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Five First Dance Songs for Laid-Back Outdoor Summer Weddings

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Five First Dance Songs for Laid-Back Outdoor Summer Weddings

Hot and sultry summer weddings deserve first dance songs that fit the weather and the mood of summer love. The following are some of my favorite first dance songs for a laid-back summer wedding, preferably outside near a beautiful body of water.

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Lauren & Stephen | Ritchie Valens First Dance Song

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Lauren & Stephen | Ritchie Valens First Dance Song

"Practice makes permanence." Lauren, a former ice skater, spoke these words during our first wedding dance lesson last summer. I realized how very true these words are when applied both to learning how to dance and to the marriage that comes after the wedding.

The Importance of Talking with Your Wedding Photographer about Your First Dance

The Importance of Talking with Your Wedding Photographer about Your First Dance

If you choose to take wedding dance lessons in preparation for your first dance, you will want to make sure your photographer captures each moment. Here are three tips to ensure your wedding photographer is ready to capture each dip, spin, twirl and lift during your wedding first dance.

First Dance Song Review: By The Way They Dance by Jump, Little Children

First Dance Song Review: By The Way They Dance by Jump, Little Children

You know those bands that you love at one point in your life and then completely forget ever existed 10 years later? Enter Jump, Little Children. I had almost forgotten about this band until I ran across their song, "By The Way They Dance."

Top 10 Benefits of Taking Wedding Dance Lessons

Top 10 Benefits of Taking Wedding Dance Lessons

Worrying about what you are going to do during your first dance can add a layer of stress to an already stressful wedding planning process. Taking lessons allows you and your significant other to spend time connecting without distractions or to-do lists, and eases the tension surrounding the first dance on your wedding day. 

Spotify Lists Top 10 Wedding First Dance Songs

Spotify Lists Top 10 Wedding First Dance Songs

Spotify recently compiled a list of the top 10 wedding first dance songs of 2014 based on analysis of more than 30,000 wedding playlists in their database. I decided to take a closer listen to each of the top first dance songs and re-rank them based on a super-scientific rubric that I made up just for this occasion.

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Christen & Ben | Dave Matthews First Dance Song

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Christen & Ben | Dave Matthews First Dance Song

Oh, Christen and Ben. These long-time love birds came to me just a few short weeks before their wedding for two lessons of first dance preparation. Luckily, they were already pretty confident dancing together and just needed help pairing the right steps with the music.

They also brought me a challenge.

First Dance Song Review: The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson

First Dance Song Review: The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson

I know, I know. This song is old news. I can hardly believe how much time has passed (and how many artists have borrowed her sound) since Ingrid Michaelson first came onto the music scene. When this song came on my Pandora recently, I was reminded why her video for “The Way I Am” has more than 12 million views on YouTube.

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Amy & Jim | Frank Sinatra First Dance Song

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Amy & Jim | Frank Sinatra First Dance Song

I had the pleasure of working with Amy and Jim a few weeks before their May wedding. They chose the classic love song “All The Way” by Frank Sinatra for their first dance. I wasn’t very familiar with this song when we began our lessons; however, you can almost never go wrong with Frank and this song certainly does not disappoint. All The Way is a wonderful first dance song for a classic and classy wedding and I’m sure Amy and Jim looked as stunning and dapper on dance floor as a modern-day Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

First Dance Song Review: I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz

First Dance Song Review: I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz

I am often asked my opinion on whether to use certain songs as a first dance song. Couples may love the lyrics of a particular song, but want to know if they can really dance to it.

Today, I will review Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up” from his 2012 album, Love Is A Four Letter Word.

First Dance Song for Classy, City Wedding

First Dance Song for Classy, City Wedding

Clearly, you can use whichever first dance song you choose, but some just seem to fit in certain settings better than others. I imagine Louis Armstrong’s version of La Vie en Rose being danced to at a classic, black-tie wedding in the city with a huge dance floor and spotlights on the newlyweds.

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Top 5 First Dance Songs from the Late 1960s

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Top 5 First Dance Songs from the Late 1960s

Here are five of my favorite first dance songs that strike a nice balance between meaningful lyrics and a danceable beat. They also all happen to be from the late 1960s, making them perfect for a wedding that incorporates vintage themes.

Christen & Ben | Dave Matthews Band First Dance Song

Christen & Ben | Dave Matthews Band First Dance Song

Alex met with my husband and me for two lessons about a month before our wedding day. Going into the first lesson, I felt OK with our dance skills and didn’t think we would need much direction. I was almost right. Alex told us that we had the skills we needed for the dance we wanted but we just needed a little direction and practice.