“I’m so excited… and I just can’t hide it”!

OurWeddingDance.com

Well, it took some time but all good things do – don’t they?

There are lots of links to some great first dance and father daughter dance song selections as well as some even more wonderful (if that could be possible!) testimonials from my  students.

There is so much to see and experience on the site and I absolutely love the new top page full of beauty and color.

After all isn’t that what it’s all about?

Beauty in your dance for all to see your love for each other…

Beauty in your dancing with each other so you can feel fun and romantic…

And beauty in your marriage for the rest of your wonderful lives together…

With 69 pages on the site I think there is literally something for everyone here!

So browse a bit and let me know what you think…

And don’t forget to email me at Jillian@OurWeddingDance.com with all your questions about first dances and first dance songs.  I can’t wait to help you dance your reception away to your special first dance song and all your music!

Happy Labor Day,

Jillian (Click here, here and here for some sample first dances!)

Phuong & Richard

Visit the Our Wedding Dance page on Music at:

http://ourweddingdance.com/wedding-music.htm

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Visit the Our Wedding Dance page on Testimonials at:

http://ourweddingdance.com/jillians-testimonials.htm

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Visit the Our Wedding Dance page on my Couples at:

http://ourweddingdance.com/couples.htm

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Dance Lessons taught at Avant Garde Ballroom  at 4220 Scott Place Newport Beach, CA  92660.  Contact Jillian by phone or text 24/7 at 949.400.7347.

According to UrbanDicitonary.com this is “a bride that remains, calm, cool and collected during her entire wedding experience”.

Wow, what a concept!

So how can a bride possibly hope to do this?

Well, a step in the right direction could be to take that first dance off your “stress list” and put it on your “chill list”!

If you can take a few lessons in first dance technique and figures you’re well on your way to feeling super chill during that could be stressful two and a half to three or so minutes of solo time on the dance floor.

A little planning beforehand and some practice with the love of your life could make the wedding dance one of your happiest moments remembered from your reception.

Just learning a few proper leading and following techniques could mean the difference between a bridechilla and well whatever…

Even two or three steps nestled in both your heads can do a lot to eliminate that, “Wow, everyone’s watching and what are we doing here!” feeling that can creep into even the most romantic unpracticed first dances.

Call me today at 949.400.7347 or email me at Jillian@OurWeddingDance.com to start moving toward a more relaxed and comfortable feeling on the dance floor.

As well as being a ballroom dance instructor and choreographer, I’ve taught acting and directed numerous plays and will make sure you have lots of fun with each other during your first dance no matter if your song is sentimental, romantic, flirty, sexy or just plain good times!

OurWeddingDance

ArgentineTangoWeddingDance

BallroomDanceWithJillian

Be A "Bridechilla"!

Well, I’m knee deep in corned beef and cabbage, homemade sweet potato biscuits and pistachio mini chocolate chip cupcakes but I just had to wish you a wonderful Wearin ‘o the Green day and also let you in on a great first dance song!

It’s called “Running” by No Doubt and here’s the video of it if you haven’t seen and heard it already.

YouTube Video

The lyrics go like this:

“Run
Running all the time
Running to the future
With you right by my side

Me
I’m the one you chose
Out of all the people
You wanted me the most
I’m so sorry that I’m falling
Help me up lets keep on running
Don’t let me fall out of love

Chorus:
Running, running
As fast as we can
I really hope you make it
(Do you think we’ll make it?)
We’re running
Keep holding my hand
It’s so we don’t get separated

Be
Be the one I need
Be the one I trust most
Don’t stop inspiring me
Sometimes it’s hard to keep on running
We work so much to keep it going
Don’t make me want to give up

Repeat chorus twice

(The future­)

Repeat chorus”

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So if you’re stumped for a fun song check this one out. 

Its romantic lyrics and catchy beat make it a lively, now tune for the wedding of your dreams.

Toast to the Irish and to all the upcoming weddings in March and April.

Make Sure You Wear Green!

Find out what brides are saying about Our Wedding Dance…

Visit the Our Wedding Dance FaceBook page for some great testimonials.

Jillian O’Forbath

949.400.7347

OurWeddingDance.com

Jillian and Brian whirl on the dance floor

So in love!

Let's Dance!

Jillian and Brian were married 1/1/11!!!

Below is their lovely testimonial…

Wonderful photographs are by David Casas of Full Spectrum Photo Studio.

Please click here to visit his web site.

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Jillian is a very sweet woman who really listened to us about what we wanted and how we wanted to express ourselves on our very special day.

