A Rustic Sunriver Summer Wedding

November 18, 2023

A Rustic Sunriver Summer Wedding - Maria & Kyle

Maria reached out to me last spring about helping her with her surprise father/daughter dance. Maria and her sweetheart of a dad had already found a flash-mob esque dance on YouTube and had learned it, but she wanted me to help them revise it. It was to "Stayin' Alive" - a song that Maria often danced to with her pops when she was little. First thing we did was edit the song down a bit, since the original is almost 5 minutes long, and then we attached it to their slow dance "fake out" song so there would be a smooth transition from their slow dance to their surprise. Then we made their dance choreography more personal, approachable and interactive. We met on Saturdays and those morning practices were some of my favorites of the summer! Who doesn't love starting their day with a little disco?!

About a month into practices Maria asked me if I would choreograph a first dance for her and her fiance Kyle too. I of course said yes. The tricky part was keeping her surprise father/daughter dance a secret. At our first practice together with Kyle I had to pretend like it was my first time meeting Maria, even though we'd already had several practice sessions before. But I absolutely love surprises, so helping to keep the secret was fun for me! Kyle & Maria eventually landed on learning a salsa to Ojitos Lindos by Bad Bunny. And despite her aversion to being picked up, after a little soft coaxing she even let me throw a lift in there.

Kyle & Maria's wedding day was all about personal touches - from Maria walking her lovebug rescue pitbull Chloe down the aisle to the desserts they chose, they made sure that every element of their day was true to them. Here are a few more shots of their super fun dances in action. I also love that Maria decided to switch into a more comfortable dress and sneaks for her reception. No better way to let loose if you REALLY want to dance!