Now that you have read parts 1 and 2 of this series, hopefully you have made the right song selections for your first dance, mother/groom dance and father/bride dance. Our final tip to ensure that your spotlight dances are highlighted in the best way possible, is the length of each dance.
After deciding on the first dance, the next question to ask yourself is, "will it be choreographed?" If you and your partner are comfortable with dancing in front of friends and family, then there is no need for choreography. You want to keep that moment as intimate and organic as possible. We recommend a choreographed dance when either you, or your partner, or both of you have two left feet. It helps to take the edge off and gives you something to focus on if dancing in front of people makes you uncomfortable. Keep it fun and simple. No need for a professional ballroom dance, unless one or both of you are professional dancers. Otherwise, it will look stiff and inauthentic.
Whether you decide on first dance choreography or just two-stepping your way through the dance, it is best to keep it under 2 minutes. An intro, verse and chorus of the song is the perfect length to get the essence of the song without it being too long. Remember your guests are out of their seats at this point and all eyes are on you. If it is too long and you have no choreography, it starts to feel awkward and the only thing left to do is to invite your guests to join you. If you want that moment to be all about you and your spouse, keep it short and you won't have to invite people on the floor. If you like the idea of your guests joining you, then that is the only instance in which we will encourage playing the entire length of the song.
The same goes for the mother/groom and the father/bride dances. If the song is too long, after a while you start to get the feeling of "this is going on forever!" If you are thinking that, then your guests are probably thinking the same thing. These dances usually follow the first dance or right after dinner. At this point, guests are either ready to be seated for their courses, or they are ready to party. The longer the dances are, the more time you are cutting into the party.
We hope that the tips in this 3 part series will help in making the right choices for your special day. For more tips, follow us on our social media sites:
-The Jam Band