We went for a total of five lessons and we were completely comfortable working with Jillian.

Everyone LOVED our first dance, thanks to Jillian our dance instructor. We were able to dance and feel like we actually knew what we were doing! We were a little nervous on the big day for our first dance, but it went off without a hitch! Now we are thinking of doing some salsa lessons with Jillian.

Thank you for everything, Jillian

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Visit OurWeddingDance.com for more wonderful testimonials!

Call 949.400.7347 to start dancing today!

I just opened my email and what did I see?

I had a YouTube video of one of my couple’s awesome wedding dances from their wedding of July 1st 2007!

What a blast from the past!

And wow, what a dance they did!

Watching it again brought tears to my eyes and I remembered all over again what a great time we had putting together their totally amazing dance. 

Here’s the video below and their incredibly sweet email:

Hi Jill!

We finally posted our wedding dance on YouTube.com and we wanted you to see it.

Thanks for making us look so great!

Wedding guests STILL tell us it’s the BEST wedding dance they’ve ever seen.

Just as an update, we have a 2 year old son named Elijah Samuel.  He’s talking and trying to control his environment (and US!)  He has a great sense of humor and keeps us BUSY.

Hope all is well with you.  We miss you and we will eventually find our way back to you.

Love, Lena and Jeff

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Can’t believe they have a son!  My, my time flies…

BTW they danced to BJORK’s “It’s Oh So Quiet” and it was spectacular. We worked on the slow parts with waltz and Viennese waltz steps and the fast parts with some kicky swing and disco moves.

You can see in the video Lena worked super hard to keep her upper body looking gorgeous in her dress and really emphasized her beautiful arms and hands and Jeff lead everything with a great eye to keeping off of her dress and creating a fun and romantic dance!

Click here for the lyrics to this real crowd-pleaser of a first dance song.

And remember if you’re getting married in 2011 start thinking about your dream first dance now!

Happy almost February!

Jillian

OurWeddingDance.com

ArgentineTangoWeddingDance.com

BallroomDanceWithJillian.com

Email me at Jillian@OurWeddingDance.com soon to get started on your first dance for your 2011 wedding day!

It seems like it was just yesterday and I was thinking about presents and cookies and getting my December wedding couples happily on their way to wedded bliss and dreamy dances!

2011 is here!

The start of a new decade and we’re experiencing some cold, cold weather.

So, what better time then now to get that blood flowing and get out on the dance floor and do some dancing to get ready for your 2011 wedding.

I’ve got a couple right now getting married January 22nd and they’re well on their way to a fabulous wedding dance of rumba and tango complete with an awesome dress and long stemmed rose!

Another father/daughter dynamic duo just graduated with a beautiful waltz that will have all the ladies in their crowd reaching for their hankies and the gentlemen green with envy .

One of my December couples decided to even pantomime some of their awesome song with romantic gestures to each other as well as some hot swing and foxtrot moves.  (Their song was “Lucky” by Jason Mraz.)

Lots of brides… and grooms… are getting into the spirit and contacting me about their Spring and Summer weddings right now.

Don’t leave that first dance until the last minute.

Go ahead and take the plunge and email me at Jillian@OurWeddingDance.com and ask me about your song choice or choices and tell me a little bit about what you’re imagining for your beautiful first dance.

Time flies when you’re planning a wedding and before you know it the big day is just around the corner.

With over ten years of experience in the wedding dance choreography business and over, shall I admit to this??? , thirty years as a dancer – you can bet I’ve got a lot of ideas.

Happy Wedding Planning and can’t wait to email with you and start brainstorming about your first dance!

Jillian

OurWeddingDance.com

ArgentineTangoWeddingDance.com

BallroomDanceWithJillian.com

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PS:  Ok, I can’t resist – here are some of the goodies I baked over the holiday!

Homemade Gingerbread Houses!

]]> http://ourweddingdance.com/wp/2011/01/05/2011-is-here/feed/ 0 http://ourweddingdance.com/wp/2010/11/30/holiday-gift-giving-solved/ http://ourweddingdance.com/wp/2010/11/30/holiday-gift-giving-solved/#comments Tue, 30 Nov 2010 22:08:18 +0000 admin http://ourweddingdance.com/wp/?p=512 Wow, the holidays really snuck up on me this year!

What with Thanksgiving and baking a sweet potato pie with marshmallow meringue for the first time and all this crazy weather… I can scarcely believe tomorrow is December 1st.

