First Dance tips - in a ballgown!

Johnny Miles, About 4 years ago, 1247

Posted in Wedding Reception

I've asked this before elsewhere and people seemed to think it was a silly question, but I'm a bit apprehensive about our first dance so I'm going to ask here too, now that the day is drawing closer!

I am the kind of person who likes to practise, likes to be secure, likes to know how things will go so I feel confident. And... I can't tell my husband-to-be about my absolutely huge ballgown of a dress, nor can we practise dancing in it in advance!

My fiance and I have quite a height difference (about 45cm or almost 18 inches) so we did decide to go to a few private dance classes with a professional for our wedding, and we've kept it a secret so the bar remains as low as possible, with no one really expecting anything more than your standard sway and shuffle.

I did ask the teacher, but he's a man, and I don't know if he really.. quite grasped the sheer size of my dress, and he didn't have many helpful tips on how to navigate our routine with either a train or a hoop skirt (although my dress will be bustled, and I'm not yet sure if the full hoop will fit under my skirt - I won't know until my last fitting next week, after our final dance class).

So, those of you who wore a ballgown, what is your advice, please? I'm expecting if I can fit the hoop under my skirt, that I will have to take it out for the first dance, but other than that is there anything I should know? Be aware of? Tips I can give to my fiance so he doesn't step on things?

My one thought, is that during our private couple photos, we go look at the reception whilst our guests are out having cocktail hour (which we'd planned to do anyway) and maybe see if we can sneak in a little practise? Any other ideas?