949.813.1102Every bride and groom dances at their wedding reception! Our goal is to help you feel comfortable and look natural while doing so. We have enjoyed helping all of our couples and look forward to helping you and your fiance too. Please take a moment to see what our brides and grooms are saying about their Wedding First Dance experiences with us here at “Orange County Wedding Dance!”
Amazing Dance Teachers!
September 23, 2014
“We were referred by Joe and Sarah by our wedding planner to help choreograph our first dance for our wedding and the experience was amazing! We both had no prior ballroom dancing experience and they just made it so easy. We decided to be very ambitious and did a tango/salsa dance. Both were very patient with us and was always very accommodating to our needs. They even cut the music for us! I thought it would be impossible, but with their guidance, we made the impossible possible. And everyone raved on our dance. We had alot of things going in the dance, including lifts and alot of technical details, but we managed to pull it off. They even went out of their way to go to our venue to help figure out how the dance was going to go with the dance floor at our venue!
They are such great people that we even invited them to the reception! They are just wonderful people and such great teachers!
I highly, highly recommend them for your first dance! They are very affordable and even works with your budget, because they really care about making your first dance one to remember!” [Knottie10822836]
Great Lessons!
September 19, 2014
“We have been working with Sara and Joe for a few weeks now and we have made excellent progress!They are very good at offering constructive criticism, as well as tailoring the lessons to our skill levels and goals! We are definitely looking forward to showing a great first dance at our wedding!” [Knottie25063883]
The Perfect Choice For Your First Dance!
September 19, 2014
“My fiance and I knew we wanted a different and fun first dance, and when we found Joe, we knew we found the perfect professional to make that happen. First off, Joe is very responsive and answers all inquiries and phone calls right away. Once you get into the actual lesson, he is so accommodating! He is really responsive to the style you want your dance, listens to you and asks if there is something in particular you want to do, and breaks down steps and the lesson to accommodate any learning speed. We absolutely love our dance lessons and look forward to it every week! It has seriously been one of the funnest parts of the whole wedding planning process and you couldn’t pick a better team to help you bring your first dance vision to life!” [carlynovoa]
OC Wedding Dance Is The BEST for your First Dance!
September 16, 2014
“Absolutely loved working with Joe and Sara for my first dance with my fiance! They were both so accommodating and helped us create exactly what we had envisioned for our first dance. They helped us to make our dance unique, fun, and so special. After just a few lessons we already felt comfortable with the dance moves and the beginning of our routine. I would highly recommend OC wedding dance to other couples as it has truly helped us make our wedding day and first dance so special!” [lckerstner14]
The Best!
September 14, 2014
“Sara and Joe are awesome! From the very first time we walked in the doors to when we left our last dance lesson both Joe and Sara were very hospitable. We came in the studio with a special wedding dance in mind and Sara perfected our dance. We can not wait to preform our special dance in front of our family and friends. I HIGHLY recommend Orange County Wedding Dance!” [khartman07]
Sara And Joe Are The Best!
April 8, 2014
“Needless to say, Sara and Joe are the Best and the nicest most patient people you’ll ever meet! I had been searching for wedding dance classes for my husband and I to learn for our first dance. We definitely did not want to resort to that swaying back and forth look and bored our guests (we had a very long song in mind)and plus since we both had no prior dance experience, we want to make this a cute bonding experience. Joe and Sara was recommended to us and decided to give them a try. Boy.. was that a great decision and one of the best ones I made for the wedding. Sara was extremely kind and patient with us throughout each and every lesson. She taught us beautful dance moves that defintiely “wow” our guests. She listened to each and every one of our ideas/concerns and make every effort to ensure we got what we wanted out of our “first dance”. Joe is also wonderful too. When Sara had to teach a different couple, he stepped in, even after our dance lesson was up for that day, and made sure we had and understood all the steps so that we can practice at home. Both Sara and Joe take their time to teach the dance at our pace and they always have a smile on their face. It truly shows they really love what they do. Both my husband and I did not mind driving an hour to see them even though there were plenty of other dance studios in our area. During the last day of dance lessons, I even felt sad that it was our last day with them. But they do make every effort to try to keep in contact. Fast forward to our wedding day.. We definitely “WOW” our guest with our first dance and we definitely will remember our dance for years to come.” [jasonandlinda]
Khine & Koray!
April 7, 2014
“Sara and Joe made our day fabulous and beautiful.First dance is the essential performance for Bride and Groom to the guest.Sara and Joe helped us with a great outcome.We took dance lesson with Sara and Joe, total 6 lessons.They will make sure your dance to be beautiful and ready for you day.They are very helpful and sweet.Sara had a good inspiration base on a song that we choose.And,Joe is also being helpful with having a good practice.You guys are great!Thank you so much.” [khinethazen]
Great Wedding Dance!
April 7, 2014
“Sara and Joe were wonderful! My husband and I came to them about a month before our wedding with no dance experience. We basically didn’t want to step on eachother’s toes. Sara created an easy, cute and memorable dance.! They were very accomodating with our busy work schedules and were fun, nice people to work with.” [dianak150]
Wonderful Experience!
March 24, 2014
“Joe and Sara are amazing teachers! My fiancé and I had absolute zero ballroom dancing experience before we met with them. I had two left feet when it came to any kind of dancing. Sara was very sweet and thorough when teaching us different moves and style of dancing. Joe helped me work on some moves and my footwork as well. Both of them did an excellent job choreographing our first dance. One of the parts I liked best was the fact that both of them catered to what we wanted to have in our first dance. Whether it was to be flashy or it was meant to be romantic they were very flexible and versatile whilst creating the perfect wedding dance. I would recommend them to all of my friends and they are a wonderful studio!” [baseball221614]
Great First Dance Experience!
March 21, 2014
“We received dance lessons as an engagement gift and couldn’t be happier! We came into the first lesson with no experience, one song, and four left feet! Joe and Sara are simply amazing at what they do! I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants a beautiful first dance. Sara not only pieced together our first dance for our wedding, but gave us confidence on the dance floor. My fiancee is not one for dancing at events in general, but now we can take the moves that we have learned and use them anytime. I look forward to our dance lessons each week!
Also, due to the fact that both my fiancee are full time students with part time jobs, timing is always an issue. Joe was very flexible with our schedules and understanding if we needed to reschedule. I am very pleased with the entire experience!” [shannana16]
Even Better Than Expected!!!
