my bridal party! You were such a positive and calming influence that morning too. I have gotten a lot of compliments and it stayed fresh all day! One reason my wedding pictures look so nice is that you did my make up and even helped with my hair and veil- many thanks again! xooxxo ~ The happily married, Vern Sibble and Donna Goldstein

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“There is something so special about Carolyn, that words can hardly do her justice. Having a destination wedding can be very stressful, being you have to hire venders online, over the phone, and You Tube video accreditations. Our destination wedding weekend started off very bumpy, from the crushed wedding dress from our flight to Miami, the 3+ hours wait at the court house, to multiple pickups at the two different airports. Carolyn entered our lives on July 10, 2011. She embraced our chaos with grace, professionalism, and was instantly a part of the family. My maid of honor lost weigh during the weekend and her dress was too big, my gown was a wrinkled mess. Carolyn taught us how to steam the dress and take in the other dress. We are women of color of all various shades; Carolyn was able to do our makeup immaculately. I cannot recall my mother looking so confident of her beauty and happy. I think she floated across the room at times. Our wedding was very emotional we all cried, but our makeup still looked fabulous! Carolyn seemed to sprinkle magic dust on all of our faces. She brought calmness to the room.We relaxed and enjoyed several memorable moments. I highly recommend Carolyn; she has so much to offer and cares about her clients.”

Quince-Liz-miami-shores-country-club

“For my daughter’s quince (a Latin 15th birthday coming-out celebration), we wanted our daughter Elizabeth to do a dance with her father, and then her brother. Carolyn came highly recommended by our party planner/DJ, and she did not disappoint. We are a family with a busy schedule, and she was very flexible, coming out to our home in the evenings and on Sunday, and later the country club’s salon. She helped us choose music that pleased everyone, and choreographed a classic dance that was simply elegant and beautiful. The dance lessons were almost as much fun as the party itself! We laughed, we cried– and we learned how to dance. I highly recommend her as an instructor who is patient, fun, and flexible. I would definitely use her again for a party or event.”

Mary Kramer (Alvarez), P.A.
Miami, FL
www.marykramerlaw.com

Bride-Grace-Paul-Xavier

“I met Carolyn on my trading group while I was looking for a make-up artist for my wedding. Not only did she show up on time, she also went out of her way to get me the veil that I needed. She got great products. I was worrying about the sweats from the hot flashes. Carolyn knew exactly what to use on me. Whatever product she was using took care of that and I did not sweat through the whole night and my make up was perfect. Everybody loves it and say that it looks very natural. So I was very happy with her work and her personality. I would definitely recommend Carolyn.”