For our First Dance we wanted something memorable.  Not just the everyday “stand and sway” typical of most non-dancers.  So we found an excellent instructor/choreographer at the Dance With Joy Studios who not only provided private instruction, but also choreographed an original dance to our song!  Our song was surprisingly difficult to choose and we had several close friends submitting potentials, but once we settled we were very happy with our choice.

With our fancy dance, I knew my dress would need to be short enough that I wouldn’t step on it at any point.  I worked with my seamstress and danced all over her studio at each fitting.  Then came our practice on the actual lawn the night before: my feet sunk into the soft grass about an inch or so and I was walking all over my dress during our dance and nearly falling.  Then I managed to kick an tear a big hole in the skirt.  I tried not to panic while Becky F. MacGyver’d  a sort of roman shade to lift my skirt a couple inches right before our dance:

To be honest, we still aren’t good dancers, but we had a fantastic time with the entire process.  From the formal lessons, to “helping” with the choreography, to taking 30 minute breaks during the weekday to walk to a tiny, hidden neighborhood park and practice. Our audience was appreciative and we had a blast dancing for our friends and family.  I don’t think they were expecting such a complicated or entertaining performance!  We’ve also now got a few formal dance tools in our repertoire that we’ve been able to bust out when the occasion allows.