February 7, 2014
“My fiancé and I wanted to choreograph our first dance for our wedding, but neither of us had any dance experience. We read through a ton of reviews online and found Orange County Wedding Dance Studio. The reviews alone sold us on Joe and Sara and we definitely weren’t disappointed. They worked with us on everything, including our schedule, our budget, and the overall dance style that we wanted to use.
When we met Joe and Sara for the first time, they asked us what we wanted to do for our first dance and gave us a basic lesson to help us get a jump start. They worked with our budget and created a program based on our schedule and skill level. We went to them knowing little more than the song that we wanted to dance to and the look and feel that we wanted our dance to have. They seem to be able to work with people of all skill levels, but I was personally glad that they knew how to work with us as complete beginners.
Joe and Sara took the song that we selected for our first dance and broke it into manageable segments that we could practice each week. They showed us different dance moves and took our input for each piece. We progressively learned more and more of our song until we were able to put the entire dance together.
We were very happy with the benefits that we received by going to Orange County Wedding Dance Studio: We had two teachers instead of one, so we could both work on our parts at the same time and then dance together; the studio had two dance floors with plenty of floor space; and Joe and Sara were flexible with us when we had to reschedule. The only possible down side that I can think of is that the studio is shared (which is probably typical of most studios) so sometimes we weren’t the only ones on the dance floor. However, I don’t think that was ever really an issue while we were learning.
Joe and Sara were excellent teachers and I definitely recommend them for choreographed dancing. They are easy to work with, patient, and very knowledgeable! Thank you!!!” [ericandmirella]
Orange County Wedding Dance
December 21, 2013
“My fiancé and I had our wedding in October 2013. We knew we wanted to do a first dance that was more than just a side-to-side sway for 4 minutes…so we sought out dance lesson companies around Orange County. We are so happy that we found Sara and Joe.
True to form, we started our lessons just a few weeks prior to our wedding date. Needless to say, Sara had her work cut out to help us learn a dance that met our expectations and conformed to our skill levels. The process started with us telling Joe and Sara about the song we wanted (Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years”) and the type of dance we envisioned (Waltz). Throughout the process, Sara programmed our lessons at a progressive and appropriately-challenging pace.
Of course, on our wedding day, with so many other things going on, we had just 20 minutes to talk about and quickly rehearse our dance steps. Thankfully, Sara instilled in us the idea of building muscle memory. And she did an amazing job of forcing us to hear the words of the song and using those words as cues for our dance.
We are so thankful that Sara and Joe helped us learn a dance that we were very proud to show to our wedding guests!” [nataliefprice]
PANIC PACKAGE!!!
October 4, 2013
“Sara taught us our first dance to “Hold On” by Michael Buble in only one session. The results she was able to produce really surprised me. She tailored the dance to our skill level while still making it look good. Thank you Sara. You saved our first dance!” [goowatchi]
Your First Dance Is A Once And A Lifetime Moment
October 4, 2013
“When my other half mention that she wanted to have our first dance choreographed with a dance routine. We started looking around to see who would be able to take on the task of making us look like stars for our first dance. We found Sara and Joe through a few vendors that I worked with and my fiance mention them to me through other review sites before I even told her about my recommendation to her. So we were already on the same page with knowing Joe and Sara have been doing this for a long time and having had great couples already recommending them and other wedding vendors as well. I’m a wedding photographer so I’m going to be pretty picky with who I’m going to use with all of our vendors and partners for our special day and when we met them for our first client meeting. It was a great feeling to know how receptive they were with our questions and how we wanted our routine to look like and how friendly they were with us during the whole process and their excitement for our dance. It just give you that confidence that they’re behind you. They love what they do and for me that’s one thing I look for with vendors that I hire.
Were having a blast with our lessons as we’ve been going to the classes for the last few weeks already. I could tell that if anyone has any thought of having their first dance to wow your guest and family and give yourself that special moment for your special day since it is your wedding so why not? I highly recommend Sara and Joe to get you to that special place on the dance floor when you go out there in front of all your guest for your first dance and let it be something of a simple routine or a full on “dancing with the stars” routine I could tell you. You’ll be in good hands with them. Thank you Sara and Joe, we can’t wait to surprise our guest and family with our First dance!!” [llcooley]
Best Wedding Dance Ever
October 4, 2013
“When my now wife asked me if I wanted to get dance lessons for our wedding dance I was a little hesitant. When she told me she found some people who specifically choreograph wedding dances I thought I’d humor her and go check it out.
Everything changed when we met Joe and Sara. They are such incredible people who also happen to be amazing choreographers and teachers. We ended up getting 10 classes and I figured if we were going to get choreography we should go all out and do a mash up. Joe and Sara were 100% into it and they took us by the hand and created such and amazingly beautiful dance with 5 different styles.
Moral of the story…if you’re thinking about getting choreography DO IT and if you’re looking to make great friends as well sign up with Joe and Sara. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Joe and Sara – we love you guys.”
Josh and Audrey [forge80]
Sara And Joe Are The Best!!!
October 4, 2013
“I could not be happier with our experience with Sara and Joe choreographing and teaching our first dance. They are both fun and creative people which made for a lovely dance which was a joy to learn! I can not recommend them enough!” [nickki147]
Absolutely Amazing!
October 4, 2013
“I am basically a pile of left feet. Sara and Joe set up a first dance for us that let me look good and let my fiance really shine (she can dance). Our dance was tailored to our personalities and is a mix of classic and goofy… just what we wanted! I’m grateful for their infinite patience and diligence in helping me learn. If you want a great wedding dance and want to have a great time learning it, Sara and Joe are the people you want to see!” [lxa478]
Best Choreography Possible!
October 4, 2013
“My husband and I found Sarah and Joe online randomly and they were a dream come true. We had the dream of doing our first dance to a medley of different songs. Josh was new to dancing and sarah was really great with him. He caught onto new dance moves quickly and enjoyed it enough to practice at home a lot. Every lesson we tackled a different style of dance and we learned so much. We enjoyed every second of our lessons and practices. On top of everything, Sarah and Joe are amazing people. They are the type of people you just love to be around and they know how to make the wedding dance experience completely perfect. THEY ARE THE BEST!!!!!” [agale86]
Sara And Joe Are The BEST!
