The Definitive Guide To Nailing The First Dance At Your Wedding... With Only 5 Moves

First things first - before we get into the nitty gritty of actually doing a first wedding dance, there’s a few things I want to share with you about preparing for it.

Your wedding is supposed to be one of the best days of your life. But the months of planning beforehand? Not so much.

The planning can be stressful and chaotic for everyone involved - but I firmly believe that your first dance should not contribute to that mayhem.

Learning your first wedding dance should be a joyful experience that brings you and your partner closer together, rather than tearing you apart.

Over the years, I’ve heard from thousands of couples who have used my Date Night Dancing program to prepare for their first wedding dance.

I’ve picked up a few pointers here and there about how to take the edge off of this part of the wedding planning process - so I want to share them with you:

1. Determine Your Budget

There's no avoiding it - getting lessons for a choreographed wedding dance will cost you money.

And as you'll need multiple sessions in the lead up to your big day, these costs can easily get out of hand.

Weddings are expensive enough as it is - so it's a wise move to figure out how much you want to spend, before you spend it.

You've got a couple of options when it comes to payment: you can pay a set amount per session, or some studios offer first dance packages at a slightly discounted rate.

Speaking of pricing, that leads into my second tip:

2. Shop Around

Different dance studios and instructors will offer a variety of prices and packages - it can pay to be picky, so take the time to do some comparisons.

You'd be surprised how few couples do this. Many will just go with the first studio that pops up in their Google search results.

But don't just shop around in terms of money - make sure you take a good look at reviews and testimonials, too.

Sometimes, the cheap lessons are cheap for a reason - but on the flip side, higher pricing doesn't always equal better quality. So you need to put in a bit of effort to strike the perfect balance of affordable, yet effective.

Wedding dance lessons can be a substantial investment - you need to go into this process with your eyes open.

3. Plan In Advance

Learning a dance routine takes time - especially if you're a total beginner, or you lack confidence in your dance ability.

Ideally, you want to give yourself about 4 months of dance lessons to ensure you and your partner are both properly prepared.

It sounds like a long time, but keep in mind that your schedules in the lead up to your wedding will more than likely be pretty jam-packed.

Think about it like this: most couples will need between 10 and 20 dance lessons - let's take the lower option. One lesson per week over 10 weeks = 2 and a half months.

And that's an optimistic estimation.

Wedding planning gets chaotic and life gets in the way, so you may not be able to keep to a strict weekly schedule.

Beginning your dance preparations well in advance will allow for busy schedules, or any realizations that you need more lessons than you initially thought.

4. Practice Routinely

The only way you're going to become confident enough to dance in front of an audience is to take lessons on a regular basis.

We just spoke about how tricky it can be to schedule lessons amongst the chaos of wedding planning, so you'll need to be strategic about this.

A great way to combat this difficulty is to pencil in your lessons on the same day, at the same time, every week.

And if you take my advice and start lessons at least 4 months out from your wedding date, you can take full advantage of your early preparation.

You'll be able to make your lessons a habit before the mayhem sets in - and as the appointments begin to pile up, you can work them in around your dance lessons, rather than the other way around.

Now, implementing those four tips will give you a great leg-up in your first dance preparations.

But unfortunately, they don’t quite remedy all of the issues that come along with getting private lessons at a dance studio…

The Downsides Of Private Wedding Dance Lessons

When it comes to planning a choreographed first wedding dance, there are so many factors that often go unnoticed or simply end up getting overshadowed by the excitement of the big day.

Sadly, most couples really don’t foresee the overwhelming juggling act that awaits them if they choose to go down the traditional dance studio route.

As you plan your wedding, you'll quickly realize that time, money, and energy are your most valuable assets.

You have a limited supply of each, and allocating and investing them wisely is crucial to ensure you have a successful first dance.

Time really does fly, and the closer you get, the faster it goes…

Many couples underestimate the hidden time costs associated with choreographed dances.

Because the reality is, achieving the level of choreographed perfection that a lot of couples strive for requires extensive time and practice.

This can very often take anywhere from six months to an entire year.

Even with the guidance of a seasoned instructor, the process of ingraining that caliber of skilled movement into your body is going to be a time-consuming journey.

It is going to demand countless hours of practice, mastering nuanced, precise movements  - and at the end of the day, it’s just not the most practical option for many couples.

And let's face it, as Charity mentioned below, the idea of taking lessons in a room full of people can be super-intimidating…

And don’t be deceived - it's not just about attending a one-hour lesson.

When you choose to work with a dance studio, you'll realize how much additional time you’re wasting driving to and from the studio.

Add to that the challenge of coordinating schedules between you, your partner, and the dance instructor.

It becomes a puzzle of aligning three busy calendars to find that elusive common time slot.

All of these hidden time costs can quickly add up and eat into your already hectic wedding planning schedule.

Speaking of wedding planning…

Let’s not forget that your first wedding dance is merely one piece of a much larger puzzle.

As you meticulously plan every detail, from the cake, to the vendors and the food, the first dance often gets overshadowed by the myriad of other tasks on your to-do list.

It becomes a juggling act, trying to fit dance lessons and practice sessions into an already packed schedule.

The stress of managing multiple priorities can really take away from the joy and excitement that should surround your wedding preparations.

Finally, let’s talk about cost.

Choreographed routines with intricate moves and synchronization require more time and expertise from the instructor, potentially leading to higher costs.

And there’s no guarantee that you will get the results you both crave either:

A quick online search shows that on average, prices can range anywhere from approximately $75 to $150 per hour for individual private lessons.

And if you were thinking about something that's a little more comprehensive - well, it all adds to the cost.

You will probably need something along the lines of 10 to 20 weekly lessons.

Let’s take those numbers, and do some quick math:

The traditional route of private dance lessons can put you at least $1,000 out of pocket.

Even a discounted “premium wedding dance package" can easily cost you upwards of $2,500. Yikes!!

And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but often that's just the beginning…

Because if you think you're going to need a solid amount of lessons, and the wedding is just a few weeks away, then you can expect to pay a premium rate for cramming those multiple lessons.

Just like priority or next-day shipping, procrastination is gonna cost you.

But there is a way to bypass the headaches of the traditional dance lesson route - my personal method, called the Play-By-Play First Wedding Dance Strategy.

When it comes to pulling off the ultimate first wedding dance, you probably think that you need the carefully crafted, meticulously choreographed, and overly complicated routine that you’ll get from private lessons.

Let me tell you, nothing could be further from the truth.

In my experience, most couples don’t actually need that perfectly rehearsed, rhythm matching movement - they just need to feel comfortable and confident enough to simply enjoy their special moment.

Deep down, you probably know that already. But knowing it, and doing it are two very different things.

This is why I created my Play-By-Play First Wedding Dance Strategy. I wanted to give couples a practical pathway to actually achieving that comfort and confidence, all on their own.

Let’s go through how the strategy works, and how you can use it for your own first wedding dance.

The Play-By-Play First Wedding Dance Strategy: Explained

After taking hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of dance lessons myself, I know first-hand that it’s a path with a heck of a lot of pitfalls.

It’s definitely not a practical or affordable choice for everyone - especially when you’ve got the entire wedding planning process on your plate.

And that's why I created the Play-By-Play First Wedding Dance Strategy - I wanted to create a way for couples to have the first dance they dream of, without the stress, time, or money involved in taking the traditional route.

Play-By-Play is the core concept of my program, Date Night Dancing. It's the exact strategy that tens of thousands of couples around the world have used to have a showstopping first dance at their wedding.

The strategy is incredibly simple, yet powerful when put into practice:

The style of dancing I teach is called Social Swing. It’s a fun, universal style that can fit with any music you choose.

Rather than learning an entire routine, I get couples to learn individual dance moves in isolation - I teach 50 in my program, but you can work with as little as 5 different moves.

These moves are interchangeable; once you learn them, they can be put together in endless combinations.

It’s as easy as that.

Once you learn a collection of moves, you and your partner will have the tools and the confidence to pull a dance out of thin air, whenever you please.

This strategy is perfect for people who “can’t dance”, for one main reason:

The interchangeable nature of the movements means they flow together seamlessly. This means it's actually harder to mess up the moves than it is to execute them.

Instead of being in the middle of the dance floor at your wedding, stressed and nervous, trying to remember the routine you spent so much time and money on, you and your partner can actually relax and enjoy your first dance confidently.

Remember the video I showed you at the beginning of this post? Let’s use some of those clips as examples of my strategy:

The Play-By-Play First Wedding Dance Strategy: Explained

We’ll take three clips from the video at the top of the page, and break them down into the individual moves.

This will demonstrate to you exactly how the Play-By-Play Wedding Dance Strategy looks when it’s put into action.

All of these dances are great, and there are a few tips and tricks in there - you might want to take some notes!

Let’s get into the groove by analyzing this short clip:

Though this is just a small portion of a longer dance, this first video is a great example of how simple and minimal can still look elegant and impressive.

In this short clip, the couple used a grand total of 2 different moves.

Yep, that’s right, just 2 - the Infinity Loop, and the Air Dip:

This couple did something really smart here - they used a very simple, no-frills movement (Infinity Loop) as their base, and sprinkled in something a little more extravagant (The Air Dip) to get the “wow”s.

That formula of simple base move + fancy extra move is perfect for a first wedding dance.

Because obviously for your first dance, you will want to be somewhat prepared beforehand.

Using a simple base with some flashy moves thrown in makes it much easier for you to remember where the dance is headed.

Let’s look at clip number two:

This couple used 4 different moves, with some beautiful transitions in between.

These are the core movements they utilized:

You’ve probably noticed that dips are very popular for first dances.

They look super impressive and difficult, making them instant crowd pleasers.

(Spoiler: dips are deceptively easy once you learn how to do them! Click here to start learning.)

Finally, let’s go over one last clip:

This clip is a perfect example of just how beautiful and refined your first dance can look when both you and your partner are comfortable on the dance floor.

This couple also used four main moves - mostly consisting of dips:

You can tell they’re both confident in what they’re doing - nothing looks rushed, and each move flowed very naturally into the next.

That type of confidence is exactly what my Play-By-Play Wedding Dance Strategy can give you.

As your repertoire of dance moves builds over time, so does your confidence and comfortability with dancing.

That can be difficult to achieve with traditional lessons, if not flat out impossible.

Because you’re not really learning to dance - you’re learning a strict, one-use routine.

But with my Date Night Dancing program, you build the skill of dance from the ground up; you get given the tools you need to be comfortable and confident on the dance floor for life.

Picture this: It's your big day, and the moment has finally arrived - your first dance as a newlywed couple.

The room is filled with excitement and anticipation. As you and your partner take the dance floor, all eyes are on you, and a hush falls over the crowd.

Then, the music starts, and you effortlessly glide into those mesmerizing moves you've learned.

Your guests are captivated, their eyes wide with amazement. With each elegant step, you feel the connection between you and your partner grow stronger. Ooh's and ahh's fill the air as the love and joy radiating from your smiles are infectious.

As the dance comes to a close, the room erupts in thunderous applause. Your friends and family can't contain their excitement and admiration for the beautiful dance they've just witnessed.

You both feel on top of the world, knowing that your First Wedding Dance has left an indelible mark on this special day.

And the best part? Achieving this unforgettable moment was easier than you ever imagined.

With only a handful of moves, you both created a performance that will be cherished forever.

This is exactly what you and your partner can do with my Date Night Dancing program.

Let me quickly remind you how much the traditional route of dance lessons could potentially cost:

Learning a choreographed first dance for your wedding could easily put you at least $1,000 out of pocket.

But Date Night Dancing will cost you nowhere near that amount - you’ve got more than enough wedding-related costs to worry about as it is.

I firmly believe that the ability to confidently enjoy your first dance should not leave you thousands of dollars out of pocket.

Forget about all of that complicated choreography and the stress of commuting to dance studios. You and your partner can learn the dance of a lifetime right in the comfort of your own home at your own leisure.

No rushing around, forking out ridiculous amounts of money, or dealing with crazy schedules.

You will both be dancing together, laughing, and bonding over those magical moves, all while creating beautiful memories that are going to last a lifetime.

This is all about making it fun, regardless of dance experience.

From my perspective, when couples tell me they want a choreographed wedding dance, it doesn't always mean they're looking for that super fancy precision and synchronization.

Most of the time, what they are really looking for is someone to guide them. They just want someone to give them a plan, and take away the stress of not knowing where to start.

They want to feel confident and comfortable on the dance floor, without all the added stress of uncertainty.

Now It’s Your Turn

At this point, I would say you’ve got three options for your first wedding dance:

Option 1: You go the traditional route

You go to a studio, and get professional lessons. Your dance is choreographed down to the finest detail.

This option means that you and your partner have to make a massive commitment - and not just to each other.

This is a commitment of time, money, travel, and mental energy.

In my opinion, it’s an investment with very little pay-off.

Yes, your dance may look perfect from the outside - but will you truly enjoy yourself? Or will you be a stressed, nervous wreck trying to remember every minute detail of the routine?

Yes, it will be a great first wedding dance - but will it translate to other situations? Will these hours of dance lessons give you skills and confidence that can transfer to other occasions?

And yes, the time spent in the studio is time spent with your partner - but will you actually be bonding and connecting? Or will the stress and frustration begin to drive you apart?

I don’t know about you, but none of that sounds very appealing to me.

Well, what about the second option?

Option 2: You go it alone

You and your partner go out into the middle of the dance floor on your wedding day, completely unprepared.

All of your loved ones gather around, eagerly anticipating the dance that is about to take place.

The music starts. You take each other’s hands, look into each other’s eyes, and… awkwardly sway side to side for the next few minutes.

That’s it.

Yes, it costs you nothing to do this - no money, no time, no stress. But it’s pretty unremarkable, and will leave your guests feeling underwhelmed.

Which is an outcome I don’t think anyone wants on their wedding day.

So, that just leaves you with the third option…