The Bride & Groom’s First Wedding Dance

Kalyn Johnson

Guest Post by Kalyn Johnson: Let the music Play

Who says that your first dance has to be a traditional ballroom type dance? Are you and your intended traditional ballroom-dance kind of people? If so, read no further. If not, have you begun to think about how to incorporate your style as a couple into your wedding reception? What better way to kick-off a fantastic party to celebrate your nuptials than to make a grand entrance to music that speaks to who you are as a couple? If you Google “wedding first dance”, pages upon pages of lists of wedding songs come up – from the classic, “Fly Me To The Moon” by Frank Sinatra, to the more contemporary Leona Lewis singing “A Moment Like This”.  These are great songs with wonderful sentimental value.  But, if the classic wedding songs aren’t you, you’re not alone. Do you remember a few years ago when that YouTube wedding video circulated of the couple whose first dance was to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got You Back”? They made it all the way to The Today Show. And who can forget Jill & Kevin’s wedding – you know, the couple whose whole wedding party danced down the aisle to Chris Brown’s Forever? It was such a classic wedding moment that The Office parodied it a few months later when Pam and Jim got married.

It’s unlikely that your first dance will land you on national morning television, but it doesn’t mean that your first dance shouldn’t be a showstopper. Come on, it’s your first dance together as Mr. and Mrs. It should be special! Neither of you are great dancers? Neither are a lot of the folks who appear on Dancing With The Stars, but they practice and they get out there and have a good time. If you’re truly thinking about doing something non-traditional and dancing is not your forte, invest in dance lessons and have a professional choreograph something that you can master in a few weeks time leading up to your BIG DAY. The final weeks of wedding planning are so hectic that you rarely get to see your beloved as you both run around going to appointments and fittings and making sure that you’ve crossed all of your “T’s” and dotted all of your “I’s”; dance lessons and intermittent practices are a great way to schedule in some couple time.

Take a walk on the wild side! Your guests will love your non-traditional first dance, however crazy, sedate, good or bad it is. And, you’ll have a great story to tell your kids and wonderful memories to boot.

~Kalyn



Kalyn Johnson is a fashion stylist who specializes in helping brides navigate the path to I DO stylishly and sanely. Recently married, Kalyn learned more about weddings than one has the right to keep to herself so she decided to share some of the nuggets she gathered along the way. Check out Kalyn’s blog, Wedding STYLE by Kalyn Johnson. By the way, her first dance was choreographed to “Mas Que Nada” by Sergio Mendes featuring the Black Eyed Peas.  When Kalyn offered to guest post for us we jumped at the chance, as her insight and writing style speaks for itself.

Photo courtesy of Kalyn Johnson


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