Most brides-to-be have long dreamed about their first dance—picking out a favorite romantic song and envisioning being swirled around the floor by their grooms. Up until recently, many grooms dreaded that moment, and hoped they could get away with a few sways to the music. Then a certain former football player scored one for the ladies.

“Emmitt Smith (winner of season three of Dancing with the Stars) has done more for men in dancing than anybody can ever envision,” says Wayne Eng, a former competitive ballroom dancer turned coach who now runs Dance Vision International with his partner/wife Donna (yes, they performed a magnificent waltz at their wedding). “The TV shows have educated a whole new generation about dancing and made it cool. It definitely has motivated a lot of wedding couples to really do something special.”

Preparation

“We try to keep it simple,” says former U.S. Latin Champion Melanie LaPatin (www.tonyandmelanie.com), who runs Dance Times Square in New York City with her partner Tony Meredith (www.dancetimessquare.com). “The big problem is many couples come in a couple of weeks before the wedding. My strongest suggestion is to come in two to three months before.”

Both LaPatin and Eng say they can certainly put together something lovely and a bit showy on short notice, but if you plan ahead you can really fine-tune a first dance that uniquely reflects you as a couple. Some couples may want traditional ballroom, such as a waltz or a foxtrot, while others may want a more contemporary dance, such as jazz, salsa, techno or even rock. Instructors are also accustomed to working on father-daughter and mother-son dances.

“Once we get them moving around the floor doing some fancy moves that are not difficult, they love it and are so excited,” says LaPatin. “Both brides and grooms tell me this is the most stressless part of the whole wedding preparation.”

Chemistry

Virtually every ballroom dance studio in the country offers a wedding package. On the national Web site for Fred Astaire Dance Studios (www.fredastaire.com) they have a page about their wedding program. Since there are any number of places where you can go to prepare for the first dance, don’t settle for a situation that doesn’t have the right vibe.

“When I get a feel for the couple, I will try to match them up with the instructor that feels right to me,” LaPatin says.

Cost

Each studio offers packages at various prices points, so feel free to call a few in your area. By example, the Fred Astaire Dance Studios of Metro Atlanta (Ga.) offers a complimentary first lesson to wedding couples, and from there you can enroll in a program. Their most popular program includes six private lessons, four group classes and two practice parties at the cost of $500 per couple. The deluxe package at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., a suburb of Detroit, includes four private lessons, two choreographed private lessons and one practice session for $450.

Learn at Home

The Engs have produced over 400 videos/DVDs teaching people how to dance, including crash courses for total beginners. If you just can’t get to a studio, you can order something online at www.dancevision.com. LaPatin and Meredith have a wedding series that can be viewed for free here.

 

Let’s Dance

Once you’ve started the reception with your first dance, you want everyone on the floor. “The music is very important. The dj or the band leader is really helpful,” says LaPatin. “We also do consultations for that—discussing the size of the room, how many people are coming and little details, like when to dim the lights.”