First Dance Sos

All eyes will soon be on the two of you – no wonder you’re feeling the nerves. Don’t panic! Consider Rosie Patrick your not-so-twinkletoed agony aunt...

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When you stop and think about it, a first dance is odd. More than odd, in fact: friends and family circling around you like vultures, a fidgety, shaky other half engulfed in nerves, your underskirt catching on your heel, the signature shuffle with the occasional stiff twirl… Probably best not to over analyse it. #awkward

The actual experience, thankfully, is somewhat more magical than this basic breakdown (think heart-stopping closeness and teary guests instead). Nonetheless, you do need to work on your dance a little if you want to avoid that awful feeling of wishing the ground would open up and swallow you once the spotlight hits you. Which song will you choose? Will you plan a rough routine? When will your guests jump in? And what if you have bigger problems – such as being achingly uncoordinated or anxious? What if you’re not even sure you want a dance in the first place? Enter the musicians with all the answers.

Q: We don’t have a song. How do we go about choosing a track that suits us?

A: You mean you don’t lead a cinematic life with a soundtrack for every seminal moment you’ve shared with your beloved? Never mind. It doesn’t mean you can’t have a piece of music that feels just right. “Don’t stress too much about it having to be a song from the years you’ve been together or one that sums up your entire relationship,” advises Kim Shepherd, lead singer of Dunfermline band Cut the Cake. “It doesn’t have to be ‘the’ song – it just has to be a song you both enjoy or that’s by an artist you like – as long as it makes you smile!”