Here is a selection of Q&As from Your Surrey Wedding magazine whether it be about flowers, hair and makeup, fashion, wedding themes, health & beauty, cakes, stationery, legal advice. If you would like your question answered by our experts, please email it to editor@yoursurrey.wedding
To view more expert advice on a different topic, please select one from the list below.
Dance off
Q. Although our evening guest list is small, we still want our reception to have the wow-factor!
A. Lorraine Ansell says: Weddings come in all shapes and sizes and we love that. Some of our most favourite weddings have been small and intimate occasions! But even with a scaled-back wedding your reception can still pop and have all your guests enjoying themselves. We have a few ideas that can make small and intimate super-sized in terms of fun and laughs:
1. The first dance The traditional first dance is the way to make the transition from wedding breakfast to wedding party. Your first dance is such a lovely way for you and your guests to see the newly married couple take to the floor and showcase their love and commitment to each other. Choose a song that means something to you both, from romantic ballads to rock, whatever works for you.
2. Get on the dancefloor After your first dance your guests are up for a party. Make sure you pick a second song to fill that dancefloor. Talk to your DJ/band and pick something that will get your wedding party throwing some shapes.
3. Group dance There's always that one song, that everyone magically knows the moves to. Is it the Macarena? Is it YMCA? Whichever it is, get everyone involved on the dancefloor. We've even been to a wedding where the whole wedding party throw an invisible air guitar to each other in a massive circle! Whatever song choice you go for, commit and you'll get everyone having a good ol' time.
Lorraine Ansell, First Dance Studios
www.firstdancestudios.co.uk
Treasured memories
Q. I want to have a first dance with my dad, but he's shy. How can we build his confidence before the big day?
A. The team at First Dance Studios says: Weddings are a wonderful way for friends and family to come together to celebrate the couple as well as their love. At First Dance Studios, we have helped more than 2,000 couples and wedding parties make their wedding dance something unique and personal.
This dance is a celebration of family and a moment to be really proud of. We've picked up some tips over the years and know some dads and daughters might be a little shy when stepping out onto the dancefloor. Our top tip is to practice, practice, practice. Your teacher will ensure that you both learn the steps, feel the music, listen out for musical cues, know how you can talk to each other verbally and with your hands, and so much more. All you need to do is spend the time listening and dancing over and over, and yes, practice does make the wedding day perfect. Start learning a choreographed routine about six to eight weeks before the wedding. This helps get the dance into your muscle and mind memory and make those dancing feet, dance!
As well as practicing the steps, you also need to work on performance. Your teacher will guide you through the dance together in terms of staging. At First Dance Studios, we work on visualising the venue where the dance will take place, what the lightning will be, where the band or DJ will be. All this so you have a mental reference as you practice so that it isn't a surprise on the day. Always remember, the crowd will be with you, cheering you on so we encourage you to use that energy and go for it. They are watching with joy and love, so work with that and dance it out in style.
The most important thing is to have fun, it's a party after all, and pick music that you both enjoy.
The team at First Dance Studios, First Dance Studios
firstdancestudios.co.uk
Dance squad
Q. My bridesmaids and I are thinking of creating a surprise dance routine. How do we go about this?
A. The team at First Dance Studios says: We love flash mobs and we've organised and taken part in quite a few including the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. For anyone looking to create their own surprise routine, then we suggest the following:
Music choice – Choose something that will suit the moment. Will the dance take place on the hen party or on the wedding day itself? It could mean two very different song choices.
Plan rehearsal times – Like the hen party and wedding date itself, plan and work out times that people can learn the routine. We are all busy people, so try your best to accommodate peoples' diaries. At least three one-hour sessions work best spread out over a few weeks or months. The first hour will be getting to know the track, the second will focus on the moves and the third is to practice, practice and practice.
Less is more – Everyone has different dance abilities and so working out a routine that looks great doesn't mean going overboard with complicated dance moves. It can be super simple but give the wow factor when it's performed.
The team at First Dance Studios, First Dance Studios
firstdancestudios.co.uk
Dance with me
Q. Do you have any ideas of how we incorporate our Christmas theme into our first dance?
A. Lorraine Ansell says: Christmas is a wonderful time of the year for a wedding as everyone is in the mood to celebrate in style. Here are a few things that will help add some extra sparkle to your first dance:
Christmas tunes are a great place to start for your first dance song. They are catchy, festive and can be slow, fast, cute, smooth, sexy and suit whatever style of dance you're looking for. Some wonderful song choices include Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You and Frank Sinatra's White Christmas. One of our favourites is Michael Bublé's Santa Baby. Any of these would be a perfect music choice for your first dance.
Think about what the second song will be. This song is THE song to get everyone up and onto the dancefloor with you. At this time of year, the choice is huge, and we all know that the floor fills up with songs such as Slade's Merry Christmas Everybody and Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.
If you're having a band or DJ playing at your wedding, you could ask if they could add a Christmas sound to your first dance song or wedding dance playlist. The sound of bells or a carol rift would be a fantastic way to add some festive cheer.
Some dance moves are perfect for this time of year, such as the Sparkly Star, where the couple can create a star shape with their bodies, the Christmas Cuddle, a spin towards each other and sway and the Merry Mistletoe where a cheeky kiss can be added into the dance routine that yes, as you might have guessed, happens under a bit of mistletoe. It's so romantic and a great photo opportunity! However, you choose to commemorate your wedding, be sure to celebrate with a festive first dance!
Lorraine Ansell, First Dance Studios
www.firstdancestudios.co.uk
