First Dance Medley! Carlos and Brittani’s Wedding Dance

Brittani and Carlos first came to Bella Ballroom Dance Studio on February 22^nd, 2015 to start planning what would become a first dance medley! They were new to partner dancing and were exited to get help preparing for their first dance as a married couple. They had found our award winning studio though a quick Google search, and arrived for their introductory wedding dance lesson with a few ideas in mind. I was delighted to meet the sweet couple as well as their beautiful daughter Reagan (Little did I know, Reagan would become part of their first dance medley too!)

When Brittani and Carlos started their introductory lesson, they did not plan on doing a first dance medley at all. Originally they chose to dance to only one song, “Everything” by Michael Buble. I began by teaching Brittani and Carlos some foundational wedding dance moves that they could get comfortable doing before expanding into learning more intricate moves. Brittani and Carlos left their introductory lesson feeling inspired and before their next studio visit they had done a little Youtube wedding dance research. When they came back for their first official lesson, they shared that they wanted to change their wedding dance plan of action. They wanted to start their first dance out traditionally with the 1961 classic “Stand By Me” by Ben E King. After dancing a bit to this timeless song, they would transform their traditional wedding dance into a Bachata dance. Carlos had Latino roots, so they wanted to honor his heritage by evolving their first dance medley into the Dominican Republic Bachata version of “Stand By Me” sung by Prince Royce. I was excited to learn about Carlos and Brittani’s first dance medley vision and was ready to help them.

Brittani and Carlos knew that their first dance would be after their grand entrance so we planned the beginning of their first dance medley to begin on the center of the dance floor. Brittani would walk all they way around Carlos before they joined in their dance frame. The moves that Brittani and Carlos had started learning for Michael Buble’s “Everything” could easily be adjusted to work for the classic rendition of “Stand By Me.” Brittani and Carlos would combine their traditional box patterns with rumba styling and flair. Spins, cuddles, promenades and many other elegant wedding dance moves would be included in their opening act.

After dancing through the first chorus of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”, their first dance medley music would take a turn and morph into Prince Romeo’s Bachata version of the song. Brittani and Carlos would then transition their rumba dancing into the romantic and popular dance Bachata dance style. Carlos led Brittani through multiple turns, rhythmic steps, and fun dance patterns. Towards the end of their first dance medley, Brittani and Carlos would invite Reagan to join them. Although Reagan was very young, I was able to teach her some basic bachata patterns including turns that Carlos would not only lead her though, but also lead Brittani through at the same time!

Brittani and Carlos worked hard on their first dance medley and had fun doing it! Their traditional wedding dance morphed into a fun Latin dance that grew into a family affair. Brittani and Carlos successfully performed their first dance medley for their friends and family at their Yosemite destination wedding on May 30^th, 2015. Congratulations Brittani, Carlos, and Reagan!