October 3, 2013
My husband and I were lucky enough to find Sara and Joe of OC Wedding Dance in 2010. They worked with us tirelessly for a month and half to get ready for our first dance, and as my husband and I are REALLY uncoordinated, they had their work cut out. They were always super accommodating, friendly, and helpful. I absolutely LOVED dance classes with them, and my husband genuinely did as well. The end result was so beautiful, and I think we did them proud. They are so talented, and just as sweet – they even remember our wedding anniversary each year! Thank you to Sara and Joe for helping make our wedding day so special!” [HMV2309]
In A Few Short Weeks We Had A Perfect Dance
October 2, 2013
“My husband and I took lessons from Sarah and Joe prior to our wedding and we thank them on many aspects of our first dance. They were flexible with our tough work schedules, they took my dress and shoes into account before sending us down a path that could have potentially been a mess, they made us feel very comfortable while we stumbled around in our first few lessons, they were confident our dance would come together beautifully and they coordinated moves that we could learn, keep up with, flow with our music, and were not too overwhelming for us. They are very patient instructors, encouraged us and put together a first dance that was best for us. They moved us along in each lesson and in a few short weeks we were comfortable. We also learned some key steps for any dance. I would happily send anyone to them and I thank them for the fun and for the perfect dance!” [currinm]
Angela And Derek
October 1, 2013
“I was so very happy after Derek and my first session of dance lessons with Sara. She was very interested in getting a feel for what I was looking for in a first dance and she absolutely made every moment comfortable and fun. After begging my fiancee to even consider dance lessons he now wants to dance every chance he gets! We loved the easy going and professional feel Orange County Wedding Dance gave us from the moment I found them on the internet to remembering key steps in my dance! Thank you so much for everything! We will have these memories forever!” [angelalee101213]
WOULD RECOMMEND TO ALL!
October 1, 2013
“Sara and Joe did a great job of taking a part of the wedding that could be very stressful and making it FUN! They went at the pace that was best for my husband and I and helped us improvise. We chose just 4-5 lessons prior to our wedding so we werent completely polished but we applied what we had learned and had a great time with our wedding dance.” [kchodera]
Last Minute Dance Lessons For First Dance
October 1, 2013
“Sara was just amazing. My fiance and I hadn’t really planned on doing anything special for our first dance because neither of us are dancers and with me living in New York and my fiance living in California, we thought we wouldn’t be able to successfully put anything together. Sara put together a routine that we both could manage and within just one session with her, we had our first dance! All of our friends and family members were so impressed by our first dance! Sara made it so easy and we owe the success of our first dance as husband and wife to her!” [grapes1999]
A Truly Wonderful And Enchanting Experience
October 1, 2013
“To sum up our time with Sara & Joe is to say it was a truly wonderful and enchanting experience.
Our wedding’s “first dance” song was a mash-up of “From This Moment” by Shania Twain and “Grow Old with You” sung by Adam Sandler. Two meaningful songs in our lives that we wanted to include in our wedding dance. A personal friend of ours, was able to putthem together in such a way that it made them sound as if they belonged with each other. But we had no idea of how to dance to this song, almost to the point of frustration setting in and with time “running out”, we had to get professional help!
Enter Sara’s gifted and artistic talent for coming up with an amazing dance routine, coupled with Joe’s unwavering patience and constant encouragement toward us both, as he worked closely with Sara; both of them “saved the day”! 🙂
During each of our sessions, Sara & Joe worked with us and our song to come up with a routine that we can only describe as “pure genius”. Our wedding dance started up slow and graceful for about 2 minutes, kinda of like a waltz, and then transitioned, with a kiss to the bride, into a happy minute and a half feeling of a swaying side to side back and forth foxtrot and ended with a ballroom style “grand finale” presentation of a happily married couple.
We really enjoyed each and every one of our 8 lessons with Sara & Joe. Starting with our first one, which was free, by the way. We learned the “basics” of several dancing types and on how to move gracefully across the dance floor. We so enjoyed our first meet and dance session with them, that we both agreed on the spot that they were the ones who could teach us how to dance to our song.
The “icing on the cake”, so to say, was our final dance session with Sara & Joe, which took place 2 days before the wedding, at our reception’s location. Sara & Joe drove all the way to meet us there and help us polish up our routine. Which was a good idea on their part, because they were able to add some last minute changes to our dance routine to match with the size of our location’s dance floor.
Sara & Joe were very patient and understanding with us throughout this whole process, not only did they provide us with the “moves” and an awesome dance routine to match our “first dance” song, but they also gave us the confidence & encouragement to make our wedding’s first dance together, a truly wonderful and enchanting experience. Thanks Sara & Joe. :D” [didifong]
Simply The Best!
September 30, 2013
“My fiance and I wanted to do something different for our first dance. Something traditional yet fun and memorable. We both don’t have any dance experience so what a blessing it was to find Sara and Joe. Our experience with them has been amazing, they are both such genuine and wonderful people. Sara spent countless hours with us making sure our steps were perfect and has been very patient throughout our learning process. She is so much fun to work with and very knowledgeable about any dance you want to learn. She helped us choreograph a dance that exceeded my expectations and we have had so much fun with it. I think our wedding guests will be shocked when they see us dance and we can’t thank Sara and Joe enough for helping us create such an incredible first dance. They really are the best! Thank you Sara and Joe for the amazing experience!” [NicoleC1013]
AMAZING AND FUN!
September 28, 2013
“Joe and Sara are so amazing – they worked very hard to make sure we were comfortable with the dance up to the last days… and gave us the confidence to do something completely out of our comfort zone! It was such a HIT at the reception and made our first dance together that much more memorable!! It was such a great way for us to get away from wedding stress and spend some fun time together – GO SEE SARA AND JOE!! you will not regret it, they are spectacular people, and teachers, we looked forward to our lessons – and may go back for some date night lessons too!!” [MegNiko]
Amazing!
September 2, 2013
“We signed up for 10 lessons, and Sara choreographed a custom dance for us starting with a slow song that changed to a fast paced song. Her input on what the length should be and some good transition points was key to making our dance fun and successful! Sara and Joe were very flexible with our schedules and were so fantastic about making adjustments when needed. Sara even helped us with some improvisational pointers. >We had a wonderful time taking lessons, and Sara picked moves that were not only fun for us, but within our capabilities. Sara and Joe even offered to come to our reception site to help with blocking questions or last minute jitters. They also sent us a Good Luck note on the morning of our reception to let us know they were thinking of us. They really enjoy their work and made sure that we had fun, memorable first dance! We would love to take more lessons just for fun when our schedule allows!” [angelique727]
Best Wedding Dance EVER!
