Carla & Loray’s First Dance | Here and Now

Posted on March 25, 2022August 8, 2022 by catsballroom

Imagine a gorgeous couple gliding and twirling through pink-tinged fog to the romantic sound of Luther Vandross. Yeah, Carla and Loray’s first dance was dreamy.

I promise to love faithfully

They even look good practicing!

This couple had a lot of pluses starting out. They’re both really sweet, both have lilting Caribbean accents (love that), and are both in the military. Why should that last part matter? In my experience military couples are super easy to work with. They pay attention, take instruction incredibly well, and don’t seem to know the word can’t. Plus, they practice!

Carla & Loray’s First Dance Was Pure Romance

The key to progressing quickly (and having fun doing it) is to learn from your mistakes, but to not take them too seriously. Laughter loosens the mind. Extra props to Loray for being the first person I’ve ever seen get the suave over the head move on the first try!

Laughing and learning together

Smooth Move

Like dancing on a cloud

Thanks to the dream team!

Venue: Imperial Design Hall

Photographer: Hundreds of Moments

Videographer: Luminary Wedding Videos

DJ: DJ Johnny of Blue Chip Entertainment

Dress: The Dressing Room Celebration

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Visit our Lessons page.

Try a free lesson to see if you like it. We know your will 😉

Schedule Your Consultation

Haley & Nathan’s First Dance | Fall On Me

Posted on June 30, 2021 by catsballroom

… With Open Arms

High school sweethearts who met in marching band – it doesn’t get any cuter than that. Add in Haley’s near obsession with Christina Aguillera (read dramatic song choice), and I knew Haley and Nathan’s first dance would be a lot of fun to choreograph.

Haley’s gown was beautiful and suited her perfectly. She did assume it would be bustled though, and only found out the day before that it wouldn’t be, but I think the improvised ribbon bracelet looked lovely as they danced.

As you can see from these clips, we were starting to get some pretty smooth dancing. And then Covid!

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to meet for the last several months before the wedding, but to their credit, these two did great. They even brought Haley’s dad to tears.

Thanks to the dream team for Haley & Nathan’s First Dance!

Venue: Southern Grace Weddings & Events

Photographer: Danielle Lozeau Photography

DJ: 2typesofpassion

Dress: The Barefoot Bride

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Visit our Lessons page.

Try a free lesson to see if you like it. We know your will 😉

Schedule Your Consultation

Colleen & John’s First Dance | Sway

Posted on March 27, 2021March 28, 2021 by catsballroom

Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore, hold me close, sway me more.

The story of Colleen and John’s first dance is a study in flexibility and positive attitude. They had been taking lessons from us for quite awhile before we started working on anything for the wedding. She was bitten by the dance bug in college, and he was happy to join in her hobby. We worked a lot on the waltz because they’re a couple of old souls and the classic elegance of it appealed to them both. But then – Covid. The big wedding at the Pink Palace they had planned became a small wedding in a friend’s backyard, their dance floor became a deck, and their waltz became … a rumba.

Look at that laser focus!

Rumba may not have been the dance they’d been dreaming of, but they really threw themselves into it, even upping the bar by working on Latin hip action. [Note: The long hill between the law school and Fourth Bluff Park is the perfect place to learn it, but boy is it busy when the weather is nice!]

When it came time to begin choreography, we had another snag to unravel. Although Zoom had been working fine for regular lessons, we wanted to be more interactive for something as special as a first dance. Colleen and John weren’t quite ready to resume lessons in the studio, so what to do? Our solution was to meet in person on the plaza in front of the Brooks Museum. Seems crazy, but it was actually a lot of fun.

Do it again!

Because that’s how you get better.

As you can see, despite all the changes and challenges, their first dance turned out great. In fact, they were so well prepared that even when Colleen’s dress tried to swallow John’s legs, they were able to laugh it off and get right back on track.

Beautiful!

Thanks to the dream team for Colleen & John’s first dance!

Photographer: Ashley Benham Photography

Wedding Planner: Infinity Events

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Visit our Lessons page.

Try a free lesson to see if you like it. We know your will 😉

Schedule Your Consultation

4 Reasons to Consider Wedding Dance Lessons

Posted on February 25, 2021January 20, 2022 by catsballroom

Classic!

Maybe you’re thinking about taking wedding dance lessons and you’re just not sure if they’re for you. Well consider this – your first dance is one of the four or five all-eyes-on-you moments of your wedding day. It’s also the first thing you do together after you say, “I do,” and walk into the world as a married couple. A good first dance shows everyone that you’ve worked together to create something that honors your individual personalities and your union as a couple.

When you prepare with lessons, nobody will be looking at their phone!

[Photo by NLA Weddings]

A Beautiful First Dance is a Gift for Your Loved Ones

Your friends and family love you and they’ll be happy even if you just hang and sway. But wouldn’t it be nice for them to see something more creative and exciting. Make grandma blush with a slow sultry number, show your sophistication with an elegant foxtrot, bring the fun with some crazy swing steps, or charm everyone with an airy lift. There is no wrong choice as long as you’re true to yourselves. Your guests will love it and remember it forever.

Is this your best move?

