OUR WEDDING DANCE BLOG

July 21, 2010

When a White Wedding is a Green Wedding!

Filed under: 2nd Time Around,Ballerina Brides,Green Weddings,How Cool Is That?,Moms & Dads,Wedding/Reception Venues — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 10:09 pm

Everywhere I turn I read about green weddings these days!

Speaking as a lifelong gardener who has trouble entering her front door due to her menagerie of plants that are taking over,  I can truly say… I love it!

Now, you might ask, “What exactly is a green wedding?”

One of my grooms laughingly told me it’s when all the guests shower him with money as he walks down the aisle…

Nice try ;-)

According to the Green Bride Guide,

“A green wedding is any wedding where the couple tries to decrease the impact of their event on the planet.”

What a concept :-)

Everyone I’ve talked with about this great green idea from wedding vendors to brides to coordinators have all assured me you can be “super chic without the waste!”

Whether you want to go dark green and make everything earth friendly from the material of your dress to the flowers and food you use at your reception or just light green with eco-friendly invitations and favors; every little bit helps our environment.

Try doing a Google search on “Green Weddings” and you’ll be amazed at all the information out there.

Here are just a few of the URLs* I found:

Great Green Wedding

Tree Beginnings (favors and gifts)

The Spiraled Stem (eco-friendly flowers)

Green Weddings and Events

The Knot’s Green Weddings

How Green Is Your Wedding quiz

Books for Green Weddings

“Being green is not difficult, but it requires forethought and desire.  Most weddings, on average, produce 15,000 pounds of carbon dioxide gas”, says Kimberly Goetz in her article, Member Helps Couple Arrange Totally Green Wedding in the June/July 2010 Association of Bridal Consultants newsletter.

Wow, that’s amazing!

So if you’re still in the planning phases of your wedding or know someone who is why not share a little of the green.

With some unusual choices you’ll not only help our beautiful planet but you’ll create a one-of-a-kind, personalized experience for both you and your guests.

Happy Green Wedding,

Jillian

OurWeddingDance.com / ArgentineTangoWeddingDance.com

949.400.7347 / Email

Go Green!

*Please note I list the Green Wedding URLs above for your convenience.  No endorsement is made of any particular one with the exception of Christine Saunders at The Spiraled Stem who is an Orange County ABC member with me.  :-)

As always, make sure you research any vendor carefully and if you’re purchasing on-line look for the SSL certificate that ensures that your credit card info is safe from prying eyes traveling along the corridors of cyberspace.

June 30, 2010

Support, Guidance and… FUN!

Filed under: 2nd Time Around,Dancing,How Cool Is That?,Songs,Testimonials,Types of Wedding Dances — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:47 pm

Lisa & Ryan Dancing!

Hot off the press!

Lisa and Ryan – just married Saturday June 26th – sent me an email to let me know how their big day went and included this adorable picture.

Lisa looks oh-so-sexy in her gorgeous gown with the perfect flower in her long flowing curls and Ryan is the quintessential adoring husband in his dashing white suit.

***

Hi Jillian!

We wanted to send you a quick pic of us dancing as a sneak peak before we get the video back.

Our wedding was simply magical.

And SO many people complimented us on our first dance.

It went beautifully and we greatly appreciate your support and guidance with our fun, fun lessons.  We will send you a video clip as soon as we receive it.

Cheers, Lisa & Ryan

***

Lisa and Ryan danced on their big day to “L-O-V-E” and also learned dance routines of five to eight figures in merengue, cha cha, swing and more foxtrot to their second fav song “Feeling Good” to wow their guests all through their reception with their fun and kicky couple dancing.

I can’t wait to see their video and hear more about their fabulous wedding and reception.  They were such a wonderful couple to work with and I shall think of them often, especially when I’m teaching dance in the early morning!

***

Here’s their sweet thank you note and a picture of their gifts to me.  I got a bottle of  Old Moon zin that they served their guests and a large plant of what they did smaller for guest favors.  :-)

Jillian,

Thank you for being the most patient, persistent, OUTRAGEOUS dance teacher ever!

