21 Apr Couple of the month: Victoria & Justin
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
Amount of Lessons: 5 H
Song: Billy Joel “Just the Way You Are”
1. How did you pick a song for your first dance?
We wanted to dance to “For the Longest Time” by Billy Joel but could not find an arrangement with a slower tempo. We decided to dance to Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” instead!
2. What was the most important requirement for your wedding dance?
Like many other couples, we simply wanted to look competent and confident dancing. We were looking for some light choreography but mostly wanted to learn some fundamentals so we could easily improvise if we needed to.
3. How many months in advance did you start? Did you have a dance experience before?
Victoria had taken a few ballroom classes a decade ago, but this was all new for Justin. We started just 4 weeks before our wedding. If we could do it over again, we would have started sooner!
4. What was the biggest challenge for you preparing the dance and how did you overcome it?
Making time – and finding physical space – to practice was the most challenging part as we were still actively juggling wedding planning tasks during that time. Before our final 2 lessons we intentionally prioritized practicing before and after each lesson, and continued practicing ahead of the wedding day. The videos BDL provides were massively helpful and we referenced those frequently!
5. Did you feel comfortable on the dance floor on the day of the wedding?
It was a mix of nerves and excitement, but we were more nervous about dancing with our parents as we had never practiced those!
6. Tell our future couples what to expect from the wedding dance on the day of!
Confirm expectations with your band/DJ in person on your wedding day! We communicated our song was 4 min but our dance was only 2 min, and asked the band to either end the song at 2 min, or invite guests to join us on the dance floor for the remainder of the song. Neither of those happened during our dance so we were grateful we could improvise with basic steps and fundamentals for the remaining 2 min!
7. How did you feel after the performance on the day of?
Relieved mostly, but also insanely proud we executed it without issue considering how large the wedding dress’ skirt was. The practice skirts help, but don’t compare to the real thing if you have a large dress.
8. What advice can you give to the couples?
The wedding day can be such a blur and it’s important to keep the big picture in mind – don’t fret about making mistakes, focus instead on getting to your wedding day and celebrating it! Trust your partner and have fun during your dance!
9. Are you going to dance after the wedding? 🙂
Yes! We have been dancing since the wedding and hope to continue!
You can see their dance below:
Book your dance lesson here.