First Dance Worries

If you’re not sure whether you want a first dance at your wedding reception, you aren’t alone, we know couples can find it tricky.

If you hate dancing, and don’t want to do it with everyone watching – don’t worry, your guests won’t judge! They will just be happy to see you and your new spouse have a little chat for three or four minutes while you sway from side to side  – which is what most first dances end up being.

Despite the soppiness of it, a slow first dance is probably your best bet if you are a little worried about dancing. If you’ve got moves, and you want to show them off, something faster can definitely work.

Weddings are frantic, and over the course of the day you’ll hardly get a moment to yourself, let alone with your new husband or wife. Everyone there will want to talk to you, and there’s timings and speeches to worry about. The first dance can be a little calm in the storm. First dances are a great way to put a momentary pause on a wedding day.

In addition to this, the first dance is a great ice breaker to move the day from meal to massive party, and 99 times out of 100, the dance floor gets fuller faster when there is a first dance, compared to when there isn’t.

If you aren’t sure which song to pick, try writing down separate lists of at least 10 songs without conferring. Songs that make you smile and think of your other half when you listen to them. The ones that give you goosebumps, or send those tiny little hairs on the back of your neck standing on end.

If there are none that match, make a playlist of your partner’s suggestions, and get them to make a playlist of yours. Listen to them when you’re not together and see if you get those goosebumps from any of your partner’s suggestions.

First dance suggestions

  • You Are The Best Thing – Ray Lamontagne
  • You’re All I Need To Get By – Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
  • It Must Be Love – Madness
  • Keep On Movin’ – 5ive
  • One Day Like This – Elbow
  • You’re My Best Friend – Queen
  • Lover Of The Light – Mumford and Sons
  • Dancing In The Dark – Bruce Springsteen
  • Mountains – Biffy Clyro
  • Stand By Me – Ben E. King
  • Your Body Is A Wonderland – John Mayer
  • Mean To Me – Brett Eldridge

The First Dance

There are a number of traditional moments on a wedding day. There’s walking down the aisle, the speeches, kissing the bride and many, many more. It’s fair to say that there is a lot to remember and that is never more true than with the first dance. Since all eyes are on you, here are our top tips to ensure your wedding dance goes without a hitch.

 Pick something that’s danceable

 It goes without saying that you should be sure to pick a song that is special to the two of you. Not only that but you also need to ensure that the lyrics are okay. Most important however, is making sure the song you pick is danceable. You might love heavy metal, but it doesn’t make for a good first dance wedding song. Here are the most popular ones and most come under three minutes and have a melodic tune. Take note and you should be fine!

 Tell the wedding band

 If you have a live band rather than a DJ, it’s fair to assume the wedding band will be the ones playing your song on the day. You might not get a chance to rehearse with them, so do make sure that the song they’re learning is the version that you’re hoping to hear on the day. Many songs have numerous covers and it’d be terrible if they’ve learned the wrong one!

 Take some dance lessons

 You might not be the one to rush to the dance floor in a nightclub and you may not own a pair of dancing shoes, but at least attend a couple of sessions to get the basics. You might not become Michael Flatley overnight but you we think you’ll definitely pick up enough knowledge to not only scrape through the first round of Strictly, but also wow your guests!

 Practice, practice, practice…

When doing the dishes, run through your steps. When out for a walk, practice your steps. When on the way to work, ponder through the movements in your mind. There’s nothing better than practicing your dance to ensure that it will be perfect on the day and if you’re lucky, the venue might even allow you both in to see how much space you’ll have!

 …And practice on the day

 It’s all very well practicing from the comfort of your own home but we all know about nerves! Considering you might be performing your first dance in front of well over fifty people (and that would be on the small side), you might wish to run through it with your partner on the actual day. Can’t think of time when you’ll be alone? A wedding photographer is sure to allow you a couple of minutes to practice whilst waiting for the perfect shot.

 Wear the right shoes

 There’s no point practicing the dance in your slippers if you’re not going to be wearing them on the day. Unless you’re planning a sleepover themed wedding, we suspect you’ll be wearing some nice high heels or a smooth pair of black brogues. The thing about both these forms of footwear is they don’t tend to have a lot of grip… So make sure you’ve worn them during some of your rehearsals; nobody wants to fall over during their first dance!

Back straight and keep smiling!

Although you want to make sure your shoes aren’t slippery and that you’ve worn them before the music begins, remember that nobody will be watching your feet.  All the focus will be on your upper body so if all else fails, keep your back straight and smile!