August 25, 2013
“While I’ve always dreamed of having a choreographed dance for my wedding, I was shocked when my husband expressed interest in doing so. He is definitely not a dancer, even having trouble finding the beat in the song. I may be able to find the beat, but I’m more comfortable dancing at a bar than in front of an audience of our friends and family. After reading reviews of several dance companies, I called Sara and Joe and made an appt to see them. Sara was very attentive to us and made our dance unique to us and our song. She was very patient while we got our feet under us (sometimes quite literally). Joe would frequently work with us after our session ended while we practiced and would help us refine our steps. We had lots of laughs along the way, and our friends and family were very shocked with our surprise performance. Many came to us later and said it was the best thing they’ve seen at a wedding. This is by far the best decision we made, and we will forever be thankful to Sara and Joe for being such an instrumental part of our wedding. I hope you make them part of yours as well!” [bienkm]
Great Experience & Amazing 1st Dance!!!
August 18, 2013
“My husband and I took lessons with Sara for our first wedding dance. We came in with 2 songs we wanted to use and somehow blend into 1 dance. We wanted a choreographed dance but not a cheesy dance. Sara did an AMAZING job bringing our ideas to reality. Our first dance came out just as we dreamed and we received so many compliments from our guests. We even did 1 lesson at our wedding venue to familiarize ourselves with the actual room and dance floor to ensure a flawless dance. My husband came into the lessons with no dance experience and left with some awesome moves. He also wants to continue taking dance lessons because we had so much fun together. Sara and Joe are so nice, funny, and an absolute pleasure to work with. We cannot wait to get the wedding video of our first dance. We have already seen some amazing action shot photos.” [mrsbriddle]
We Love Sara And Joe!
August 17, 2013
“First of all, we went to so many introductory classes but we decided to go with Joe and Sara because we learned more from them than any other classes we went to. Unlike other introductory classes that spent 20 of our 45 mins by filling forms and trying to upsell us on more classes, Sara just asked about our song and got right to teaching us steps. By the end of the introductory class, we felt confident that we could do this even though we are totally new to dancing because we knew we were in good hands. Sara is fun, creative, knowledgable and so so sweet. She is also so patient with us and does not hesitate to spend extra time to make it perfect. The thing we liked the most is that she created steps that suit our personality and song instead of just teaching every student the same things.
Joe is also very accommodating and friendly. He was always willing to work with our busy schedules. We could tell he really cared that we would have the perfect wedding dance on our special day.
Our wedding is in one week and we feel like we are ready and have no fear. Thank you, Sara and Joe. Highly recommended.” [phyuthwe]
Married In 2008, We Surprised Our Guests!
August 15, 2013
“Orange county wedding dance took our music choices and helped us create a surprise first dance for our guests. THEY LOVED IT! It was so fun. I’d highly recommend Sara for all your wedding dance or any dance needs for that matter. Top notch!” [misskc1994]
Perfect In Every Way!
August 12, 2013
“My fiance and I decided last minute to take lessons for our “first dance”, which was a very good decision! We called around and Joe called us back within 10 minutes and was very informative and we set up our trial session. After we met with Joe and Sara we knew that we had made the right decision. We only had 5 classes before our wedding, and Joe and Sara made sure every minute counted and were very patient and helpful. We edited our song and they created the perfect dance for us. It was simple (which we needed) yet elegant and all of our guests were impressed! They are very personable, if we had done the dance lessons sooner, we would have invited them to our wedding so they could have enjoyed the moment with us.
We highly recommend Orange County Dance! They are an awesome team that have amazing ideas to choreograph the dance of your dreams and make your day extra special!” [kristenandwilliam0706]
Talented, Patient, Relaxed…We Highly Recommend Sara And Joe!!!!
August 11, 2013
“Sara and Joe were great to work with. They were flexible with our hectic work schedules and occasional need to reschedule. Even when we accidentally showed up late, they didn’t take it away from our 45 minute session…they went above and beyond to make our dance important. Sara was extremely patient and attempted to explain certain moves and steps in a variety of different ways to ensure our understanding. My husband has experience with dancing whereas I came with no experience. Sara and Joe were able to work with our differences and allow for us to feel confident and comfortable. Sara and Joe have an extensive background in dance and they are extremely talented dancers. However, they never made me feel like I/we weren’t adequate enough to come up with a dance routine made us look natural and comfortable and confident. Sara takes most of the responsibility to choreograph the dance and Joe has very good input in helping refine technique. To help us learn (and help Sara and Joe remember exactly where we had left off from the previous lesson) Joe and Sara helped to take video clips of our dance so we could go home and practice without forgetting details. I would recommend doing this if you are trying to learn a choreographed dance…very helpful. We did many hours of practicing outside of our dance lessons because we wanted to be able to make the most out of our lessons, financially and for the quality of the dance we desired.
Our dance ended up being a great success and we felt like we knew it very well. We had many of our guests say (and who still say) that our dance was the best wedding dance they had ever seen. It’s actually in our video from the wedding…our DJ said “wow, that’s gotta be the best choreographed wedding dance I’ve ever seen!”
We will definitely be going back very soon, as one of our dear friends gave us 10 dance lessons as a wedding gift…so we will be using those to learn more from Joe and Sara.” [suzannewillard]
Joe And Sara Are The Best!
August 7, 2013
“My wife and I used Orange County Wedding Dance, run by husband and wife dancing-dynamos Joe and Sara, for dance lessons for our first dance. Neither of us had any dancing experience when we began, but after a few lessons, we were cuttin’ some serious rug! Our first dance was a huge hit with our friends and family and we couldn’t have done it without Joe and Sara. I would give 6 stars if I could!” [GBrethen]
Great Wedding Dance Lessons
August 7, 2013
“Thank you Orange County Wedding Dance for the wonderful lessons. My wife and I both had a nice experience. They cater the lessons to your abilities. Very nice and patient. The sound system sounded clear and the scheduling was always a breeze. A large dance lesson floor/area.” [hamrenkaruza]
My Two Left Feet Learned How To Dance Amazingly Well
August 4, 2013
“I have to say I am very impressed with Joe and Sara @ Orange County Wedding Dance. My two left feet highly recommend them!!!
