Weddings are a special time for everyone. It’s a time of new beginnings for the happy couple and friends and families become witnesses to the exceptional event. With so many details that go into planning a wedding, often choosing a dance for the reception isn’t a priority; rather, a lot of time goes into choosing which song the bride and groom will dance to.

Selecting a song to dance to is typically the first step in the couple deciding on a ballroom dance. Most couples will opt to enroll in professional ballroom dance lessons with a certified instructor to come up with a dance for their song. With ballroom dancing growing in popularity, couples are beginning to steer away from the traditional circular dance. In fact, more and more engaged couples are choosing to learn a ballroom dance for their wedding.

Not only is performing a ballroom dance for your wedding very sentimental, but it is also likely to be remembered by everyone. However, a ballroom dance doesn’t have to be strictly between the bride and groom. It can involve the bride and her father, the groom and his mother, or anyone else the happy couple chooses to share a dance with. With so many variations of ballroom dancing, it may be difficult to select a specific dance. Below are some popular song suggestions for weddings and ballroom dances that would be appropriate with them.

Two very well-known wedding songs are “Love Me Tender” and “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,” both performed by Elvis Presley. These songs, while traditional at weddings, set the perfect tone for a slow waltz. The waltz is a careful collaboration of steps involving walking and side to side motions – these songs provide the exact tempo and beat for this style of ballroom dancing. Another major plus of performing the waltz is that it’s easy to learn and can be done by nearly anyone of any skill level.

“From This Moment On” is a song performed by legendary country music singer Shania Twain and is a popular choice among bride and groom dances. This song remains slow and romantic, but the beat is slightly faster compared to the Elvis Presley songs. “From This Moment On” is an excellent choice for dancing the foxtrot, a slow yet very smooth dance that follows forward and backward patterns around the dance floor. Like the waltz, it is fairly easy to learn.

A few popular choices for dancing with the parents of the couple are “Through the Years” by Kenny Rogers and “Wind beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler. The waltz would also be appropriate for these songs as well as the tango, although this ballroom dance may take a little longer to learn due to its sharp and precise steps.

By choosing to perform a ballroom dance at your wedding (as opposed to just moving about in a circle or from side to side), you are sure to create lifelong memories for yourself and your guests.

The Paso Doble, originally a Spanish folkdance, has the distinction of being one of the only ballroom dances that is only danced in the ballroom world. You will find people in clubs doing the Waltz, or the Tango or the Quick Step but you won’t see them performing a Paso Doble.

Although bullfights can be traced all the way back to ancient Greece they weren’t a part of the culture of Spain until the 1700′s. The excitement and tension of the bullfight, the pride and dignity of the matador as well as the flair of his cape are all portrayed in the Paso Doble. Paso Doble is Spanish for “Two Step” which is a reference to the marching style of this dance with its 1-2 count.

For the ballroom competitions the Paso Doble is done with chest high, shoulders wide and down, head back but slightly tipped down. The body leans slightly forward and the majority of the forward steps are done with the heel leading. The dance is further enhanced with strong steps and dramatic poses. The Paso Doble is one of the most dramatic of all the ballroom dances.

The Paso Doble is one of the few dances that is for the man. The woman’s part in this dance is strictly a supporting one. Depending on their interpretation she may take the part of the matador’s cape, or the bull, or in some cases even the matador at different times throughout the dance.

Some distinctive steps of the Paso Doble are the chassez cape (where the man uses the woman as the cape), the Apel, where the man stamps his foot as if to attract the attention of the bull (a very strong move) and the Arpel which is a movement that starts with stamping of the feet then the couples walk in opposite directions.

Ballroom Dancing – The Cha-Cha

The London dance instructor Pierre Lavelle, who was responsible for having the Cuban Rumba declared the official Rumba, while on a visit to Cuba, had noticed that sometimes there were extra beats added to the Rumba. Upon his return to England he taught these steps as a completely new dance. It has been suggested that the name Cha-Cha (or Cha-Cha-Cha as it is called by some people) was coined for the sound of the 3 quick steps after the forward and back step (or back and forward steps). The steps for the Cha-Cha are taken on the beats accompanied by a strong hip movement as the leg straightens on the half beat.

The Cha-Cha is a fun, flirty, lighthearted dance that gets its distinctive “cha, cha, cha” rhythm because there are 5 steps danced to four beats. Dancers work parallel with each other in well synchronized movements sometimes employing the “New Yorker”, a step where one of the dancers steps across the other and checks to change direction. Cuban motion, the hip motion derived from alternately bending and straightening the knees, is an important factor in this dance.