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A wedding choreographer begins by determining the couple's level of dance experience. Working with beginners to experienced dancers, a choreographer helps choose music that has meaning to the couple. The wedding dance professional sets appropriate expectations when arranging a couple's dance routines, taking skill level, lesson availability, and wedding clothing, shoes, and space into consideration.
Your first dance is one of the most memorable events of your wedding day. Taking the time to learn a routine can help build long-lasting self-confidence and closeness with your partner. Photos and videos of the lessons and the day's special dance can become mementos you cherish with your spouse and share with family and friends.
Wedding dance choreography should be considered another part of the planning process. Learning the moves to your favorite song can help you and your partner feel better prepared for the big event, especially if one or both of you are dance novices. It builds inner confidence, helps develop lifelong skills, and it can create a stronger bond between you.
While every wedding choreographer is different, you should plan on spending an average of $50 to $125 per private lesson. One way to help bring the cost down is to purchase a package plan of 10 to 20 lessons up front.
Private wedding dance lessons usually focus on the couple's first dance and can cost between $50 and $125 per hour. Group dances for other wedding party members can be included as an add-on in a dance lesson package. Couples may save money by learning basic dance steps in group lessons that can range from $10 to $30 per couple.
Wedding dance choreographers recommend a minimum of 10 private 45-minute to one-hour lessons to learn the basic routine. However, if you and your fiancée are new to dance, or you want to accomplish a more involved routine, you should plan on 15 to 20 lessons.
With all of the preparations and schedules that accompany wedding planning, taking an hour or two out of each week to destress with your partner is a fantastic way to build in memorable date nights that are fun and reenergizing. You'll develop greater self-confidence, and you may even find that you want to continue dance lessons as a couple.
It isn't necessary to tip your dance instructor. They're already charging a reasonable rate an don't require gratuities to help supplement their income. A thank you card after your wedding is a nice gesture. You may include a gift card for coffee or something similar if you feel the choreographer went above and beyond your expectations.
While you may envision a Dancing with the Stars first dance routine that wows your audience, you might want to bring your expectations into a more realistic focus. Most importantly, choose a song that has meaning for and suits both of you. Learn the basics, allow for wedding clothing constraints, and keep it to two or three minutes.
The wedding party usually enters after the guests have taken their seats. They're introduced and remain standing, encircling the dance floor. The newlyweds' grand entrance may become part of the dance routine. They're the only couple on the dance floor, sharing their first dance. If the reception includes dinner, the newlyweds' dance is the first one after the meal.
The first dance at your wedding should last between two and three minutes. You want it short enough to keep your guests engaged so they're ready to jump in and begin dancing.
Following the newlyweds' dance, the couple and their parents dance. The bride dances with her father, and the groom dances with the bride's mother in a traditional wedding. The bride's parents then dance together, and the groom dances with his mother. This set is completed by the groom's parents dancing together.
The best father-daughter wedding song dance is completely subjective. There may be a song that has particular significance to both of them. That said, some upbeat selections could include The Rolling Stones' "She's a Rainbow," Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl," and "The Way You Look Tonight," by Frank Sinatra.
While there are no hard and fast rules on wedding dance lesson attire, you'll want to wear or bring comfortable clothes to change into along with shoes that allow for easy sliding. Ask your instructor for recommendations prior to your first lesson if you're unsure.
Before all of the guests are invited to take to the dance floor, there are four main dances that occur. The first is the newlywed dance, followed by the parents' dances. The anniversary dance and the money dance are last two traditional pieces.
As with father-daughter dance songs, those for mother and son dances are also chosen based on significance to each person. Some memorable options include "Beautiful Boy," by John Lennon, Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up," and Lucas Graham's "Mama Said."