Around this time of year my thoughts always turn to holiday gift giving and what to get those friends and relatives who literally have everything they think they need or want. 

Well, almost…

What I like to do is give people something they might not give themselves.

Something that can give them joy and fun for more than just a day or so.

Yes, you guessed it – how about some ballroom dancing lessons!

Lots of friends and family members just love to watch Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance but might not ever even dream about actually going into a dance studio and taking some lessons in steps and choreography and lead and follow.

I’ve seen grown adults sashay around in front of me saying,

“And then he took her like this and they dipped and they held this pose, oh dear, I’m not doing it justice, but it was sort of like this and I just loved it and thought it was so pretty and so romantic”.

So bring some of that sparkle this season to someone you know who watches the shows and ohhs and ahhs over the gorgeous costumes and breath-taking choreography!

Give a ballroom dancing gift certificate to your favorite dance enthusiast.

Give a wedding dance gift certificate to your friends who are getting married.

Give dance lessons this year to that couple looking for something fun to do for “date night”!

I offer gift certificates for hour long dance lessons in any denomination you’d like and I take credit cards over the phone and can even arrange everything through email.

You can have an emailed printable gift certificate in minutes to put in someone’s lucky stocking, or give as a hostess gift or even wrap up in a little box with cookies or chocolates.

Your friends and family members can learn lots of new dance moves, polish up old skills and lead and follow with ease and flair.

Call me today at 949.400.7347 or email me at Jillian@OurWeddingDance.com for more information.

Click here for my Ballroom Dancing Gift Certificates page and more information.

Happy almost December, Jillian

Happy Holidays!

]]> http://ourweddingdance.com/wp/2010/11/30/holiday-gift-giving-solved/feed/ 0 http://ourweddingdance.com/wp/2010/11/08/cant-help-falling-in-love/ http://ourweddingdance.com/wp/2010/11/08/cant-help-falling-in-love/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:43:34 +0000 admin http://ourweddingdance.com/wp/?p=502 Happy Fall and happy almost Thanksgiving!

Well, it was a crazy Halloween weekend what with my wonderful students giving a fantastic tango complete with chair and rose and fedora at their Dia de los Muertos party on Saturday and 430 trick or treaters on Sunday night!

And earlier this month I received an adorable video from Aaron and Kate who got married on October 9th and looked so pretty dancing to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love”.

They took their time with their lessons and spread them out over the months before their wedding.  And Aaron even learned a night club two step to do with his Mom.  Now that’s dedication to dancing!

He said he was nervous but I think he performed quite well under pressure and Kate looked dreamy in her gorgeous gown. 

Here’s his testimonial…

Aaron

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So grab your fiance and let’s get started on those early 2011 wedding dances!

Remember wedding dance gift certificates make great gifts for the holidays.

Click here to learn more about gift certificates.

Jillian of Our Wedding Dance

949.400.7347

Happy Thanksgiving!

I can’t tell you how much I look forward to hearing news about “the big day”.  I get so excited being included in all the wedding plans that when it comes time to say good bye and send my incredible couples on to wedding bliss I do feel a bit misty eyed. 

Hearing the stories and seeing their smiling and happy faces is just a perfect end to a great time spent teaching dance to my wonderful wedding couples.

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Hi Jillian,

I know it has been a very long time since we last saw you, and even some time since our wedding, but I have been meaning to write you and send pictures. . .  and I am just now getting around to doing it!

Thank you so much for all your help, it was really so fun working with you and it was perfect to have a simple (yet choreographed) dance to do at our wedding despite our nerves!

Beautiful Cuddle

Actually, Chris did great and didn’t seem nervous at all, but I was – thank goodness he was leading!!

The dance went so well, although it did fly by!

I don’t think we missed a step.

The day was beautiful and our dance must have inspired all our guests because the DJ later told us that our guests did the most dancing he has ever seen at an afternoon (lunch) reception!

We all had a wonderful time and got some great pictures of the dancing.

Check out Mom of the Bride - so excited!

Thank you again for making it all so easy and just being a fun person to hang out with/learn from.

We wish you the best and will contact you if we ever need a brush up lesson!

Sincerely, Caitlin and Chris

(Photographs by Josh Aull.)

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Remember call now or email Jillian for Fall and Winter weddings!

Reserve your favorite day and time today to look great on the day of your dreams…

Jillian@OurWeddingDance.com

949.400.7347

OurWeddingDance.com

ArgentineTangoWeddingDance.com

BallroomDanceWithJillian.com

Jillian & apples at Riley's Farm

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!

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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