In this article cycle, we will post interviews with some of our wedding couples to help you better understand the preparation process as well as what to expect from the dance on the big day. You can see the dance video at the end of the article!

Dance style: Rumba + Surprise
Song: Mashup Let’s Get Married + La Conga+ La Vida es un Carnival
Amount of Lessons: 40

1. How did you pick a song for your first dance?

Ale: We went to a Bleachers concert and they have a song called “Let’s Get Married” we really like. We didn’t know it was going to be our wedding dance song until we heard an unplugged version of it. Beautiful!

For the Salsa part, instead, we had different needs. We got married in Italy with a very international group of guests (I spent the first 25 years of my life in Italy and Olya in Russia and we have been living in NY for a quite long time). We decided to pick a well-known salsa song that everyone was eventually able to recognize and dance along with us. 

2. What was the most important requirement for your wedding dance?

We wanted to have a surprise dance by keeping the elegance of a classic wedding dance.

3. How many months in advance did you start? Did you have a dance experience before?

Ale: We started focusing on the wedding dance 6-7 months in advance. I did some salsa lessons before.

4. What was the biggest challenge for you preparing the dance and how did you overcome it?

Ale: Well, Olya is a dancer and ballroom teacher, so I guess the first challenge on my side was a “slightly little” pressure (lol). In the beginning, I thought we had many months and I didn’t properly schedule my weekly lessons. I wasn’t learning because I was skipping weeks or forgetting to practice. The moment I started to organize my week in order to have lessons and practice sessions always on the same day and time of the week, my memory magically started working.

5. Did you feel comfortable on the dance floor on the day of the wedding?

Ale: Yes, I felt comfortable because we practiced a lot (and probably because wine helped 🙂 )

6. Tell our future couples what to expect from the wedding dance on the day of!

Ale: Your brain needs to use the automatic pilot aka muscle memory. There are so many emotions and you might get distracted.

7. How did you feel after the performance on the day of?

Ale: It felt like the happiest moment of the day. I have many blurry moments from the wedding, but that moment is crystal clear.

8. What advice can you give to the couples?

Learn + Love + Practice + Smile = So Much Fun

9. Are you going to dance after the wedding? 🙂

I have no choice 😀

You can see an extract from the dance below: