Tips for Getting the Most out of a Bridal Show

A bridal show is a rite of passage for the bride and groom. It is exciting and fun and romantic to be in the same room with so many other engaged couples. It is awe-inspiring to realize all the wonderful options and fabulously creative vendors available at your finger tips to custom make the wedding of your dreams. On the down side a bridal show can also feel intensely overwhelming. After all, bridal coordinators dedicate their entire livelihoods to planning weddings obviously it is not as easy as just saying, "I do." And the groom usually has no idea what he is getting into when he proposes...

So just indulge yourselves in the creative process of designing your most sacred day together and don't expect to walk away from the show with signed contracts or concrete decisions. A show is a place where you luxuriate in brainstorming and fantasizing, have your questions answered and make follow up appointments with vendors to discuss your wedding in more depth. Wedding planning is a process that takes place over a significant period of time so there's no pressure to make all your decisions at the show. And remember there are professionals to guide you and if you really feel overwhelmed there's always a wedding coordinator! Here are some helpful hints to get the most out of your bridal show experience:

1. Pre-register for the show for discount tickets.
2. Contact a participating vendor ahead of time and ask if they have complimentary tickets.
3. Wear comfortable shoes.
4. Come prepared with peel off labels with your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and wedding date printed on them to enter the various giveaways and promotions.
5. Rent a PO Box if you prefer not to divulge your home address.
6. Use a specially designated "wedding email" account
7. Sign up for all the discounts and prizes.
8. Bring someone with you to share the fun and to help you not feel too overwhelmed. If your family will be involved in any aspect they should really come along so they can get a full appreciation of the complexity of wedding planning.
9. Make sure all members of your entourage have cell phones with them in case you get split up.
10. Bring swatches of material or ribbons with your wedding colors on them.
11. Skip the fashion show if you already have your gown and visit vendor's booths during that period. 
12. Bring a drink and snacks with you.  Why waste time and money standing in line for concession food?
13. When filling out forms make sure to print VERY clearly.
14. Avoid bringing children to the show if possible.
15. Take as much literature as you can from everyone. You might not think you need information on a certain type of vendor, but leave yourself the option of changing your mind as your creative ideas flow during the wedding planning process.
16. Bring your date book with you so you can schedule your appointments for follow up.
17. Ask lots of questions.
18. If you want to be guaranteed a free bridal magazine pick it up early!
19. Take notes on your conversations to help your differentiate among the vendors
    
20. Wear a back pack or bring a large bag to carry all the materials. 
21. Take a video camera or regular camera to capture ideas and help you remember vendors.
22. Don't purchase anything under pressure. If a special show discount is being offered negotiate a 24 hour grace period for you to do your research.
23. Avoid unscrupulous people who approach you in the aisles, outside the venue or put flyers on your windshield. They are not affiliated with the show and their professionalism is questionable.
24. Plan to spend 3-4 hours at the show.

See you there!

Wedding Dance Workshops in February!

Wedding Dance Workshops! Get a head start on your private lessons by starting with these popular wedding dance workshops on Feb 27 in Falls Church, VA and Feb 28 in Columbia, MD.

Sample a variety of slow dances perfect for love songs to see which style you prefer.Develop your individual composure as a dancer by learning foundation techniques.Learn the fundamentals of partner dancing. 
Get acquainted with dancing before committing to private lessons. 
If your wedding isn't for a while and you haven't chosen a special song yet, this is the perfect way to get your feet wet! Meet other engaged couples in the area! Maximize your investment in private lessons by getting a head start with this comprehensive workshop. Dance with your partner the whole time - no partner switching

Workshop attendees who are our Facebook fans qualify for a 5% discount on private lessons. For more details go to: http://www.theweddingdancespecialists.com/wedding-packages-groups.php

 WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced The Wedding Dance Specialists has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Wedding Dance Instruction.

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds. 

The Wedding Dance Specialists is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. 

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.” 

We are happy to announce that The Wedding Dance Specialists is among the very best Wedding Dance Instruction companies within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.

Dance Tip: The Warm Up Dance

Regardless of how prepared you are, we always recommend a warm-up dance on the big day. The best way to calm pre-dance jitters is to review the entire dance once, in your wedding finery. This five-minute exercise gets you mentally focused in the “dance zone” amidst all the excitement of the big day. A current trend is posing for formal pictures before the wedding to maximize time enjoyed at the reception. This pre-ceremony photo session also allows you more time during the cocktail hour to sneak off and warm-up together. If you plan a more traditional approach where you will not be seeing each other before the nuptials, then immediately after the ceremony will serve as the best time. If you are not doing a receiving line, you can sneak off into a vestibule somewhere or the bridal chamber which has the added benefit of encouraging your guests to make a swift bee-line for the reception hall.