Your guidance the past few months has meant more to us than you know.  We feel so much more prepared for our big day.

We’re going to blow them away!!

Many thanks, Lisa & Ryan

Lovey Gifts

Happy honeymooning in St. Lucia Lisa and Ryan!

And may you dance up a storm with your merengue and cha cha in the romantic tropical evenings…

***

Visit the Our Wedding Dance Testimonials page at http://ourweddingdance.com/testimonials.htm for more sparkling testimonials from my couples.

Happy Summer, Jillian

Tel: 949.400.7347 or Email: Jillian@OurWeddingDance.com

June 16, 2010

“The Best Thing To Hold Onto In Life Is Each Other” – Audrey Hepburn

Filed under: 2nd Time Around,Ballerina Brides,Dance Tips & Tricks,Dancing,Father Daughter Dance,Grooms,Learn Wedding Dancing Fast!,Military Brides & Grooms,Moms & Dads,Pimp Your Bride,Types of Wedding Dances — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 11:31 am

Well, I got my daughter graduated from UCLA – go Bruins! and I thought I’d share with you a little shop talk about the frame of the dancing couple since I get a lot of questions about that during my lessons.

When your guests watch your first dance do you think they’re looking at your feet?

Probably not. ;-)

The bride’s feet are most likely hidden by her dress and the groom’s feet may possibly be as well.

Your guests’ gazes are on your radiant faces and your dancing frame, that is your arms connected to each other hand to hand on one side and the groom’s right hand upon the back of the bride on the other.

The frame can make or break a dancing couple.

A “noodle” frame can make the dancing couple look soft and squishy and make the lead and follow very difficult to give and take.

A “rigid” frame can make the bride and groom look stiff and awkward and may even actually hurt the bride to take the lead, especially if her dashing groom is a strong armed one!

So what’s the best frame for dancing?

The leader should always frame up or down to the height of the follower.

I like to start my couples off by having the bride put her arms out to her sides, horizontally from her waist so the groom can see what looks good with her shoulders.

Especially if the groom is six feet three and bride is four feet five I want to make sure that their dancing frame is angled to her height not his.  After all she would look rather silly dancing her arms way up to him for their first dance!

Having established her correct frame height, then we move on to the bride’s three connection points and I focus on  impressing upon them the necessity for an “energy transference” toward each other at all times.  No one person should pull away or just plain “not be available” to the other in the frame.

Once we have the frame we move side to side and forward and back in it.

We walk in it.

We sway in it.

We get used to it.

People don’t really dance like this anymore so it can take a little getting used to the frame once you’re in it.

My grooms sometimes say it is hard to keep holding up their arms.  This might mean the bride is being “heavy” and using her groom’s arms as an arm “easy chair”.

My brides sometimes say that they feel like they’re “in the harness” of the frame and can’t move easily within it.  This might mean that the groom is holding her too stiffly and not letting the lead be communicated easily through his arms and his connection points.

During our first lesson we work hard to alleviate any stress in the dancing couple’s frame and make it a positive part of the dancing.  Since the frame connection is the pretty part and, I think, the romantic part :-) it is vitally important that it work for us in the first dance.

Be it a foxtrot frame, a rumba frame or a swing frame – the couple’s dancing frame is an integral part of the mechanics and beauty of their wedding dance.

And as Audrey said, “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other” – we may as well do it right for the dance!

***

It’s wedding season so email to Jillian@OurWeddingDance.com or call Jillian at 949.400.7347 today and reserve your favorite day and time for lessons now!

Happy almost Summer!

Dance With Jillian

June 4, 2010

WE’RE MARRIED!!!

Filed under: Dancing,How Cool Is That?,Testimonials,Types of Wedding Dances — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 3:32 pm

Testimonials are sooo exciting and it’s that time of year when I’m getting a bunch!

This first one just in from a fantastic couple that worked sooo hard over several months to make their dance beautiful and meaningful to each other and their guests.  They even included a piece of their dance on video which you can see if you click on the link below!

Adam and Denise’s Dance Video

***

Hi Jillian!!!

WE’RE MARRIED!!!

Thank you so much for everything that you taught us, it made such a difference and we were so comfortable out there, even though we were a little disoriented and didn’t move around the dance floor as much.

It was still a huge hit, especially the patty cake move – you’ll hear the screams [on the video].  :)

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!!

THANKS,

Mr. and Mrs. Leonhardt

Married May 16, 2010 at the Old Ranch in Seal Beach

Song: “At Last”

***

And this second one in from a wonderful couple who did two dances – one a fun and beautiful first dance but the second a great surprise.

The bride donned a red skirt with gold coins over her white dress and did a… you guessed it… a belly dance for her adoring groom whom we had seated in a chair for her sexy undulations!  At the end he got up and went down on one knee and took her in a swan-like dip!

***

Jillian -

Thank you so much for attempting to teach us to dance!  Both our dances were a hit – especially the belly dance!  We’ll send the video.

Thank you!

Keith & Janet

Married May 1st 2010 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club

Songs:  “My Life” by The Beatles and a beautiful Arabic song

Keith & Janet's Adorable Postcard!

Remember…

if your wedding is coming up  it’s time to begin thinking about your lovely first dance!

Call Jillian at: 949 400 7347

Or visit the website at:

OurWeddingDance.com

May 18, 2010

You’re Timeless To Me

Filed under: Dancing,How Cool Is That?,Songs,Testimonials,Types of Wedding Dances — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 1:38 pm

Every now and then I get a couple who really wants to do something different!

Sandra and Mike were just such a couple.

Read on to find out about their dream first dance.

They loved the song You’re Timeless to Me from the musical Hairspray and decided to adapt the lyrics of it to their relationship and the year 2010, record themselves singing it and come to me to choreograph and block moves and dancing to this almost five minute ditty.

Click here to see this fabulously funny rendition of it on YouTube from the movie with Christoper Walken and John Travolta.

Well, needless to say, after about ten or so rehearsals and a heap of practicing they were absolutely show-stopping!

They mimed movement to the lyrics of their song and in the middle of it danced a full foxtrot, tango AND waltz with zesty abandon.  I can’t wait for a video of their dance from their wedding so I can post it for you here.

They said they nailed it and I believe it from all the fun and hard work we put into the practicing.

Here’s their testimonial and a lovely picture of them on their happiest day ever.

***

Jillian!

We had to get back to you to tell you how our dances [they also did a regular first dance to At Last - can you believe it?] went on Saturday!

WE NAILED IT!

We did not mess up at all!  They were beautiful!  What a surprise the second dance was to our guests!  They were in awe!  We can’t wait to see it on video!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It was all because of you we did so well to entertain our guests.  I wish you could have been there!  Rose was great getting that chair on the dance floor for Mike and then removing it.

People were in shock that the CD was us singing!  Once we find out how to send you some pics our friends took of us dancing we will send them!  The nun surprise was fantastic!

It was the perfect wedding!

It was a dream wedding.

Thank you so very much!  Hope to see you soon!

Sandra and Mike

Sandra & Mike

***

Happy Almost June!

Call Jillian at 949.400.7347 for 1st Dance Lessons

Visit Our Wedding Dance for more information.

April 2, 2010

Presenting… Presents 2010!

Filed under: Dancing,Debutante Father Daughter Dance,Father Daughter Dance — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 4:21 pm

It’s Spring!

And all the little buds are getting ready to burst into bloom on the trees and flowers.

Kerchew!  ;-)

And it’s that time of year for those lovely high school debutantes to come out in their Presents!

What a beautiful tradition…

The debutantes in their gorgeous white long dresses  and their dads and escorts dressed to the nines in their pressed tails and white gloves.

The hotel ballroom busting with elegant flower centerpieces and a stage all set up for the girls to be presented for all to applaud.

These well planned and  elaborate evenings often include slide shows of the girl’s years from childhood all the way through high school spotlighting their accomplishments and adventures as well as an elaborate sit down dinner for family and friends and, you guessed it… lots of dancing!

An important part of the evening, and dear to my heart, is the father daughter group dance.

