10 Professional Tips No One Told You About Your Wedding Dress

After over 15 years of experience choreographing, teaching, and working specifically with wedding couples, we’ve discovered every detail of what works and what doesn’t for a First Dance.

We’ve figured out the simplest, yet most effective steps, the lifts that work with any dress style, the special moves that anyone can do regardless of their dance experience, and so many other valuable details that have allowed us to create the perfect formula for a First Dance that’s easy-to-learn, makes our couples feel comfortable & confident, looks beautiful, and works with any dress style.

Along the way, we’ve picked up some essential tips that we think every couple needs to know when it comes to wedding dresses & their First Dance that most couples don’t actually know…

Let’s get into it!

The Tips You Didn’t Know You Needed…

1. Practice at Home With Your Dress Style

One thing we love to share online is different ways to imitate your dress style at home while practicing your First Dance. Take it one step further and practice your dance in an outfit that’s similar to your wedding dress to get used to the dress style while dancing with a partner. If your dress is form-fitting, throw on a pencil skirt or a resistance band, or if you’re wearing a ballgown, grab your comforter and a belt, and ta-da! You’ve got yourself a ballgown dupe.

Pro Tip: Wear different styles every so often to throw your fiance off and keep them guessing about the style of your wedding dress…  

2. Length of the Dress

If you’ve had your first fitting for your dress, then your bridal stylist should’ve already explained the process of bustling your dress. If this is the first time you’ve heard about this, then we’re so glad you’re here because this can make a huge difference in your First Dance. You may be thinking, what in the world is a bustle?

“A bustle refers to the process of transitioning a wedding gown to function as if it had no train, involving fastening the train to the rest of the dress.”

This is an important step, especially for brides that have a long train. Bustling your train makes it easier to dance without the fear of tripping, ripping, or slipping on the dress, whether by you or your fiance. The last thing you want to be worrying about is falling on the dance floor after months of practicing your dance perfectly. It’s an extra step, but highly recommended.

3. Shoes

Before we mention anything about shoes, just know, whatever footwear option you decide is the right decision. Whether that’s high heels, sneakers, or barefoot, whatever your vision looks like, the dress will work. But first, here are a few things to keep in mind: decide on your footwear before your first dress fitting in order to adjust the length of the dress. If you’re fitting the length of the dress to be worn with high heels, but then decide to change into sneakers or barefoot for your First Dance, the dress will be a few inches longer, so keep this in mind. All can be adjusted with a bustle – you see, it’s a lifesaver!

4. Take a Moment and Twirl

Yes, that’s right, take some time at your dress fitting to twirl around, practice a few steps, or even grab your MOH and pretend they’re your fiance to get a feel of your dress while dancing. It’s one thing to walk down the aisle and another to feel 100% comfortable dancing on the dance floor. Is your dress dragging on the floor? Is it too tight to move freely? Too loose you feel like it’ll fall off? If you have any concerns or questions about your dress and the way it fits, make sure to mention everything to your seamstress and bridal stylist at your fittings.  

5. Practice The Day of Your Wedding

You may be thinking, will we really have any time to practice the day of your wedding? The answer is yes, you just have to coordinate it with your wedding planner to fit it in at the right time. For example, if you’re doing a first look, squeeze in a short 5-10 minutes of practice right afterward (and grab your photographer to document it!). If you’re saving the first look for the ceremony, then dedicate a few minutes before your grand entrance to practice while all your guests are transitioning from the ceremony to their seats. As long you squeeze in 2-3 minutes to practice with your partner in your dress (or just to get the nervous jitters out), then you’ll be extra prepared to show off to all your loved ones.

6. Dress Change

In most cases, any dress style you choose will work, 95% of the dresses our couples choose work with the choreography. There are, on occasion, some dresses that aren’t suitable for a First Dance. In this case, it’s important to have a second dress ready to change into, like a reception dress! And don’t forget, it’s not necessary to change, but some brides either need to or choose to throw in a second look for fun!

7. Sleeves

Brides often overlook the sleeves of the dress and how they can impact the flow of the First Dance. Is your dress strapless? Capped sleeves? Thin straps? Long, tight sleeves? Make sure you lift your arms and practice some of the dance moves to ensure that you can lift your arms when needed, or do the proper turns, without feeling constricted or tearing your dress. A very important note to keep in mind when getting fitted for your dress.

Pro Tip: You don’t have to change the entire style of your dress, or choose a different dress based on the sleeves. Just remember to keep the type of sleeves you have in mind so that you can freely move around, and perform the dance without any trouble. Choose your dream dress and the dance will work around you!

8.  Watch Out For Your Fiance’s Feet

Another reason why it’s so important to practice in your dress style at home, and on your wedding day, is to train your fiance to not step on your dress as you dance, especially if you’ve got a long train. The more you practice with the length in mind, the more aware you and your fiance become, and you won’t need to worry about it on your wedding day.

Daniella’s Pro Tip: Kick your dress a bit when you walk to prevent stepping on it & keep your feel closer to the ground to prevent yourself from stepping on it. It may feel a little funny, but no one will know except for you.

9. Learn The Choreography First, Then Think About The Dress

The most important thing to we can remind you of is to learn your First Dance, feel comfortable with the steps, twirls, and lifts, and then incorporate the style of the dress. This means, practice in your sweats, leggings, pajamas whatever you’d like, or maybe get dressed up and turn it into date night! Whatever you feel most comfortable in, just enjoy the bond you and your fiance will feel while practicing, and then worry about your dress style later on.

Pashas Pro Tip: Use practicing your First Dance as an opportunity for a romantic date night at home – make some dinner, grab the candles and wine, maybe some chocolate and tea, put on something comfy or cute, turn on your favorite tune, and spend some time reconnecting from a busy week together in the comfort of your home.

10. Your Dream Dress Is The Right Choice

Many of our brides come to us asking if they have to compromise on their dream dress in order to accommodate their First Dance. And our answer is always no! No matter how big, bold, or breathtaking your dress is, it will never impact the quality of your First Dance. So choose the dress of your dreams and forget the rest! Our courses are designed to work with absolutely any dress style, just keep the first 9 Tips we have here in mind and you’ll be ready for your big day.

And there you have it, 10 tips from your go-to wedding dance pros that we know are essential when it comes to your wedding dress and your First Dance.

We hope you enjoyed reading & learning from this blog post! If you’d like to see more, click here to read Everything You Want To Know About Learning A First Dance At Home vs In-Person!