How to Dance Into Great Dallas Wedding Videography

One of the first thing most newlywed couples do together is share a first dance at their reception.  For some, that’s a perfectly-executed, well-choreographed spin around the dance floor.  Sometimes the couple barely moves as their favorite song swells around them, but their joy is so obvious their guests are enchanted.  Then again, the couple may appear to be surprised by the whole prospect of dancing and their attempt at fancy footwork is little more than an awkward shuffle around the room.  Which of these couples will you be?

No Matter What!

At LeniCam, we see all of those couples and more.  We have one promise we make to all our brides, “No matter what happens – good or bad – on your wedding day, you’re going to love your wedding video.”  We can say that, because when we edit your video, if a First Dance is part of your celebration, we’re going to make you look great.  We may not be able to turn you into Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, but we do know how to take rough footage and create a beautiful finished product.  We focus on what’s special and unique about your First Dance, not on your dance technique.

First Dance Not Mandatory

Though there were once hard and fast rules about weddings, nowadays pretty much anything goes.  If a First Dance is something you’ve looked forward to and you want to incorporate it into your wedding day, then by all means do it.  However, if you and your intended aren’t enthusiastic about a spotlight dance, then don’t.

Though the wedding rules are more flexible today, it’s still up to the bride and groom to make sure everyone knows what you want.  So, if you don’t want a First Dance, speak up.  During your planning, there will be several opportunities to make your wishes known.  For instance,  if you hire a wedding planner, tell her up front that you don’t want that to be a part of your day.  If you don’t have a wedding planner, then inform people like the coordinator at the reception venue, the DJ, band or Master of Ceremonies.  You’ll want your photographer and videographer to know, also.

Then stick to your guns.  If you plan to exclude the traditional dance from your schedule, you may run into resistance.  The pressure could come from a family member who loves the idea of the first dance or a DJ who doesn’t want to change his routine, but wherever the resistance comes from, remember it’s your wedding.  If you and your intended aren’t going to be comfortable dancing solo in front of your family and friends, then it shouldn’t be part of your day.

First Dance Can Be Just One of Many

If, on the other hand, dancing is one of the things you’re most excited about, then the First Dance is just part of the menu.  Some of our couples dance down the aisle after being declared man and wife and then waltz through the night.  Dances are a great way to include guests in a wedding video and it’s more visually exciting than capturing them sitting at a table.  Here’s some other dancing ideas:

• Follow up the First Dance of the bride and groom with spotlight dances with other important people.  Most often these dances are brides with their fathers or grooms with their mom, but grandparents, aunts and uncles or anyone you want to honor in that way can be included.
• Before the formal introduction of the bride and groom at the reception, include introductions of your wedding party members and have them dance into the room.
• Promenades or marches that include all your guests
• Group dances like Line Dancing, Cotton-eyed Joe and Conga Lines
• Ethnic and cultural dances like the Hora or a Money Dance

Another charming moment in many of our videos are the shots of kids dancing.  After being still and quiet at the ceremony, they love to let loose on the dance floor.

The Sounds (?) of Dance

While your wedding video is in our studio, we’ll not only be editing the footage our cameras have recorded, we’ll also be mixing the sounds picked up by microphones and audio feeds.  One of our favorite microphones is a wireless mic we attach to the groom’s lapel.  Though the groom is not required to keep the mic on all night, we’ve found that it enriches the video if he will.  That way we can capture intimate conversations between the bride and groom, jokes and laughter, as well as well wishes delivered by family and friends.

During the reception, if possible, we’ll get direct audio feed from the band or DJ, which will greatly enhance the sound quality of the video.  Direct feed also helps us capture toasts and speeches.  In addition, we’ll have mics attached to our camera to pick up ambient sounds.  These mics also capture voices when we get the chance to interview guests.

We often find that when our couples watch their video for the first time, it is the sounds of their wedding which are the most moving.  Many of our couples take advantage of the fact that we can provide alternate sound tracks on their video.  This allows the couple to save their most intimate conversations for themselves on their own video, without having the more private parts shared on the videos for their families and friends

Make the Romance Real

While some of our couples truly are virtuoso dancers, most of them are not.  If you’d like to include a First Dance in your reception but know your dancing skills need a little help, then you may want to take a few dance lessons.  Your goal will not be to win the mirror ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars, but to feel comfortable during the dance.  With as few as three or four dance lessons, a private instructor can fast track you to fabulous or if you have more time, you can join group lessons.

A private dance instructor can assess your skills and choreograph something to get you gracefully through your First Dance.  He can suggest songs that best fit your skills and many can edit the songs.  With a little editing your time in the spotlight can be a little shorter than the length of the average song on the radio and any difficult passages can be edited out.

With just a little planning, you can have the First Dance you see in your head:

The double doors of the reception venue  open and there you are with your beloved.  You guys look amazing.  You step together, as one, onto the dance floor.  The sweet sounds of your favorite song fill the air.  Your groom sweeps you around the dance floor and your guests are astonished at how beautifully you dance together.  dance,” Barry says.  Learning to look great during a First Dance is very different than preparing for a ballroom dance competition.  His First Dance Crash Course might be all that you need.  It’s three 90 minute lessons that he recommends you spread out over two weeks.

While you are thinking about lessons, remember that your dance instructor can also help you with any other dancing you will have on your special day.  We’ve seen some amazing Father/Daughter dances and choreographed promenades.

Capture It All on Video

Whether you dance the night away or don’t dance at all, we’d like to be your wedding videographers.  Email us at info@lenicam.com or call us at 972-378-0446 to begin the conversation.