All the things you never thought about but should for your wedding dance
So you have had your wedding dance lessons, (hopefully with J.B. Dance Queensland) and you are now a day or two out from your wedding.
The practice has been going great, you feel ready....
Fast forward two days and you are on the floor in front of all your family, friends and all your nearest and dearest. You start the dance ,but sadly you haven’t considered your suit before now. You put your arms up and realise that the suit you paid an exorbitant amount of money for, was not designed to let you put your arms in the air. It looked great for the ceremony, and great for the photos, but now trying to turn your beautiful partner under the arm, you feel quite restricted. No one wants to look like the Incredible Hulk every time they raise their arms.....
This is a common oversight that many grooms make when choosing a suit..... yes we all want the latest suit design and latest material. In a male female ceremony ask your bride now and she will tell you beauty is pain. Suits that are designed to look good are not designed to be danced in. Therefore I tell all males or females in suits it’s 2021....it is totally acceptable to remove your suit jacket before the dance. This will allow you more freedom and movement which you will need when trying to do a fantastic first dance routine.
Now to the other side of the coin.... girls your dress looks amazing, you feel amazing, you are your best self and you know it! But this doesn’t always transfer to a fabulous wedding dance.
That 4 metre train that you had to have.... well it also makes a large obstacle to dance/jump around when dancing for yourself and your partner. This is why before I even start thinking of designing your dance I ask the question. “Does your dress have any restrictions....?” This is where I get told my dress has a 2 metre hoop or a 5 metre train. This is not a problem, we just have to work around it. The greatest enemy is the enemy you don’t know. Hence why I always ask. Ladies, the easiest thing to do if you have a long train is to get your dress bustled up.
*Disclaimer- I must say dress makers are amazing at what they do, but most of them do not take your wedding dance into consideration, when designing your wedding dress. When they say they will bustle the back and you fall in love with this Idea... don’t.... make sure that the dress can be bustled at the back. Imagine turning under that arm and then what follows is a tidal wave of fabric you now have to wrestle your way out of. Long story short, get your dress bustled to the back if you want to do a great wedding dance. If you are sold on the idea, then as always, we here at J.B Dance Brisbane will make it work).
My list continues....
Ladies make sure you do a test run of the dance in your dress..... now I hear you all yelling at me, “but he can’t see me in the dress”!!! I know this is so but what about at your last dress fitting or when he is at work and you are left at home alone. Who doesn’t like trying on their wedding dress!!! You can now test out the spins, the turns, and all the other moves we choreographed for your wedding dance. One last note on this..... make sure you practise walking backwards in the those fabulous stiletto heels. Make sure you are not going to “spike”the dress. Those 4 inch heels may look great, but when stuck in your dress.....not such a good look.
Guys.... we are not often in such close proximity to a lady (unless of course, you are a professional Ballroom Dancer) where you could stand on her dress when walking forwards and backwards. In a wedding dance you are. Make sure you keep your feet as flat to the floor as possible. Don’t pick those feet up as if you have had a hard day at work and are tramping home. Keep them sleek and connected to the floor as much as possible. This will allow the dance to flow and stop your feet from getting tangled up under her dress.
This blog started as a quick idea and has grown bigger than Ben Hur. I will leave it here, with a list of tips that you can use as a check list on the day.
1. Guys don’t wear your suit jacket for the wedding dance
2. Girls bustle that dress at the back
3. Practice in the dress before the day
4. Keep your feet on the floor
5. Practice all the moves during photos times before you take to the floor to perform your dance at the reception
I am sure there are a hundred other things I could add to this list, but this will be good start to help you make your wedding dance everything you imagined it would be.
So get out there, enjoy your dance, embrace those magical moments on the floor in your partners arms as a first dance should only happen once!
Blair
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