A Timeless Waltz at Lakeside Gardens - David & Dori's Classic Wedding

 

David & Dori were both very ordinary and very extraordinary. They came to me with no dance experience wanting something that approx. 60% of my couples do - a slow dance. They were harder on themselves than most couples during practices (which I find common in the over 40 group) but they also worked harder than most couples (something I also find common in the over 40 group). We started lessons a few months before their wedding, making choreography acquisition mellow and steady. They incorporated lifts, tricks and dips into their beautiful waltz to "Colourblind" by Ed Sheeran - a song that was meaningful to them since seeing him sing it in concert together.

So what I wrote above was pretty typical (the "ordinary") for PNW Wedding Dance: me working with a couple with no dance experience, wanting a waltz to a slow, romantic song. But what was special with this couple was not only what they were able to accomplish through their lessons, but what they felt they got OUT of their lessons. Dori and David found the deeper meaning behind first dance lessons...something I've long known and always loved about the art of dance. The way dancing can truly improve your life in more ways than one. They said to me in the most open, honest way "Nikki...this should be a prerequisite for marriage". And here's what they said they got out of dance lessons beyond the obvious steps & exercise:

-Learning how to communicate more effectively with one another through discussing how different parts of their dance should look or go.

-Building deeper trust in one another through practicing and mastering difficult lifts and dips.

-Working through frustrations together when one partner maybe doesn't understand something or doesn't get something right away.

-Better chemistry as a couple from working on connection both visually and physically.

-Increased confidence through accomplishing something productive together.

-A stress reliever from the worries of life and/or weight of planning a wedding.

Dance lessons really can teach you some valuable things about your partner and self and help a couple get to know one another better through the experience. In addition to all these things, they also got a pretty stellar routine out of the deal. Wedding dances are a combined effort where I create the choreography but it can't look good without my dancers practicing at home - and David & Dori did just that. In fact, they felt so proud of how their performance went the day of their wedding that David came into the studio weeks later to see me and show me a video of their dance on his laptop. It was the sweetest thing and I was was so excited to see the results.

 

 

Both David and Dori are glowing with joy in these photos and they make me smile every time I look at them. Please enjoy a few more snaps of their spectacular dance and day below. I enjoyed every minute of working with these two! Big congrats to the newlyweds, Mr. & Mrs. Shaffer!

Photographer: Remembrance Photography

Videographer: LK Films Production

Venue: Lakeside Gardens