Dance Style: Tango

Tango music originated from Argentine, Brazilian and Spanish influences. The earliest traces of the Tango date back to the latter half of the 19th century-to the Milonga, an Argentine folk dance with Moorish, Arabic and Spanish ancestry. Years later, the Argentine Gauchos (streetwise single men) danced a modified version of the Milonga, in the seedy bars and bordellos of Buenos Aires. The dance hold in Milonga is called "close embrace", where the couple are literally dancing chest to chest. This was considered far too risque for polite society.

The dance was later taken on by renowned ballroom dance performers, Verne and Irene Castle. They toned it down so that it could be danced in a socially acceptable manner. The International and American Tango danced in ballrooms today developed from this offshoot. The dance's unique style is expressed in quick double takes with the head and stalking panther-like movements complete with lunges and dips.

"Tangueros" (Tango dancers and singers) did not fair well under Peron period but performance Tango known as "Fantasia" developed in the mid 1950s and sustained interest in Tango in general around the world. As a performance based dance, Fantasia uses many acrobatic movements such as lifts, dips, twirls and ofcourse the characteristic hooking and kicking steps called "Ganchos" and "Boleos". Fantasia can be classified as its own variant, though experienced dancers can carefully execute Fantasis moves while dancing socially.

When the Argentine Tango crowd refers to "Tango", they totally ignore the American, International and Fantasia offshoots. Instead, they are referring to the social dance style used in "Milongas" (Argentine Tango dance parties) around the world. There are three basic types of social Tango -- Milonga, Valtz and Tango. Each of these three has its own distinctive features and music. Milonga, the original, is danced very close, to very fast music and has a lot of staccato foot changes and taps. You dance on every beat of the music. Valtz is danced to Viennese Waltz music, hence the name. It is more flowy and is danced more frequently on the first beat of a measure or the "1" of "1-2-3". Tango is the most sensual of the three, danced to slower, moodier music. It is therefore more precise. Controlled smooth movements allow for the intricate footwork so often associated with this dance. What makes this dance truly unique is that the gentleman can set up situations for the woman to "play" or do embellishments. Whether one dances in the "close embrace" or in the more formal ballroom hold is decided by each couple. Often at Milongas each style are played in sets of three or four and a couple will tend to dance the set together.

Tango has a flavor quite unlike any other dance. The basic rhythm is an 8 count Slow-Slow-Quick-Quick-Slow. The music itself leads to excess. It is a dance that is ironically both showy, yet very intimate. Tango has also been immortalized in such films as "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"(Rudolf Valentino), "Scent of a Woman" (Al Pacino), "True Lies" (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and "Assassination Tango" (Robert Duvall).

Tangos:

"La Cumparsita/Tango Please"(Medley) Strictly Ballroom soundtrack
"Por Una Cabeza" by Tango Project
"Habanera" from Carmen

Dance Tip: Audience Orientation

Wouldn’t it look a bit awkward if you attended a show where the performers bowed to the set backdrop instead of the audience? To ensure that you are facing the audience at the end of your dance, give yourself some prep time. Figure out the total amount of time it takes do your grand finale and head to the center of the room 20 seconds before that. Listen for the distinctive audio cue that indicates that the song is ending. From that point allow yourself 15 seconds to dance toward the center of the room, another 10 seconds to position yourself to face the majority of the audience and 5 seconds to actually hold the dip. You would need more time if you are doing a more lengthy grand finale like multiple twirls, unwraps, lassos, double handed spins, etc… During your final pose, you can choose to look directly at each other, look slightly above your guests heads or the groom can look admiringly at the bride will she gazes off in the distance.

Dance Style: Samba

The Samba originates from Brazil. It was and is danced during the street festivals and celebrations such as Carnival in Rio.. The music has an joyful contagious rhythm which makes even non dancers want to get up and dance. It was first introduced in the U.S. in a Broadway play called "Street Carnival" in the late twenties. The festive style and mood of the dance kept it alive and popular to this day and the rhythm pervades popular music. The South America Samba is slower and more fluid than its American counterpart, which is danced to a faster tempo. Both styles have the basic "Samba Bounce". The beautiful music of the Gypsy Kings epitomizes the addictive Samba style but many modern singers have Samba rhythms.

Sambas:

"Copacabana" by Barry Manilow
"Stop" by Mark Anthony
"La Isla Bonita" by Madonna
"The Girl from Ipanima" by Sammy Davis Jr.