Much ado about dancing!

Here in the South, I've been to way too many weddings where the bride and groom sway back and forth to a sappy country song, barely moving their feet. Their dance moves have not improved even slightly since middle school days, and it's really boring to watch. As a former cotillion instructor, these first dances make me cringe.

I love to watch a married couple cut a rug together for the first time to an upbeat song.. Here are a few of my suggestions.

Train's "Hey Soul Sister" would be marvelous for a couple who wants a current song. It's fun, has a great beat, which is perfect for inexperienced dancers, and adorable lyrics. I especially love the line "I don't wanna miss a single thing you do tonight," in reference to a wedding. If I were in charge, I'd have the band switch out the line about Madonna, and I'd most certainly have the couple do a foxtrot.

If you really want to shake things up, "River Deep Mountain High" is fast-paced and I can easily picture a groom spinning his bride all around the floor. Guests would probably have a hard time standing still to this tune.

It's hard to find someone that doesn't love Stevie Wonder, and "Signed Sealed Delivered" is an overlooked songs when it comes to receptions. A simple box step is definitely the way to go.

Written by Carole King, and recently covered by Michael Buble, "Some Kind of Wonderful" is romantic and joyous. It's a little slower than some of the others I have posted, but is certainly not a drag!

If you're both really into country and have a mean two-step, I can't get enough of "Why Don't We Just Dance" sung by Josh Turner. I don't suggest using the moves from the music video, though!

Ok, if I have you sweating bullets at the idea of moving your feet so quickly, "Sweet Pea" by Amos Lee still has some spunk but it's considerably slower. This song was made for a foxtrot or box step.

Now, if you need affordable dance lessons, and you aren't close enough for my expert lessons (kidding), I suggest watching Youtube tutorials or ordering Dancing With the Star's Louis Van Amstel's videos.

Remember that this is supposed to be fun! Do not stress about your steps being 100% perfect, just enjoy it and let your personalities shine. As a Japanese proverb says, "We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."