Nicolette & Brian: PaC Man & Wife: Better Together

Before we delve into the gooey-ness that is the first dance, allow me to give you the back story.

One month before our wedding, I decided we HAD to take dance lessons.

Neither of us knew how to dance. My previous experience with dancing consisted of tap/ballet classes as a pre-schooler, baton twirling (which I shouldn't count as dance because really it's just marching in place while my hands did the work), and bailing out of high school dance team tryouts after I realized the choreography was way too advanced. Marching band was as far as my feet took me. Mr. PaC's dance skills extend only to those of the strobe light and glow stick variety.

Mr. PaC leads us to the center of the room.

Surreal moment: Oh my goodness, we're really about to do this!

(both guest photos)

After failed attempts to teach ourselves some moves via YouTube videos, it became painfully obvious that we needed a professional. Our first class was a mere two weeks before the wedding. We committed to five one-hour private classes and I hoped it would be enough time. I thought I might cry out of frustration during our first class (OMG, it did not go well), but the instructor broke through my mental block and taught me to let go. I learned to set aside any awkwardness and be comfortable with a level of discomfort. Mr. PaC did too when he quipped, "You get over the fact that you're dancing with another dude." The biggest takeaway for me was when our instructor got rid of my negative self-talk by explaining how illogical it was to beat myself up for not picking up a dance step the first time around when I'd never had previous formal instruction. Oh.

Whispering words of encouragement to my hesitant groom.
(guest photo)

In those few dance lessons, our patient instructor worked a miracle! Not only was I relaxed about our first dance, I was "let's do this!" confident. And that confidence carried over into the rest of the night. When we signed up for lessons, I didn't appreciate how it would transform me so I could truly relax and enjoy every bit of our wedding.

Enjoy it, we did!

So cue up the music and scroll through the wonderful images from our first dance to Jack Johnson's "Better Together."

What dance did we learn? The Foxtrot. We started with the basics so the "slow, slow; quick, quick" rhythm would become more natural before progressing to promenades and under-arm turns.

Coming out of a spin. Mr. PaC really enjoyed twirling me 'round.

Promenading was his go-to move when he got in a jam...

until he promenaded us to the edge of our guests. But we had fun with it!

Can you see my sister in the background? She looks like she's about to bawl her eyes out.

For the last two classes, I practiced in my wedding shoes. That's a great tip, by the way, especially since you can learn your shoes' quirks, like a tendency to slip off your heels, so you're not surprised on your wedding day.

Maintaining our dance frame and maybe "guiding" Mr. PaC a little bit.

(guest photo)

Would you be surprised if I revealed dancing in a wedding dress is not easy? Aside from dress fittings and the initial salon appointment, you probably haven't walked or moved much in it. Practicing your first dance while wearing your gown is probably out of the question, but it's a tricky detail to keep in mind. As my foot would glide back, it would catch the inside hem so I had to be extra careful to toe the line between popping out of my shoes and avoiding stepping on the gown.

(both guest photos)

One last spin as the music fades.

Smoochy time. (My, look at all the cameras... *sheepish grin*)

Stay close because there are some tear-jerker photos in the very next recap!

(all photos by Heather Fowler Photography, unless otherwise noted)

Catch up on our PaC recaps!

Days Before

In the days leading up to the wedding, I wanted to be sedated.

I walked the line between calm and stressed for the better part of our rehearsal day.

"Don't panic" and its friends were what Mr. PaC kept telling me on the way to our rehearsal dinner.

Wedding Morning

Best wedding morning advice: wake up slow and tackle the day at your own pace.
Once at our venue, our DIY projects were assembled with our own two hands.
The girls get ready with champagne and chocolate-covered potato chips.
The guys are ready... and waiting.
She's mine! All mine! (The dress that is.)
Brown-eyed girl (and guy) portraits.
Something old and new, borrowed and blue.

Portraits

My sneaky groom has a secret heart when it comes to surprises.
A first look for the two of us plus more couples portraits in the garden.
With brother and sister standing by, we took our bridal party and family portraits.

Ceremony

After fretting about rain, the sun came out just as our guests arrived for the ceremony.
Maybe I was just a little amazed at how beautifully our ceremony had started.
After waiting 19 long months, here comes Mr. PaC's girl!
We spoke of love and some verses in our ceremony.