A spectacle that brings tears to everyone’s eyes as they watch the flurry of white satin and tulle and the looks on the dads faces as they waltz their lovely daughters around the floor.

This year I’ve been fortunate to teach dancing steps and choreography to two groups of debutantes and their dads.

What fun!

We’ve got some great songs and the dads are super positive about learning the steps and dancing their daughters confidently through their dance together.

I overheard one debutante say laughingly, “Dad, come on – remember the turn and make me look like I know what I’m doing!”

Her dad nodded obediently and they danced through the Ladies Under Arm Turn one more time with a flourish.  Of course just a few eyelash battings and daughters have their dads right where they want them!

Wikipedia Definition

The word debutante comes from the French word meaning “female beginner” and traditionally was a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who had reached the age of maturity.  As a new adult she was then allowed to be introduced to society in a formal manner known as her “debut”.

Originally this meant the young woman was now eligible to marry!  And part of the debut’s purpose was to “display” her to eligible bachelors and their families with a view to marriage within her “class” circle.

***

Well, we’ve come a long way since those days but the quaint old custom is still a lovely one.

Of course these days debutantes also give back to their communities through extensive volunteerism and supporting philanthropies with hands on activities on a local level.

If you’d like to learn more about the Debutante Father Daughter dance visit my web page here:

http://ourweddingdance.com/debutantefatherdaughterdance.htm

Happy Spring!

Jillian

Smile and say "Debutante"!

February 20, 2010

Calling all Dads…

Filed under: Dancing,Father Daughter Dance,Songs — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 9:28 pm

So Dads not only have to “help” with the wedding but they have to perform at it  too??

What’s up with that… ;-)

Well, just in case you’re wondering the Father/Daughter dance is a hot topic these days.

Should it be short?

Should it be done after the Bride and Groom’s 1st Dance?

Should it be choreographed?

Should Dad be allowed to wing it or will he look silly and do that flapping chicken move he loves so well?

Well I don’t know about the chicken thing but I do know that I’ve noticed a few commonalities emerging  with the Father/Daughter dance.

Dads are choosing their own songs.  Songs that were popular the year their lovely daughter was born.  Songs that they used to love to dance to in their youth and songs that just make them want to get up and dance!

Just recently I had a fantastic Father/Daughter song, “Isn’t She Lovely” and my bride floated along in Dad’s arms looking just that.

Her Dad had some disco moves but he hadn’t really done the foxtrot in years so we set about getting him up to speed.

He learned some fun underarm turns from the box step and the promenade to show off his daughter and her amazing gown.

We put a cuddle on the end and a twirl with him doing a quick sleight of hand switching trick that ended with him pointing out a la John Travolta.

“That’s so Dad”, my bride exclaimed and I think Dad got a hundred brownie points right there on the spot!

He said now that was a dance when he could incorporate some of his moves from his days of “doin the hustle”.

Of course after the wedding Dad now has some fancy footwork for Mom and can wow her on their night out on the town.

Ah, two gals happy with one dance lesson… too bad everything can’t be this easy.  ;-)

Call me at 949.400.7347 and I’ll see that you’re not only the “founder of the feast” but also can turn in a Father/Daughter dance to be proud of!

In the meantime look up some of those favorite songs of yours and visit my Father/Daughter dance page at:

http://ourweddingdance.com/fatherdaughterdance.htm and let’s get started today.  :-)

February 10, 2010

“Blue-tiful” First Dance

Filed under: 2nd Time Around,Dancing,How Cool Is That?,Pimp Your Bride,Songs,Types of Wedding Dances,Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 3:35 pm

Well if you’ve picked up any wedding rags lately you’ve probably seen the 2010 trend earmarked by Shane McMurray of The Wedding Report (theweddingreport.com) and the verdict is in for wedding color theme for 2010.

It’s going to blue, blue and blue!

Any shade of blue… from the lightest, palest blue to the hottest tourquoise blue to the deepest azure ocean blue.

Brides are choosing blues for their colors.

