I'm getting married! How many lessons should I take for my 1st dance?

We get this question all the time! You're already worried about venues, catering, and who you're going to invite, where do you even begin with the dance? We've got you covered!

First things first, basically no one dances for the full song. Nearly all of our couples dance for around a minute to a minute and a half, maybe max two minutes. This helps you to learn everything you need to know before the big day while still providing a gorgeous dance that you'll enjoy for years to come!

It goes without saying, but shorter dances require less practice. On the whole, we recommend you start working on your dance at least 3 or 4 months out to give yourselves time to learn the dance and start committing it to muscle memory. Also, it's best to have a lesson every week or every other week, at least until the wedding gets closer. If you're starting later, don't panic! You can absolutely have a wonderful dance on a shorter time frame, 3 or 4 months makes the ideal balance point between having time to practice but still being fresh and ready for the floor. The same way that cramming before a test doesn't yield the best results, cramming a bunch of lessons the day before the wedding quickly gets overwhelming and frustrating. We want to make sure you feel prepared and confident, and that you enjoy the process getting there!

But none of this answers your question: How many lessons should I take? We can't give you a definitive answer without talking to you about what you'd like, your budget, etc, but we can give you some guidelines.

Lets say you want to do a simple one min to min and a half dance, neither of you have much previous dance experience, and we're adding some dips, lifts, and tricks. We'd recommend about five lessons minimum: the first three lessons to learn the dance, and the last two to practice, refine, and make it picture perfect. Not feeling as confident? We can always do more! Feeling ready to take on the floor? Let's get you the tools you need to create a showstopping performance! Starting earlier gives you time to feel it out.

Again, this could change depending on what exactly you have envisioned for your wedding. When you book a New Student Special with us, our instructors will ask you about your wedding and give you suggestions for the best path forward. At the end of the day it's your wedding, and the most important thing is that you feel comfortable, supported, and confident to stand up and dance! Let us make this the least stressful part of your wedding planning!

Wedding couple taught by Julianne at DanceWise