Choosing a Wedding Dress to Dance in: Five Questions to Ask Yourself

When trying on wedding dresses, most brides focus only on how it looks. But you should also consider how it moves—or doesn’t move—when you do.  After all, you’ll want to be free to dance up a storm at your own wedding!

During our many years of teaching wedding couples to dance, we’ve learned to ask brides upfront about their dress to make sure they will be able to do any dips or moves we include in their dance without being restricted by their dress. Many express regret that they never considered movement when selecting their dress.

5 questions to ask yourself before buying your dream dress

So here are five easy questions to ask yourself when trying on dresses if you want to look good and feel good while dancing:

1. Is the train removable or can it be bustled so you can walk—and dance—freely? It’s difficult to dance well if you are stepping all over your own dress. Our very first bride planned to drape her train over her arm during her dance. But she didn’t tell us that and when the big day came, she discovered she was unable to do all the fancy turns we had taught because she couldn’t lift her arm without looking like a matador!

2. Is the gown too narrow or too full?  One couple came to us for months to perfect a sultry blues-style number for their first dance. It took no time at all for the bride to start calling her gown—“My stupid dress”—because she knew that its ultra-narrow skirt would restrict her from doing some of the moves they were so good at.

3.  Does the dress have extra material or no material around the back? When dancing, your new spouse will need to put his or her hand on your back to lead you through moves. If the dress has hidden layers or a cape-like veil, finding your back may be challenging!

4. Can you raise your arms? It’s a simple enough question but you’d be surprised at how often the answer is, “Not really.”

5. What happens when you twirl? This is probably the most important question of all! And the most fun to check out. Twirl around the room and see what happens to your dress. There is nothing more lovely than a bride waltzing around in a dress made for dancing!

In summary

move around in your dress as much as possible.  A wedding dress should look as beautiful on you when you twirl as it does when you stand still. Taking a few turns around the dress shop floor will help you decide how great you’ll look and feel on your wedding day dance floor.

Linda Freeman and her husband, Chester, opened Got2Lindy Dance Studios in 2004. They have taught all over the world and on cruises. They specialize in providing private dance lessons to wedding couples.  Get in touch to hire us.