You’ll see it on the bridesmaids, on the bride’s feet, on the table decorations, on the cake, on the mother of the bride, on the bridal bouquet and… on the groom!

With that in mind how can you keep your color in your first dance?

Here are a few song choices to get you thinking.  (Click on the links to see lyrics and hear YouTubes.)

“Blue Suede Shoes” by Elvis Presley (YouTube)

“Blue Moon” by The Marcels (YouTube)

“Blue Hawaii” by Elvis Presley/Frank Sinatra (YouTube – Elvis)

“Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65

The Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss Jr.

Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin

True Blue by Madonna

Blue Eyes by Cary Brothers (YouTube)

Crystal Blue Persuasion by Tommy James and The Shondells (YouTube)

Mr. Blue Sky by E.L.O. (YouTube)

and for you retro eccentrics out there…

“Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire for the Roses” by Joni Mitchell

**

And don’t forget you can always shine a beautiful blue gobo on the floor with your initials intertwined in it to dance on or how about giving the groom a pocketful of blue confetti he can throw up in the air to start your magical first dance?

Whatever your choices I know that you’ll have good luck with blue since we all know the charming old Victorian saying…

Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue…

Happy Wedding and let me know if I can help you with your “blue-tiful” first dance.  ;-)

OurWeddingDance.com

949.400.7347

January 21, 2010

Be An Early Bird…

Filed under: Dancing,Father Daughter Dance,Grooms,Moms & Dads — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 7:45 pm

It’s January and lots of inquiries are coming in for first dance lessons right now!  Maybe it’s the rain deluge we’ve been having and everyone is stuck inside and looking at the internet… but regardless…

The excitement is contagious and I can’t wait to work with these fantastic brides, grooms, moms, dads and wedding party participants.

2010 looks like a “bumper year” for weddings!

I’ve had questions about father/daughter dances, first dances utilizing musical numbers, wedding party group dances and beautiful bride and groom waltzes, swings, foxtrots and rumbas.

So far May and July are going to be big months for saying, I Do. 

The average sized wedding is coming in somewhere between 100-175 guests. 

Brides and grooms seem to be trimming their guest list so they don’t have to trim their wish list!

Popular right now…

The bride’s shoes in a color to match her bridesmaids dresses and her wedding colors.

Currently I have one dancing bride wearing gorgeous deep purple high heeled sandals with a rhinestone circle and another wearing red pumps to kick off a Valentine’s Day wedding!

Grooms are getting even more of that traditional “to do” list to do than in years passed.  At least 50% of my calls and emails have been from grooms this month;  fitting since they’ll be doing the leading in the first dance, I say!

So if you were thinking about dance lessons but putting off getting some info and firming up some evening or weekend dates… the time is now!

Be an “early bird who gets the worm” and email me today or call me at 949.400.7347 and start getting some dance figures and technique in your muscle memory today.

Happy almost February!

January 12, 2010

“Pimp Your Bride”

Filed under: Dancing,Pimp Your Bride,Types of Wedding Dances — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 1:45 pm

I simply can’t resist this!

Just last Friday evening I was out on the dance floor, as the sun made its way into the Pacific ocean, working with my brand new couple and their wonderful wedding dance.

She’s a beautiful Irish lass with red/blond hair and he’s a joy to work with, with an incredibly great dance attitude; and they both brought leather soled shoes on their first lesson!  Neither have ever danced before and that night they were ready to jump in with both feet and get going.

We were learning some beautiful fluid figures to move across the floor, some sweeping boxes and some fun figures in place and all of a sudden he came up with the best one liner I’ve heard in a long time!

After “cuddling” up his bride he zinged her out in a whip and I looked over to see this handsome groom “flick” his imaginary tux shirt collar.   I think I’m going to do this every time, he said with a smile.

I’m going to pimp my bride with this fancy move and then flick my collar like Wow, look what I just did. :-)

I couldn’t stop laughing.  It was great!  So guys – why not, “Pimp Your Bride” and do a little fancy footwork in that first dance?  Take some dance lessons together and we’ll come up with the moves that will make your crowd cheer.

She’ll look hot and you’ll feel like the coolest guy around…

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