Wedding Dance Lessons Give You Confidence!

This may be the most important reason to take lessons for your first dance. For most people the thought of dancing in front of a crowd is nerve wracking, so they try not to think about it. But it’s going to happen one way or the other, so why not prepare for it? Taking wedding dance lessons with a qualified instructor means there won’t be any awkward moments, because you’ll know what to do every step of the way.

Just needs a few small tweaks to look great!

You Need Feedback & Accountability

You may be tempted to try to learn to dance by watching videos. There are a lot of reasons why that’s not ideal, and here are two of the most important ones. First, Professor YouTube isn’t going to give you any feedback. You won’t really know if you’re doing the moves correctly or how to fix something that’s not going right. You could even hurt yourself. Secondly, if you schedule lessons with someone, then you’ll show up. If you go it alone, you’ll probably procrastinate until it’s too late. And since your instructor will know if you don’t practice, you’ll work harder and be rewarded with a smoothly polished first dance.

Looks like they’re enjoying their lessons to prepare for their first dance!

You’ll Have Fun

You may not believe this yet, but chances are once you start lessons, you’ll actually enjoy them. Really what could be better amidst the hustle-bustle of wedding planning than setting aside time each week to spend in each other’s arms?

And if you want to see real couples preparing for and performing their first dances, then our Wedding Stories blog is just the inspiration you need.

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Visit our Lessons page.

Try a free lesson to see if you like it. We know your will 😉

Schedule Your Consultation

Kari & Camron’s First Dance | Lover

Posted on November 25, 2020 by catsballroom

And there’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear…

A peaceful moment.

This couple really gets around (in a good way, of course). She’s from Kansas and he’s from Nevada, they met in Baltimore, and got married in California. Whew! It’s a wonder they ever found each other, so I guess it was meant to be. And lucky for us they live in Memphis, and we got the privilege of working on Kari & Camron’s first dance.

I love the attitude in this shot!

It’s my contention that the human brain doesn’t process opposites well. Notice how they struggled at first with swiveling in different directions. It’s like that for almost everyone. But then something just clicks, and it all falls into place.

Kari & Camron Prepare For Their First Dance

We inserted a move that we usually just call the wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, and Kari cracked up and said, “I can’t do that in front of my dad!” She did it, but it’s pretty quick, so see if you can spot it.

Kari & Camron’s First Dance

Thanks to the dream team for Kari & Camron’s First Dance!

Venue: The Resort at Squaw Creek (Olympic Valley, CA)

Photographer: Mandy Ford Photography

Videographer: Lake Full of Pictures

Wedding Planner: Jenn Lazon

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Visit our Lessons page.

Try a free lesson to see if you like it. We know your will 😉

Schedule Your Consultation

Sarah & Jason’s First Dance | I Choose You

Posted on November 4, 2020November 4, 2020 by catsballroom

It’s the biggest decision I’m about to get right…

Could you find a more beautiful location?

We loved working on Sarah & Jason’s first dance. There is nothing flashy about this couple, but boy is there a lot of substance. Among other things they’re both whip smart, adventurous, and philanthropic. Their rustic wedding at a ranch in Colorado suited them perfectly, and their first dance to I Choose You showed off their athleticism and charm. My only teeny tiny regret? That no one would see Sarah’s crazy beautiful legs under the wedding gown!

Sarah & Jason’s first dance had to have a lift!

Small details can make a huge difference in how a dance looks and feels. Notice how often a seemingly small adjustment changed everything. And since they both took direction wonderfully, their improvement was usually rapid.

Hands on feedback!

Sarah and Jason also ticked all the boxes for a great first dance – start early, practice often, cooperate – and it shows in how polished they look.

[Apologies for the poor quality video, but you can still see how great they did.]

Thanks to the dream team!

Photographer: Taylor Jones Photography

Wedding Planner: Cynthia Zipperly

Band: Raising Cain

[Note: Although they did play for the first dance, due to technical issues the audio in the video isn’t them.]

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Visit our Lessons page.

Try a free lesson to see if you like it. We know your will 😉

Schedule Your Consultation

Hayley & Max’s First Dance to No Place

Posted on August 18, 2020August 18, 2020 by catsballroom

Wherever you are baby, that’s where I want to be.

So darn cute!

I know they got tired of hearing me say it, but this couple is just so adorable! You can see just by looking at them that they’re sweet and bubbly, so we tried to make Hayley & Max’s first dance just as fun as they are. A mashup of bachata and push-pull swing with a sprinkling of quirky lines did the trick.

Hayley & Max’s First Dance

They looked so gorgeous (but still cute) in gown and tux. Plus she gets extra credit for being able to dance in that dress!

Look at that smile!

You can tell they put in the work by how happy and relaxed they looked while dancing. The biggest difference between a good first dance and a great first dance is practice.

Having fun while preparing for their first dance.

Even when they’re concentrating on picking up the steps, you can see how much fun they’re having, and how much they enjoy working on it together.

It’s all starting to come together.

I included this video of one of the practices after the choreography was complete so that you could see the whole first dance. Notice that we have Hayley wearing a practice skirt so they both can get used to the feel of fabric swishing around their legs.

