When helping our couples prepare for their first dance, we often get questions about shoes. What footwear should be worn for the dance lessons? What if the bride is not used to dancing in heels? Is it ok to change to more comfortable shoes?
This blog post will address some of these shoe questions, and give you a little insight to a dancer’s best friend: your shoes.
Here are 4 top shoe tips when preparing your first dance:
- Wear your wedding shoes for the last dance lesson
We always recommend our couples to wear their wedding shoes for the last dance lesson in their chosen package. For instance, if you are on the gold package with 5 in-person lessons, you will find a lot of benefits by wearing your shoes for the fifth and final lesson. If you don’t want your fiancé to see your shoes before the wedding day – which is very normal – simply wear a pair of shoes of a similar type: for ladies, a shoe of a similar heel height and for gents, another formal shoe. You will find the wedding shoes feel different to what you are used to wearing, and so dancing in these shoes and getting familiar with them is great preparation.
We therefore also suggest for couples to have the initial dance lessons in shoes they are comfortable moving in, like trainers or formal shoes you are used to wearing. In the initial lessons we want to focus on the dancing and learning the steps and choreography, and don’t particularly want to make you feel overwhelmed by also wearing your wedding shoes.
If you are on the bronze dance package of one lesson, we recommend you bring your wedding shoes (or shoes of a similar types) with you for the lesson. This way we have the option to put the shoes on for you to try dancing in them.
- If you want to change shoes on your wedding day before your first dance
Some people are more comfortable dancing in different – more comfortable – shoes, than the shoes you have worn for the wedding ceremony. This is of course possible, but we want to highlight two things. For the ladies, make sure your dress length is compatible with the dance shoes. Your wedding dress will often be made in a length suitable for your shoes and heel height. Therefore, if you change your shoes to flats, you might find your dress length is now too long and will be uncomfortable to dance in as you might step on your dress.
Also, your photographer and videographer will get a lot of shots during your first dance, so it is important you are still aware of the look even though you want to be comfortable.
- Getting proper dance shoes
It is possible for you to buy a proper pair of dance shoes, which will not only look great but are designed to make your feet feel comfortable. Dance shoes have a different sole to normal shoes and are structured to give you support without compromising the look. We have personally worn and recommend shoes from “International Dance Shoes” for all our professional dance career. This is a UK based dance shoe company, and in our opinion the best in the industry. Their range of dance shoes covers many different styles and colours, so you are sure to find a pair suitable for you.
As we have worked with International Dance Shoes for many years, they have kindly provided us a discount code which we can provide you, if this would be something you are interested in. You can explore their dance shoes here: www.internationaldanceshoes.com.
This is particularly a good idea if you and your fiancé has enjoyed dancing together in the build up to the wedding and might want to continue your dance journey even after the big day.
- Dance in your shoes at the venue
If it is possible, bring your shoes with you as you visit your venue in preparation to the wedding. If you have to be at the venue anyway – maybe for wine or menu tasting, checking the accommodation for room allocation etc – simply bring your shoes with you and ask to spend just a couple of minutes on the dance floor. You will learn what the floor surface feels like in your shoes which is something we highly recommend. As your dance instructors, we can help you prepare accordingly.
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