The best time to start depends on whether or not you will practice what you learn. If you’ll practice, then start as soon as you like. That way, you will have time to get more comfortable with your new moves. With lots of practice, there’s a good chance you’ll always remember what you learn. If you don’t think you’ll practice, then wait until you’re pretty close to the wedding to get started. Plan to leave a week or two between your last lesson and the week of your wedding. A little time is good so you don’t stress about your dance not being ready. You may be glad to have time to reschedule one or two if needed, or time for an extra lesson or two if desired. For example, if you plan to take 5 lessons, start weekly lessons 6 to 8 weeks before the big day.

Dress in whatever will make you feel best while you’re dancing. Some couples get dressed up, some come straight from work, and some wear workout clothes. It can be fun to dance in clothes that make you feel attractive. I recommend women wear closed-toed shoes for their first lesson or two. For the last lesson or two, brides should bring comfortable shoes as well as closed toed heels with heights similar to the shoes they will wear at their wedding. That being said, any footwear and clothing will be fine.

Yes. Lessons may be rescheduled upon request for any reason. Please save our number so you can give us notice conveniently should you need to reschedule.

Studio booking fees and/or trip fees must be paid in advance and are non-changeable, non-reschedulable, and non-refundable. 

I teach all styles of social and ballroom dance to couples with a variety of goals. If you want to look natural, learn to lead and follow, and just need a game plan for when it’s your turn to dance, just let me know and I’ll get you squared away. If you want to blow everyone away, we need time to teach you choreography and for you to be able to performing it excellently. Your dance can come across as spur-of-the-moment or completely coordinated–whichever you like or somewhere in the middle. I’ll be right there to figure it out with you as we go along.

I combine multiple songs and styles,  cut music, choreograph Bollywood and other dances inspired by films and music videos, choreograph Renaissance court dances and large wedding parties, and incorporate fun elements such as hip hop, break-dancing and props. I make up line dances and walking-down-the-aisle dances.

I am delighted to have colleagues in the dance field who collaborate with me when a client has a special request that is outside my range of expertise.

I do all these things and are still up for new challenges. Let us know what you’re thinking!

You will want one that moves easily from the waist down if you are interested in having lots of eye-catching spins, dips and especially lifts. Off-the-shoulder dresses will limit the kinds of turns you can do since you cannot lift your arms very high unless you remove the straps or tuck them in. We can still give you a lot of moves with a tight skirt and/or off-the-shoulder strap by simply working within your range of motion.

Dresses with a train not bustled for the dance or even a “sweep” at the bottom (1-3″ of dress on the floor) will limit your movement and may lead to you or others stepping on your dress not only during the dance but also during the rest of the reception. Should this occur, you may hold your skirt up in one hand like a princess.

Yes you can! You can select shoes to lessen the height difference when dancing. Select heels that are easiest for you to move in. We would not suggest platforms or stilettos. Instead, try to find heels with a wider base on the heel or a wedge style shoe.

If you wear heels down the aisle, be sure to wear the same heel or one of the same height for your dance. You may be tempted to go down to flats for your dance, but that will make your dress spill onto the floor and become a trip hazard all night. If you know you want to wear flats at the reception, consider hemming your skirt to the flats and letting it be an inch or two off the floor for the reception (or somewhere in between.)

Absolutely! The groom can bring his shoes to lesson on the second or third lesson. It is very beneficial to get practice in wearing your shoes prior to the wedding. Dancing in shoes is an acquired skill.

Traditionally, yes. If he does not feel he can easily lift or move his arms, he may want to consider taking it off right before the dance. It does not take away from the dance. 

In reviewing client photos from the past couple years, 60% wore their jacket buttoned, 30% wore it unbuttoned, and 10% wore only their shirt and vest (no jacket.)

If you enjoy the feeling of the energy from live music and have the budget for that, pick a band. A DJ is also a great option, just make sure you read reviews and talk to your coordinator or friends who used a DJ at their wedding. Word of mouth is crucial in finding good wedding vendors to work with.

You have a few different options. You can ask us (your dance instructors) to shorten the song for you, if you are planning on going with a recorded version, we can edit the song to your exact liking. Your other option is talk with your instructors and find out what sections you can eliminate, then speak with the band and let them know the exact times that you will not be using and ask them to send you a version of the song preview. Bands can edit the song to and adjust the ending of the song. A song that fades out on the recording will have a nice strong finish from the band for you to dip to.

If you have a live band performing the song you can ask them to slow down the tempo for you as they are playing it, we do not suggest that you alter an actual recording more than 2-5% in either direction as this changes the vocals and may not sound right. As suggested before, make sure the band sends you a preview of the tempo they will performing the song to before your wedding day and bring it to your dance lesson!

The answer is short and sweet. Absolutely! You are going to want to make sure you get each moment captured of your special day.

During your dance lessons, make sure to take videos of the routine so you can sit down with the videographer and allow them to see the different angles and positions you will be in especially if you are doing any kind of lift. If they are not aware of the routine, they may not catch the lift in its entirety the day of. Also, this allows them to position more than one videographer around the floor to make sure they can catch all the sides you will be facing and dancing.

It’s up to you to let your videographer know that your dance is special to you!

When you are at your lessons with your dance instructor or choreographer, make sure you ask the instructor to take a photo of your dip or a short video of the moves you are doing going into your spin or dip. Send it over to the photographer and let them know approximately when it will be happening in the dance (i.e. the beginning, middle of the song or at the end). You can even send over a video of the dance to the photographer so they can preview the routine and be prepared the day of to know where to set up to capture each shot and not miss anything!