Hayley & Max’s First Dance

Seeing them happily dancing together while hearing Max speak his vows brings a tear to my eye every time (sniff), but as you can see from these clips, their first dance turned out beautifully.

So, is it what your expected?

I love how Max admits that he expected lessons to be a big waste of time, and then quickly came to enjoy them. They both ended up looking forward to dancing as a way to blow off some steam when wedding planning was too overwhelming.

Thanks to the dream team!

Venue: Speed Art Museum (Louisville, KY)

Photographer: Bella Grace Studios

Videographer: Films by Tatiana

Wedding Planner: A Thorough Fare

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Visit our Lessons page.

Try a free lesson to see if you like it. We know your will 😉

Schedule Your Consultation

Mamie & Kyle’s First Dance | Beyond

Posted on July 6, 2020January 20, 2022 by catsballroom

Might just be my everything.

Somehow this pair manages to be both elegant and laid back, which made them super fun to work with. Of course, Mamie and Kyle’s first dance turned out beautifully, but what I really love is that you can see how much fun they’re having while they do it.

Enjoying learning together.

So Smooth!

Thanks to the dream team!

Venue: 409 South Main

Photographer: Kelly Ginn Photography

DJ: Deep Blu Entertainment

Wedding Planner: Ashley Lang Events

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Visit our Lessons page.

Try a free lesson to see if you like it. We know your will 😉

Schedule Your Consultation

Kendall & Sebastian’s First Dance | Promise

Posted on April 30, 2020March 5, 2022 by catsballroom

We can reach for the stars we find along the way …

Kendall & Sebastian

reached for the stars,

and caught them!

I’ll admit I’m a sucker for a Disney princess. You know the kind of woman who has her own tiara and isn’t afraid to rock it in public? So you can imagine that Kendall & Sebastian’s first dance on a beautiful summer evening in Court Square was pretty amazing. And since both bride and groom are carriage drivers, the wedding also included a dog and a horse! Who could ask for more?

It takes a lot of hard work (and a little glitter) to go from awkward …

… to amazing!

Thanks to the dream team!

Venue: Court Square

Photographer: Kasey Smothers

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Visit our Lessons page.

Try a free lesson to see if you like it. We know your will 😉

Schedule Your Consultation

Rachel & Jake’s First Dance | Thinking Out Loud

Posted on April 7, 2020March 5, 2022 by catsballroom

He’s definitely swept her off her feet!

A classic dip was the perfect end to Rachel & Jake’s first dance

So much laughter! That’s what I remember most about this fun couple. But don’t let that fool you. We created a challenging first dance for them, and as you’ll see, they put the work in. Gorgeous!

Hard work and lots of laughs.

Beautiful!

Thanks to the dream team!

Photographer: Alex Sellers

Videographer: Luke Price Studios

Band: The Dantones

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Visit our Lessons page.

Try a free lesson to see if you like it. We know your will 😉

Schedule Your Consultation

I promise to love faithfully

They even look good practicing!

Carla & Loray’s First Dance Was Pure Romance

Laughing and learning together

Smooth Move

Like dancing on a cloud

Thanks to the dream team!

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

… With Open Arms

Thanks to the dream team for Haley & Nathan’s First Dance!

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Look at that laser focus!

Do it again!

Because that’s how you get better.

Beautiful!

Thanks to the dream team for Colleen & John’s first dance!

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Classic!

When you prepare with lessons, nobody will be looking at their phone!

[Photo by NLA Weddings]

A Beautiful First Dance is a Gift for Your Loved Ones

Is this your best move?

Wedding Dance Lessons Give You Confidence!

Just needs a few small tweaks to look great!

You Need Feedback & Accountability

Looks like they’re enjoying their lessons to prepare for their first dance!

You’ll Have Fun

More Articles That Might Interest You

And if you want to see real couples preparing for and performing their first dances, then our Wedding Stories blog is just the inspiration you need.

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

And there’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear…

A peaceful moment.

I love the attitude in this shot!

Kari & Camron Prepare For Their First Dance

Kari & Camron’s First Dance

Thanks to the dream team for Kari & Camron’s First Dance!

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

It’s the biggest decision I’m about to get right…

Could you find a more beautiful location?

Sarah & Jason’s first dance had to have a lift!

Hands on feedback!

Thanks to the dream team!

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Wherever you are baby, that’s where I want to be.

So darn cute!

Hayley & Max’s First Dance

Look at that smile!

Having fun while preparing for their first dance.

It’s all starting to come together.

Hayley & Max’s First Dance

So, is it what your expected?

Thanks to the dream team!

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

Enjoying learning together.

So Smooth!

Thanks to the dream team!

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

We can reach for the stars we find along the way …

Kendall & Sebastian

reached for the stars,

and caught them!

It takes a lot of hard work (and a little glitter) to go from awkward …

… to amazing!

Thanks to the dream team!

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.

He’s definitely swept her off her feet!

A classic dip was the perfect end to Rachel & Jake’s first dance

Hard work and lots of laughs.

Beautiful!

Thanks to the dream team!

Three easy ways to find out how we can help you with your first dance.