Ahhh, the first dance. Those precious few minutes towards the end of your wedding celebration where you and your new husband can soak it all up, take it all in while swaying to the rhythm of your favourite song. Personally, I love photographing the first dance. I know for some photographers the first dance can be quite daunting in terms of lighting but I really enjoy the challenge & incorporating the lighting my couples have chosen for their first dance into the images.

A few tips on how to make the most of your first dance:

1. Try and make it last! Needless to say the length of your first dance is completely up to you, but it definitely pays to have a fair few minutes on the dance floor! Why? More time to hold your brand new husband, more lovely photos of your first dance as husband & wife and more time to throw in some interesting moves!

2. Interesting lighting - a definite yes for me! I always make a point of asking the DJ (if there is one) to switch on any and all interesting lighting he may have as it really helps to create fun & unique first dance images.

3. Dance lessons / choreography. My husband and I went for a few dance lessons before our wedding back in 2009 and I'm glad we did - more so because it was a wonderful way to spend time together before the wedding and when the time came for our first dance, I was more excited than nervous about it!

That's is us in the above image doing the dip!

4. Enjoy it! When all is said and done the first dance is still a part of your wedding day and much like anything else on the day, it's meant to be enjoyed, so stop stressing about it and just enjoy it!