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.

Considered the basis for contemporary dances, the Waltz dates back as far as the late 17th century in Europe. It is a graceful dance, consisting of gliding and turning steps. Early Waltz is a rotary dance consisting of turns (both clockwise and counterclockwise) and change steps.

The Waltz has numerous names ranging from Volta in Italy to Weller in Germany to Landler in Austria. The Landler is most thought to be the forerunner of modern Waltz. The Waltzen became very popular in early 19th century, helped by the music of Josef and Johann Strauss.

The Waltz’s popularity began to decline until around 1913. The arrival of the Hesitation Waltz changed the way the Waltz was danced, slowing it down by incorporating poses and hesitations throughout the dance, rather than the continual, dizzying circles that was characteristic of the Waltz before.

It is not difficult to master the Waltz and it is very graceful and elegant to watch. There is a fast version called the Viennese Waltz and the slower version, called the English Waltz.

Waltz music has a three-quarter tempo and has only 3 steps with a simple 1-2-3 rhythm. First step is forward (backward for the woman), then one to the side and then the third step is to bring your feet together again. It is graceful dance with long sweeping movement, poses and turns.

The Waltz is found in many venues, from classical to Country Western Waltz. Country Western Waltz consists of moves going counter clockwise around the dance floor with a relaxed, and even slouching posture, without the exaggerated hand and arm gestures of some ballroom styles.

The Waltz was banned in California by Mission fathers until after 1834 because of the very close dance position. Thereafter a Spanish Waltz was danced. This Spanish Waltz was a combination of dancing around the room in closed position, and a “formation” dance of two couples facing each other and performing a sequence of steps.

At competition level, there has to be a clear pendulum action, which is somewhat like the movement of a bell clapper. It must also have the right level of up-and-down swing in balance with the required spatial movement. As in all dances, dancing from the supporting foot is essential. The “moment when” to start rising from your supporting foot is crucial in the Waltz. There should be lots of rotation.

The American Smooth style of Waltz is used in some competitions, which allows couples to occasionally break the hold, thereby enabling more open moves and underarm turns. To this day, the Waltz remains a very popular dance world wide.