First dance etiquette for modern brides

May 6, 2019

first dance etiquetteFirst dance etiquette for weddings is timeless. We live in an era where some couples go to great lengths to choreograph high energy productions for their first dance. YouTube is full of them, like the one below:

Let’s face it, this approach isn’t for everyone. Here’s the good news: you DON’T need an exotic production. You can stick to the basics. Many, probably MOST, of the readers of this blog are breathing a big sigh of relief over that last sentence. After all, a lot of people are not impressed with their own dancing abilities, and they are pretty shy about having the entire spotlight on them.

You have nothing to worry about! We’ve posted a very nice video below which gives you a quick and  easy tutorial on how to dance the good ol’ box step. Even if you’ve got two left feet, the box step is within your reach. Watch this, see what I mean:

For more extensive dance instruction right here in Cookeville, we highly recommend Piper Landis. Check out her website here.

First dance etiquette: the basics

Here is the timeless first dance etiquette Scott Stevens Entertainment uses for Cookeville weddings:

√ We introduce you and your wedding party with flair.

√ Bride and groom enjoy their first dance together as husband and wife.

√ Next, the father and bride dance and the mother and son dance.

At this point, etiquette becomes more flexible depending on your tastes and the length of your reception. We’ll review your options in the planning process to be sure all additional special dances and announcements are perfectly timed and MCed.

In the meantime, if you’re a little shy about your first dance, spend some time with the video above practicing a very user-friendly dance step. And then be sure to check out an earlier blogpost, “Top Ten Classic Songs for your First Dance.”

How long should your engagement last?

March 2, 2026

The question is, does the length of a courtship and the length of an engagement have any affect on the future success of a marriage? A Reddit marriage thread triggered the question. The thread posed the question: “People who divorced after only one year, what happened?” A man responded: “I was married for less than…

Do you have to invite shower attendees to your wedding?

February 2, 2026

What is wedding shower etiquette when it comes to planning your wedding guest list? Do you HAVE to invite someone to your wedding IF you invited them to a wedding shower? The Knot consulted with a variety of wedding etiquette experts who acknowledge that as a rule of thumb, this is rude. They write: ”Those…

“Ordinary” is no ordinary love song

January 5, 2026

You would’ve never heard the song, “Ordinary,” if its composer didn’t believe in it. Songwriter Alex Warren admits the song was an accident. He said, “We didn’t write it to be a hit, we didn’t mean to write it to be anything more than just a love song.” But it found a huge audience despite…

7 signs that you’re in love

December 1, 2025

What makes marriage great? Commitment. What’s scary about marriage? Commitment. The reason married people are happier, healthier, live longer, are wealthier, and have happier and healthier children is built upon a foundation of commitment. And commitment isn’t scary when it’s made out of love. So what is love? And how do you know if you’re…

Top selling music artists in history, Part 5

November 3, 2025

  The top selling music artists in history are: The Beatles Michael Jackson Elvis Presley Elton John Queen Madonna Led Zeppelin Rihanna Pink Floyd This month’s entrant is Queen, a legendary band that saw its fame get a boost with the 2018 biopic, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Queen generates more weekly visitors to Spotify than any of…

Top selling music artists in history, Part 4

October 6, 2025

The top selling music artists in history are: The Beatles Michael Jackson Elvis Presley Elton John Queen Madonna Led Zeppelin Rihanna Pink Floyd We continue the series considering the best wedding songs from the list of musical greats. This week we look at the best Elton John wedding songs. Elton may be #4 on this…

Top selling music artists in history, Part 3

September 1, 2025

The top selling music artists in history are: The Beatles Michael Jackson Elvis Presley Elton John Queen Madonna Led Zeppelin Rihanna Pink Floyd This series considers the best wedding songs from the list of musical greats. This week we look at the best Elvis Presley wedding songs. No artist on this list recorded more quality…

Top selling music artists in history, Part 2

August 4, 2025

The top selling music artists in history are: The Beatles Michael Jackson Elvis Presley Elton John Queen Madonna Led Zeppelin Rihanna Pink Floyd This series considers the best wedding songs from this list of musical greats. We looked at The Beatles in our last installment. This week let’s consider Michael Jackson’s best song for weddings.…

Top selling music artists in history

July 7, 2025

The top selling music artists in history are: The Beatles Michael Jackson Elvis Presley Elton John Queen Madonna Led Zeppelin Rihanna Pink Floyd Their careers spanned the 1950s to today. Songs by artists now deceased, like Elvis, continue to rack up the sales. This blog thought it only appropriate to select a song from each…

Top wedding love songs you’ve never heard of!

June 2, 2025

On a whim, we did an AI search on “wedding love songs you’ve never heard of.” Here’s what came up, in no particular order: “Home” by Phillip Phillips Really nice song. And we kind of think you’ve heard of it. After all, Phillip Phillips sang it in his award-winning performance on American Idol in 2012.…