My wife and I signed up for a trial lesson with them in February. We loved it so much that we signed up for a 10 sessions to create and learn a dance all our own. My wife and I do not dance, in the slightest, but thought it would be a fun thing to do together. Long story short our wedding [w]as 2 weeks ago and the dance was flawless. My wife and I have amazing memories, photos, and video of this moment, and now we know how to dance with each other when we go out with friends.
Now, as to the quality of Orange County Wedding Dance. I can not recommend them enough. They always took the time to make sure we were comfortable and learned enough each session. They almost always met us at the door and walked us into the studio. Sara knew how to explain things to the two of us in a way that we could understand. When our 45 minute session was up, Joe would almost always work with us longer sometimes longer than the original session!!!! When our 10 session were almost up and we hadn’t learned the whole dance yet, not to mention refine it, they said “Don’t worry about it. We want a happy bride and groom,” and they made sure of it.
oe and Sara are truly great at what they do. They are passionate about their work and they are great/kind people. How much do I recommend them? Well friends of ours recently got engaged and we are sending them to Joe & Sara of course.
Seriously call them!” [colins22]
The BEST. EVER.
July 29, 2013
“I cannot say enough about how amazing Sara and Joe are! First off, my fiancé and I are NOT dancers, so Joe and Sara really had their work cut out for them! And, they did an incredible job. They created a custom choreographed dance to our song and worked so patiently with us to make sure we got it, felt confident, and that we had fun! I am a teacher, and I have to say, Joe and Sara’s teaching skills are spot on. They are kind, patient, funny, understanding, flexible, and really, really wanted us to have a great experience. This is not just a job for them–it’s a passion, and it shows!
Not only was this a great way to surprise our guests at the wedding, but it was also a great bonding experience for me and my fiancé. Even more, there were so many lessons that we learned about relationships from our work with Joe and Sara on the dance floor. We practiced patience, communication, how to rebound from mistakes, and how to have fun with each other through hard times (like I said, we are not dancers!). We weren’t always perfect, but these lessons made us better dancers and better partners in life. I bet you didn’t think you would learn so much about yourself and each other from dance lessons! I think every couple should have this experience.
I will forever be grateful to Sara and Joe for their time, humor, and the amazing experiences we shared with them as we prepare for the best day of our life. I only hope to do them proud on the dance floor! With all of the support and expertise they have given us, I know we will.” [mishelleh]
Amazng Team!
July 6, 2013
“Joe and Sara are such an amazing team! They were able to teach my fiancé and I a totally unique dance for our first dance, which is a miracle, if you’ve ever seen the two of us dance! Not only are they great at teaching you how to do the steps, but make it so easy to remember and feel like you were born to dance. They are so nice and fun to be around! We cannot wait to show our friends and family our one of a kind dance!” [TrekkieErin]
Fun And Exciting Dance Lessons!
June 20, 2013
“While planning our wedding, my fiance and I really wanted to ‘WOW’ our guests with a special 1st dance. I found OC Wedding Dance online, and once I spoke with Joe I knew this would be a great experience. He informed me that his wife Sara would be our instructor and that she LOVES working with couples. Having no formal dance training, Sara had her hands full with the two of us! She is patient and understands how to connect with her students. This experience was probably the most fun of all the wedding planning and it definitely brought us even closer as a couple. The lessons were the highlight of each week!! Joe and Sara couldn’t be nicer people! Our 1st dance will now be something that we are very proud of and will never forget. Thank you!!!” [Jennorenno27]
I Love My First Dance!
April 28, 2013
“Joe and Sara are the best dance teachers ever! My fiance and I were looking for lessons for our first dance at our wedding and they listened to our ideas and made an awesome first dance for us. Neither of us have previous dance experience, and Sara taught us a beautiful Viennese Waltz. We are so thrilled with how far we have progressed and can’t wait for all to see our first dance. This will make our wedding day even more special because of their amazing dance lessons. On top of that, they are the nicest people that you will ever work with. They are more than accommodating and we highly recommend working with Joe and Sara for your dance lessons. We loved our first dance so much that we brought our parents in for a lesson! Thank you so much Joe and Sara for all you have done for us.” [mholman100]
Joe And Sara Are Awesome!
March 18, 2013
“My husband and I took five dance lessons with them to prepare for our first dance during our wedding on March 9th, 2013. Both Joe and Sara are bubbling with energy and enthusiasm for dance. We had taken a few dance classes before at local junior colleges, but none of those classes compared to the experience we had with the one-on-one instruction from Sara. Sara was open to teaching us dance steps and letting me lead or putting together a choreographed set of dance moves to our song. Much to my husband’s chagrin we went with a choreographed dance. He enjoy’s leading and executing a move with the correct lead such that the dance looks smooth and planned, but I didn’t want him stepping on my feet…which he firmly declares has NEVER happened before!
Sara taught us at least two different moves a lesson and we didn’t repeat a dance step for our entire 4 minute song. I know she spent some time and effort outside of our lessons thinking about which moves to teach us and what choreography she was planning to put into our song. Both my husband and I had a great experience and a ton of fun learning all of the steps. The lessons were really fast paced, but the second either of us had trouble with a move Sara slowed it down and reviewed the move with us until we both felt comfortable with it.
Joe always had everything setup and ready for us at the beginning of the lesson and was eager to help show my husband the correct leads and footing when he was having trouble with some of the moves. Sometimes, it is very helpful to have another male dancer available to give you tips and help teach. With Joe and Sara teaching us I felt like we were in great hands! They never failed to give constructive criticism and a huge helping of encouragement which really made us feel comfortable with what we were learning.
The first dance at our wedding was great! We executed every move perfectly and we felt like a king and queen up there dancing elegantly for all of our guests. We both received many comments after the wedding telling us how great we looked during our first dance. Thank you so much Joe and Sara! We had a ton of fun during the lessons and our wedding was a huge success, in part because of you two!
I highly recommend Joe and Sara at Orange County Wedding Dance!” [damcuoi2013]
Dynamic Pair Of Instructors
February 12, 2013
“Sara and Joe are not only know their stuff but they are very patient. I have had experience with only one other dance instructor when I was much younger and it was a horrible experience. So I was really happy when Sara and Joe didn’t act like my old instructor at all.
We used OC Wedding Dance to create a unique first dance for our wedding. Sara was amazing, she was able to create something unique and tailored just for us. She continued to innovate all the way up until our wedding.
