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

Song: New Year’s Day by Taylor Swift

Amount of Lessons: 10H + Intro to ballroom

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

We struggled with picking a song honestly! We googled a list of the most popular first dance songs. None of them really felt like “us” except for “Lover” by Taylor Swift because we are both big fans of her music. “New Year’s Day” got stuck in Mei Li’s head one day and we realized it was the perfect song for our first dance!

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

We wanted to be comfortable during our dance. We didn’t want to feel awkward and like we didn’t know what we were doing for three minutes while all of our friends and family watched. For us, that meant having a choreographed routine so that we didn’t have to make something up in the moment.

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

We started pretty late and would not recommend doing it the way we did! We took the 4 class Intro to Ballroom cycle first in November because we were hoping to learn the basics and then figure a dance out for ourselves. It quickly became very clear to us that we needed extra help, so in December we signed up for the Wedding Dance package to have a routine crafted for us.

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

The biggest challenge for us was finding space to practice outside of lessons. I think Brooklyn Dance offers studio space rentals, but we ended up going to the Y to use their studio room when fitness classes weren’t running.

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

We did feel comfortable on the dance floor! We even made a mistake in the middle of the dance, but were comfortable enough with the dance to roll with the mistake and improvise until we could get back on track.

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

 The whole experience went by so fast! It was a little nerve wracking, but we were able to focus on each other and remember the steps together.

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

We were so happy! It went so well and everyone was impressed. And best of all, nobody noticed our mistake!

8. What advice can you give to the couples?

 Practice as much and as often as you can! If you do so, practice in front of other people. We practiced in front of our sisters a couple of times and at the park a couple of times. It was uncomfortable having people look at us, but it really helped with the nerves of being watched on the day of!

9. Are you going to dance after the wedding?

Yes! We had so much fun learning our dance and would like to continue learning to dance together.

You can see their dance below: