Medicine & Manicures

Our First Dance: 4 Reasons to Take Lessons Before the Big Day

first dance charlotte wedding

Today’s wedding Wednesday is all about the first dance. I had been looking forward to this special moment for the longest time and it was definitely one of the best parts of the planning process. This was our moment, the traditional first dance together as husband and wife and I couldn’t wait to share it with Ryan and all of our guests.

We wanted to step it up a notch so we decided to take dance lessons and it was the best decision. Even Ryan says so! Our dance was to “Everything” by Michael Bublé and it went off without a hitch! If you’re engaged and have considered taking lessons… do it!! Today I’m sharing four reasons why we’re so glad that we had a choreographed first dance (and keep scrolling to see the full video!).


ONE || IT’S A BUILT-IN DATE NIGHT
The last few months leading up to the wedding can be pretty stressful. Tying up all the loose ends with the planning and finishing up DIY projects can be a lot to take on. You may not have that much “quality time” with your fiance and 1-hour long dance lessons (we took 5) automatically gives you two time each week to do something fun together. Plus, you get to learn something new that not many people know how to do and the grooms always end up having just as much fun as the brides!
foundation for the carolinas wedding

TWO || YOU’LL GET SOME AMAZING PHOTOS
This one is obvious, but I’ll let the pictures do the talking. We moved all over that dance floor and got some great shots (and video footage too!). We had a lift in our routine which resulted in one of my favorite photos- just look at that huge smile on Ryan’s face. Priceless!
foundation for the carolinas wedding

THREE || YOU’LL BE MORE COMFORTABLE IN FRONT OF A CROWD
Many couples get nervous during their first dance. Let’s be honest- how many times do we slow dance with one another? Usually at weddings and that’s about it. On your big days all eyes are on you and it can be a little intimidating for some couples to get out on the dance floor in front of all their family and friends. If you take lessons ahead of time (and practice regularly) you will be so much more prepared. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy but just being comfortable with your steps can make a world of a difference.
choreographed first dance

FOUR || YOUR GUESTS WILL CHEER & BE ENTERTAINED
Other than the fact that I LOVE to dance, this was one of the main reasons we took lessons. I feel like most couples just get out there and sway (which is perfectly fine if you’re not big dancers) but we knew we wanted to do something different. We wanted not only to dance together to a sweet song and show off our new skills, but to keep our guests entertained and they loved it!
 

foundation for the carolinas wedding
When we took lessons I tried to keep in mind the silhouette of my dress, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to make giant strides or move as freely as I’d like. When Ryan first saw my dress that day he was like, “I thought you said this was a dress you could dance in!” That is the one challenge with taking lessons is that you obviously can’t practice in your dress (make sure to wear your heels though!).
We used the time during our cocktail hour to run through the dance. I kept tripping over my bustle because there was so much poof at the bottom of my dress and I could’ve sworn I was going to trip. And when we practiced the lift- I felt something pop! The tightest hook & eye broke (whoops!) but due to the tight fit of my dress and the inner boning, it stayed up just fine the entire night and thankfully I did not trip during the dance and it turned out beautifully!
If anyone in Charlotte is looking for an awesome dance instructor, we used Alex from First Dance Charlotte and couldn’t have been happier. She did an amazing job choreographing our routine and was just so fun to work with. I ended up referring two of my girlfriends to her as well and we’re all so glad that we had fun dance routines for our weddings!
 uptown charlotte wedding

 

Photography: CaptureMeCandid Photography | Wedding Dress: Ladies of Lineage
DJ: Split Second Sound | Venue: Foundation for the Carolinas
Dance Lessons: First Dance Charlotte | Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew | Tuxes: Combat Gent

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Comments

  3. Chesson | Magnolia+Main says

    Beautiful pictures from your first dance! We took lessons too & I'm with you – every engaged couple should do them! Going out on the dance floor and just swaying in a circle while everyone stared at you was not something we wanted to do… instead we showed up with some pretty sweet shag dancing moves that everyone loved 🙂

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  14. Nikki @ makeupHER says

    We wanted to take lessons, but being in different states, it was super hard to coordinate doing that. Instead we did a mild routine that we sort of made up and improvised a bit the day, all in all it turned out perfect! The pictures that were captured of y'all are stunning though!!

    makeupHER

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