They also helped me learn to dance a few other steps so I could do the mother/son dance. Not to mention the other dances at the wedding. If you are in the market for dance instructors you could do a lot worse than Sara and Joe.” [moonlights91]
Fun And Easy First Dance Lessons
January 22, 2013
“Sara and Joe were fantastic in teaching both of us the basics of dance and putting together and awesome first dance. As in many of the other reviews, my husband was a little nervous about taking dance lessons as it “out of his comfort zone”, but Sara broke everything down so he was not only comfortable but also picked up the steps quickly. He actually enjoyed the lessons and said it was the most fun thing we did in prepping for our wedding. But the best testament of all was that all our friends and family loved our dance. Would definitely recommend Sara and Joe! They make dancing easy and FUN!!!” [jkbugs]
Fantastic!
October 29, 2012
“My fiance has never danced before and was really nervous about doing a spotlight dance at our wedding. So he thought dance lessons would be great. I found Orange County Wedding Dance online and sent an email asking for more information. Joe sent me a reply that night. We had our introductory lesson that week. Joe and Sara are fantastic. Sara is really patient with us, especially my fiance! Even at that intro lesson, she taught us some steps and talked to us about what types of dances we would be doing for each of the songs we were thinking about. We have had 2 lessons since and have learned so much! My fiance is getting more comfortable each time. Joe and Sara really have gotten to know us and remember things that we talked about a month ago. I highly suggest going to Orange County Wedding Dance for your spotlight dances!” [staar987]
Make Your First Dance Memorable
October 9, 2012
“I’m long overdue to write this review, but… Hands down Orange County Wedding Dance is the place to go to when you want to plan an unforgettable first dance! Sara and Joe are extremely helpful and listen to your needs and what you envision for your first dance. My husband and I wanted something really unique – a dance that started off slow, then kicked off to something more upbeat. We went with Babyface’s “Every Time I Close My Eyes” and then it went to Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel.” We weren’t sure if Sara and Joe would be able to help us out with this, but they were very open to it and helped us choreograph an unforgettable first dance. Our first meeting we met for at least an hour to go over our plans and we got the chance to practice some basic steps. Thereafter we had several lessons to go in detail all the parts of our dance, and they really worked hard with both my husband and I. They’re really good at gauging your dancing abilities and adjust their teaching style to make sure you feel comfortable during your lessons. My husband was a beginner when it came to choreographed dancing and Sara was extremely patient in teaching him the steps. She made sure to it that he felt comfortable as well as confident in what he was doing. Sara also worked hard with me in making sure I got my steps down and she took the time to also make sure my husband and I were good with our timing. There was never a time in which we felt stressed out in learning all the steps. At the end of each session, I remember Sara going over and reviewing with us what we’ve learned and that was a big help. The studio where we practiced is a really good size with mirrors all around and a good sound system. All our guests were pretty pleased with our performance, and many guests said it was very unique and one of their favorite parts of the reception. My husband and I highly recommend Orange County Wedding Dance without any hesitation.” [forevapnay714]
Great Service And Fun Atmosphere
October 3, 2012
“My Mother and I used their services to create a fun and cheeky dance for our Mother/Son dance and they did a great job. With minimal dancing experience they created and taught us a very fun and exciting number. Thanks Joe! “[Quin8077]
Great Wedding Dance!!
September 30, 2012
“Orange County Wedding Dance was perfect for us! Sara and Joe were so great in teaching my fiance’ and I exactly what we wanted for our first dance. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to create a memorable dance, and do it within the time frame you want… at a budget you can afford.” [Janetc86]
Truly Above And Beyond
September 26, 2012
“I didn’t know what to expect for the first dance lesson. I am very much a planner so we had the song that we wanted to dance to and a backup song because our first dance song was “alternative” and I didn’t know what they could do for us. Sara (and Joe) far exceeded our expectations. I thought we would be taught a few moves to repeat over and over again but we have ended up with a fully choreographed first dance. Sara is an excellent teacher and moves at just the right pace for us. I am 100% certain that there doesn’t need to be a back up song because Sara not only taught us a dance for the music but incorporated so much more into the dance. We are just over 3 weeks away from the wedding and super confident that we can pull this off! Truly above and beyond.” [devannon]
THE BEST THERE IS — Hands Down!
June 13, 2012
“My fiance and I drive 1 hour from Santa Monica, Ca each and every time we have dance lessons just to see Sara and Joe. THAT is how wonderful of a couple these two instructors are. Wedding planning is stressful enough just sifting through the dozens of venues and vendors. Why waste anymore time when you can make the easy choice of ORANGE COUNTY WEDDING DANCE?
Sara spent an hour on our very first visit, even before we committed to taking lessons with her, teaching us the very basics of dancing. It was then that I knew that we had selected the right people to teach us our first dance. It is so refreshing to meet people so genuine like Sara and Joe. Why spend money on your first dance when you can just sway side to side for 5 minutes? Because you’ve already invested so much in your special day… why begin your reception with something so boring?
Sara and Joe will instill in you the confidence you need to bravely dance your way around a dance floor! Our first dance has us waltzing from one end of the dance floor to the other, twirling and spinning and circling in rhythm! My fiance and I have recommitted ourselves to several packaged lessons because we can’t get enough. It’s addicting to learn the steps, and the rewards pay off when you get to ultimately show them off for the crowd on your wedding day! Infinitely patient, immeasurably kind, and so knowledgeable. I’d give them 6 stars if I could! Stop reading reviews and give Sara and Joe a call. You won’t regret it!” [joeandmilda]
Best Dance Teachers/Choreographers Ever!
June 2, 2012
“Joe and Sara are so patient and knowledgeable. They taught us actual steps aside before we started choreographing the dance so that we could dance to any music. Our last lesson we put what we learned together to make an awesome “show” to put on for our wedding guests. Neither my fiance nor I have ever danced before so everyone will be incredibly surprised and impressed when we get up there and show them all our fancy dance. Five stars, highly recommend OC Wedding Dance’s services.” [uselesswit]
We Love Our First Dance!
