Weddingbee boards

I admit, I'm a bit biased:  We are doing a choreographed swing dance as our first dance.

Umm...I don't really like either of those dances from YouTube. In both, the bride and groom look really nervous and awkward (less so in the second video, though!) -- probably because they are trying to remember all their choreographed moves, and the first bride's dress really isn't suited to dancing the fox trot.

I like the elegance of doing a choreographed traditional dance; but it's really only an option if you have some basic knowledge of the dance step you're going to do, and if you pick up choreography well. Otherwise it would be pretty hard to do and still make it look comfortable and natural.

I also like the idea of doing a surprise "modern" dance! =D If you really want to start people feeling like they want to party, it's definately a good way to do it! To get the best of both worlds, you could start off doing a traditional foxtrot, etc. and then morph into a hip-hop number. BUT the same points as above (especially being able to pick-up choreography) apply here, too. Also, you mention that you're doing your first dance RIGHT before dinner -- are others going to be able to hop onto the dance floor after you, or will they have to go sit down? In that case, you're setting up a party mood, only to slam it down with a formal sit-down dinner atmosphere. I would suggest doing a short, choreographed foxtrot (or a basic non-choreographed first-dance waltz) and then breaking for dinner, then kicking off the party afterwards with your choreographed modern number! (You might want to do the father-daughter and mother-son dances first, though.)