Okay people, this is a BIG deal!!! The average couple will book their wedding venue around 9 months to 1 year before their wedding date, and will spend 6 to 9 months planning their wedding (some even 18 months, just to have enough time and not go crazy). So most of the time people will completely forget their dance until the weeks before the big day!
I get it, there is a LOT going on, but here’s the deal. Your venue sits there waiting for you, you don’t need to do anything but reserve it. Same with the flowers, catering, DJ, etc. The dance is the only thing that will consistently need your time in order for it to be what you want it to be.
DISCLAIMER!!!! If you are weeks away from your wedding don’t think you can’t start lessons now, we have put stuff together in as few as 6 days. We just ask that you manage your expectations to fit the time we have to get a dance together that you can be proud of. Okay, read on….
So lets break down the two main types of wedding dance and what to expect as far as time commitment:
- The traditional slow dance: This is when I usually say “it’ll beat the heck out of the 8th grade clutch and sway”! Most people take dance lessons for their wedding so they are not just rocking back and forth for 4 minutes. Lessons help get you some polish and confidence doing steps that look “dancy”. The instructor’s job is to check your song, your allotted time, and your vision for your dance and make something amazing out of it. This does not mean he’s tossing her in the air anytime soon, but it does mean you as a couple will look like you know how to dance for that special moment. So the million dollar question….how long will this take? The answer is…it depends. How much time to you plan to practice with your instructor? How intricate do you want it to be? What impact will the dress have on your ability to do certain steps? These questions all add up to a magical number that your instructor will work with to give you the best dance they can. The only thing is…none of this is really feasible in a week. We NEED time to learn physical actions like dancing!!! No one, including your instructor, just stepped on a floor, learned a couple of moves, and left confident and sure of their abilities that day. It doesn’t happen. Equate this to time spent learning how to write left handed (or right handed if you’re a southpaw). It would take time and practice to develop that skill well enough to pass it off right? This is no different. Let me also state that we aren’t expecting you to be in the studio 8 hours per week with weekend training on the side!! NO NO NO!! But we do ask that you give us some time to help you be your best. To give the quick answer to a complex question: 3 to 6 months is healthy for a dance to develop and have polish, variety, and confidence for most couples….plus its a great way to run away from all your wedding planning for at least an hour a week!
- The dance to WOW them all!! Many couples have it in their head to do some amazing, choreographed piece with lifts and dips and flair that represents their character and personality as a couple…WE LOVE THESE TOO!!! This takes training that doesn’t come naturally, as stated above, it takes time and plenty of practice under the watchful eye of your instructor. These dances can start as early as a year in advance and you can walk away with a pretty amazing dance that will be sure to last the test of time. Your guests will be talking about this one for years to come!! We suggest 9 mos to a year for those special pieces, to have time for proper training on how to pick up your partner, how to dip your partner, and how to transition between each spectacular move with fluidity and balance.
Whether you’re aiming for simple and traditional or flared out and unique to you, give yourself the time you and the dance deserve to be done right. PLEASE!! Your dance instructor, and your future self, will thank you!