February 3, 2012
“The title should be Even my FIANCE loves our first dance, because he’s a tough sell on dancing. But we both loved taking lessons with Joe and Sara, and the moves we learned are ones we can totally use again and again. They teach at just the right pace, and they choreographed every part with in a very collaborative process. They’re very receptive to what we wanted to do – a fun swing dance. You definitely have to practice to get the most out of your private instruction, but if you’re willing to put in a little hard work, these two can help create an amazing dance for you. And, most importantly, they put you at ease immediately because they are so nice. It’s not scary at all, even for fiances.
Come wedding day, everybody cheered for our dance routine! They also loved the jazzy ensemble of combined father-daughter, mother-son dance. You and everybody will definitely enjoy your dance. So if you want budget-friendly, flexible hours, and a great routine, you have to call Orange County
Wedding Dance.” [lvanmullem]
Absolutely Amazing Experience!
January 24, 2012
“Absolutely Amazing experience! Joe and Sara were so patient and so fun! They really worked with us to make our first dance perfect! I have tremendous stage fright and my husband (before coming to Joe and Sara) had two left feet. After calling many places to discuss pricing, etc, we felt the most comfortable with Joe and Sara and after our initial consultation, we knew that they were who we wanted to work with. Joe and Sara both took a genuine interest in our special day and wanted it to be as perfect as we did; never did we feel like just another client. And not once did I ever feel that they had pre-written choreography that they taught to everyone. The entire dance was built to our capabilities and to our comfort level. I am happy to say that our wedding day was our best performance and I can’t thank Joe and Sara enough! Our first dance was definitely one of the highlights and one of the most memorable parts of the entire day. We are so happy that we spent the time and money on making our first dance so special! Thank you Joe and Sara!” [jxk405]
Perfect 1st Dance
November 1, 2011
“Our first dance was amazing! Joe and Sara did such a fabulous job choreographing our entire dance from start to finish. My husband and I were so impressed with their expertise and ability to teach. Our guests are still complimenting us on our first dance.” [ricoherm]
Dance Wizards
October 18, 2011
“Joe and Sara are wonderful teachers. My husband kept telling me that he couldn’t do it. Joe and Sara (especially Sara) were so patient with him and willing to go over steps as many times as it took for him to get them down. They are such sweethearts and we enjoyed being taught by them. I would recommend them to anyone who wants to learn to ballroom dance!” [rstout25]
Wonderful! So helpful And Easy To Work With!
August 19, 2011
“My fiance and I just finished our lessons with Joe and Sara. It’s been wonderful!! My fiance was very worried about taking lessons because he has really struggled learning to dance before. In fact, the closest we’ve come to breaking up was during dance lessons before this! But with Joe and Sara we not only survived but came away with a really wonderful dance. My fiance even commented that he would miss Joe, Sara, and our lessons!! They were always flexible in scheduling and easy going when we had to cancel last minute for work reasons. It’s easy to get an evening or weekend slot which was a must for us. The price seemed very good and they were willing to work out deals to help us get the lessons we needed. They created a really fun, beautiful dance for us that I know is going to blow our guests away. I’m so excited to show off our new skills and so thankful to Joe and Sara!” [JessA2011]
Excellent!! Time Crunch? Budget? No Problem!
October 7, 2010
“I just had a great experience with the Swallows, Sara and Joe! They are owners and teachers in O.C. Wedding Dance. I was already comfortable with them the first time I met them. They are just so warm and easy to get along with. I called them two weeks before the wedding (a ‘Yikes’ moment!) but they had various times available for us and they even accommodated us when we needed to move the time up a little earlier (my fellow brides know – time is precious!) They are located in Irvine/Newport Beach and they schedule between 10am -10pm. The prices are VERY reasonable. The first meeting is free. They help you get what’s best for your budget. Don’t get me wrong… the choreography is great! Sara makes the dance simple enough but creatively that it looks good! My fiancee is a piano teacher/player for events and he can get technical with the beats and stuff but I saw him going beyond the beats and was really having fun! With all the busyness of the wedding preps, I’m really glad we took the time to enjoy ourselves with dance lessons. Me and my hubby really had some good quality time and had a blast! So give ’em a call, you won’t regret it! It’s a must!” [charisjbd]
Great Dance Lesson
October 1, 2010
“Sara and Joe are wonderful instructors. In just 3 short weeks, we were able to learn our routine. Sara customized to the dance routine to our song and made it simple for us to learn the steps. I highly recommend the engaged couples to take even just a few lessons. You’ll feel better about doing your first dance in front of all your family and guests. Thanks, Sara and Joe!” [salila]
Great Personal Attention & Amazingly Affordable
September 26, 2010
“Sara and Joe are the perfect combination of professionalism, warmth and attentiveness. They have been amazingly accommodating with our schedules, budget and dance preferences. The best feeling in the planning process is knowing that your vendors care about you and your wedding. Thanks Sara, for the amazing choreography, and Joe for your support! [yol401]
Fun And Exciting Dance Lessons
September 17, 2010
“My fiancé and I had no prior dance experience whatsoever, but Joe and Sara made learning our first dance fun and exciting! When we came in for the free consultation, Joe taught us some basic steps that we were able to practice at our apartment. We liked his teaching style, and decided to continue doing our first dance choreography with Joe & Sara. Sara took over in the next lesson, and was a great and patient teacher. When my fiancé or I had some difficulty pulling off certain steps or moves, she would work with us to improve our technique. With each subsequent lesson, the difficulty of the choreography has increased as new steps are added. We’ve really enjoyed coming back to our apartment after the lessons and practicing what we’ve learned. The process of clearing space in our apartment (which involves moving the dining table to the living room, squeezing the coffee table underneath the dining table, and sandwiching chairs in the kitchen) has become an oddly calming pre-dance ritual for our practices! Before the lessons, we thought we would dread practicing on our own, but it’s become a fun distraction from the rest of the stressful wedding planning process! On another note, Sara & Joe are also very genuine people who obviously love what they do. They make a huge effort to stay within any budget and ensure you are receiving the full time you are paying for, never cutting your lesson short for transitions between couples. We’ve had three lessons, with one more to go, and are extremely happy with Orange County Wedding Dance. We would recommend Joe and Sara to any friends, family members, or engaged couples looking for some dance lessons before the big day!” [kimberly.mouri]
Personalble Dance Experience With Great Rates
September 14, 2010
“As two techies, dancing outside of a club after a drink or two, really isn’t our thing. After combing the internet and reading a lot of “what to expect” type blogs, I stumbled upon Orange County Wedding Dance’s website. They had some videos that showed their skills as teachers being played out by students at various weddings. They all looked elegant and put together. Now, the questions arose, what does something like this cost, can they teach us as more technical thinkers, did I really want to tackles this? So I filled out the contact form on their website and within 1 hour, received a call back from Joe. He gave me an overview and said we were welcome for 1 full hour consultation at no cost for them to assess what it would take to help us look like dancing queens on our wedding day. Okay, so I added that dancing queen part. I made our appointment for a Saturday at 12. At our appointment, we were immediately greeted by Joe and he asked some pertinent questions about the groom’s shoes and my dress (he had the forethought to ask my fiance to walk away while I discussed my dress!). After that, he listened to our song and gave some suggestions along with the pros/cons of each routine. Joe then helped us look at the dance not just creatively but also in a logical fashion. He helped us get past stepping on each others feet here and there. I had fully expected the “free” consultation to either be chocked full of random useless information as a means to eat up the “free” time or for it to be followed with a lengthy, expensive lesson plan. Turns out, not the case at all. Instead Joe gave us the full time slot and taught us more than just a few basics. We had enough to start practicing at home. When the pricing came, at first I winced when he gave us the 5 or 10 lesson plans but soon found out they are willing to work within whatever budget you have and have many different packages. Turns out, Joe and his wife Sarah are great instructors, who are good people. They are sincere and are able to parlay that into a beautiful dance for your special day. I really appreciate the time and energy they put into ours.” [sandytaylor]
I’ve Had The Time Of My Life
September 11, 2010
“Taking dance lessons and learning a choregraphed routine for our first wedding dance was the best idea my fiance had. My fiance has never danced before, so it would be interesting to see if he could pick up the steps. We met with Joe for our first lesson and he taught us a few basic steps that my fiance was able to execute easily. The rates and packages Joe and Sara offer are unbeatable because they love what they do and it shows. Plus, they let you make your own schedule. Due to my fiance’s busy work schedule we were unable to come back for another lesson until 2 months ater and only 2 weeks before our wedding. We met with Sara this time and she really worked with us to learn a routine in just 2 weeks! We are dancing to, “Now, I’ve had the time of my life” from Dirty Dancing and our routine is so much fun. We can’t wait to perform it on our wedding day. Not only great dancers/instructors, Joe and Sara are amazing, genuine people. Their way of teaching and breaking down each step made it so easy for my fiance. Plus, the classes are private, so Sara can devote all her attention to just us. We are so happy we could make it back to learn a dance. Dancing has helped relieve some wedding planning stress too. We have been having the time of our lives that we plan to come back and take more lessons after the wedding.” [MeandRy]
OC Wedding Dance is The Best!
September 9, 2010
“My fiance and I are not dancers at all. I never danced in public in my life, and I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to dance at my own wedding. Taking lessons from Sarah gave me confidence, and had a great time. She’s professional, very polite, fun, and we both loved learning from her. She gave us the extra attention we needed, and had us dancing beautifully in no time. I highly recommend Orange County Wedding Dance to any couple.” [yinm25]
Best Teacher Ever
September 3, 2010
“We only had afew short weeks to get our wedding dance together, and we hadn’t even decided on a song. Sara helped us review several types of different dances so we could decide what would work for us. Sara was a ble to brake down each of our steps and write us out a game plan to follow and practice at home. Although we had never taken lessons together before we were able to get on the same beat after the first lesson. Sara gave us the skills in class we needed to practice at home, and we saw results instantly. Thanks Sara” [juliangaitan]
Joe And Sara Are So Fabulous!
September 3, 2010
“Joe and Sara are so fabulous! They are both so sweet and patient, and care a great deal to make your wedding dance special. We just finished our third lesson and we can’t wait for our fourth! The first lesson was with Joe, who taught us a few basic moves. Our past two lessons have been with Sara and we cannot be more pleased with what she has taught us. She has not only been teaching us more step combinations, but also choreographing our entire dance. Her choreography skills really helped shape our dance and provided us a vision of how it should look. It’s really impressive how Sara can listen to our song and then suddenly come out with dance steps that fit our song so perfectly. After the first two lessons I was a bit concerned that we were learning the steps but not putting them together in a cohesive routine, but after the third lesson all worries were laid to rest! We are in good hands! I can’t wait to see the finished product.” [ginerz515]
We Love Our Lessons With OC Wedding Dance!
September 2, 2010
“My fiance and I knew that we wanted to do something special for our first dance from the very begining, and I’m totally not coordinated so we knew we would need lessons. We decided to try OC Wedding Dance and are soooo glad that we did. Sara Swallow is a great instructor and is very patient with both of us. We have only had a couple of lessons and we both feel much more confidant in our skills. We are also both very busy but they are always accomodating with our schedules. We will be doing a swing with some jive steps to “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen, and I know that with the help of Sara it will be exactly what we want it to be. We have enjoyed the lessons so much that we are hoping to take more lessons after the wedding, it’s become a favorite date night for my fiance and I. We’ve been together for 9 years and it’s wonderful to find a new activity that we enjoy to do together so much!” [jenrodgers1]
We Give Joe Two Thumbs Up!
August 26, 2010<
“Because we didn’t want to just stand there and sway in front of our guests, we decided to take lessons. A friend of ours who got married last year recommended OC Wedding Dance and we are so happy she did! Joe is great; he walks you through each step slowly and patiently. They’re also open until 10pm everyday, which is super convenient if you’re both working. We have a few more lessons left, so we’re definitely looking forward to learning more!” [Juliano2B]
One Of The Least Stressful Parts Of My Planning…
August 19, 2010
“My wedding is coming up fast and I wasn’t looking forward to learning how to dance so soon before my wedding day. I had NO idea how to even waltz, but I knew I wanted my first dance to be special. Sara Swallow was very patient with me and Chris and I am sooooo thankful. We still have two more lessons, but I already feel so much more confidant. Her husband and she were willing to work with our tiny budget and I was so thankful for that. I am very happy that we went to them and I hope to go learn more from them (they offer many types of dance lessons). They were very professional, sweet, and patient with us. The dance location was large and full of mirrors so they could show us every angle. Thank you so much, Sara. We’ll be back.” [vakkerejenta]
Very Patient
August 17, 2010
“The couple was nice to work with and reasonable. They accomodated to our schedule very well. Their choreography was simple. If it was a little more fancier, we would add another star.” [sereneley]