Yelp

Every 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!”

Mirella R
Placentia, CA
February 7, 2014

“Sara and Joe are wonderful teachers! They were able to listen to our first dance song and work out the first part of our song and started teaching us right away. My fiancé is a technical guy and I have no experience in dancing so we needed to pay extra attention with certain moves. Sara and Joe were able to break down the steps in a manner that we could both understand and put the pieces together to make our first dance flow beautifully.

I truly enjoyed working through the creative process with them. I was able to express to Joe and Sara what I had in mind, which was then incorporated into our dance. Even when my fiancé and I were not sure what we wanted for certain parts of the song, Sara and Joe showed us different dance moves appropriate to our song. My dress was even taken into account!

Both are patient and were able to work around our busy schedules.”

Jason S
Walnut, CA
February 3, 2014

“Joe & Sarah

You guys are amazing! Our guest were amaze that we could dance… lol. I can’t believe we pull it off. Both me and my wife has ZERO back ground on ball room dancing. Both Joe and Sarah instructed us base on our personality, and I must say.. it works! We had a 4 1/2 mint song. Didn’t think we can pull it off and remember all the steps, 3 chores and 4 verses, but we did, thanks to Joe and Sarah!

Price is extremely fair
The dances were easy to remember (thanks to the way they teaches)
The instructor is passionate at what they do
Very patient

Overall Best instructor I ever came across!

Thank you once again!!

Linda & Jason”

sheri g
San Jose, CA
August 4, 2013

“We had Sara as our instructor for our 5 star wedding . I must say, Sara made our routine not only classy but easy and fun. Before we started, we knew nothing about dance, and after only 5 lessons we had a fully customized choreographed dance based on the song that we had chosen. Her help made us go from stressing out about the 1st dance, to looking forward to the 1st dance. Working with Sara was a wonderful experience and we highly recommend this service. Sara is also such a sweetheart and such a great dance instructor, that we looked forward and enjoyed every session we had.”

Sarah J
Los Angeles, CA
July 28, 2013

“I wanted a nice choreographed dance routine for a First Dance with my fiance. So I dragged my fiance to a group class. We were both getting frustrated with the group class because we didn’t have a more personal and guided instruction. While everyone in the group class was moving along, we were still trying to catch up. So my fiance and I decided to take private dance classes with Sara & Joe. They were excellent! Sara was very patient and nice. She helped us choreograph our entire First Dance. My fiance and I couldn’t have had performed the waltz for our First Dance without Sara and Joe. Thank you so much Sara and Joe!”

Mishelle H
Aliso Viejo, CA
July 3, 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.”

Emily C
Irvine, CA
June 30, 2013

“My fiance and I have taken several dance classes with Sara. She has prepared us for our first dance. My fiance feels she has tremendously helped him to learn how to be a better leader when dancing, and the ability to feel comfortable dancing. Our song we picked was a un-traditional first dance song, which is “So Nice” by Sergio Mendes. The style of dance was Bosa Nova. Sara’s knowledge of dance is incredible and her ability to help beginner dancers like us was sooo niceee. She has made our whole experience amazing and I am so excited to finally have our first dance in July. I would recommend Orange County Wedding Dance to all of my friends. Thank you so much!!”

Dawn G
Monrovia, CA
June 5, 2013

“My fiance and I had several lessons with Sara, and she teaches a good amount in a short period of time. I especially liked how we were paced to keep learning something new, yet Sara was very patient whenever there was anything either of us wasn’t getting (I know I’ve had more than my fair share of “Can you repeat that?” moments). It felt like nothing was too impossible and this was part of the wedding planning that I actually started looking forward to with each lesson.”

Caroline S
San Diego, CA
June 3, 2013

“Our wedding was a week away and I realized the only thing I was a little nervous about was our first dance. Mark and I haven’t danced together and we have minimal dance experience (swing dancing in college…wait, did you just guess that we graduated in the early 2000s because you’re totally right!).

Anyway, I saw the glowing reviews for OCWD and had a good feeling. It also helped that on their testimonial page, there were two from couples who only had one session with Sara and Joe. So, I emailed through their webpage and within half a day, had a date and time. I had to adjust the time once (the same day I booked) and Joe was super-accomodating and quick with confirming the new time.

So, Mark and I headed over. *NOTE* FOLLOW JOE’S TEXTED DIRECTIONS. I used Apple Maps and ended up a half mile away. We were 5 minutes late as a result, which we really hated, but Joe and Sara acted fairly nonchalant although I know it was annoying.

Anyway, after talking to Joe, we decided to proceed with a 90 minute double session. The other option was an “introductory lesson,” which sounded like more of an overview discussion followed but a lesson, but Mark and I wanted all the active practice time possible so we went with two single lessons, back-to-back. To be totally honest, it was a little confusing what the difference even was apart from a small difference in price, but we went with the slightly more expensive double session. It wasn’t awkward, just slightly confusing.

Sara was our actual instructor and she was great! Mark and I were kind of nervous, but she is really straight-froward and an excellent teacher. She spent a little more time with Mark because of the more complicated job of leading and I noticed that she really broke things down in different ways to help things click. This included verbal step-by-step, walking through the steps slowly, repetition and analogies. Mark’s an engineer so there was discussion of grids and angles that I didn’t quite get, but helped Mark out a lot.

Sara is also inadvertently hilarious because she is super direct. When Mark asked if he had to worry about the 45 degree angle to allow for best viewing by our “audience,” she said, “No, not if you don’t care how it looks.” But what I got from that is that she will work with whatever the couple wants, whether it’s being wrapped up in a “just the two of us” moment or being more concerned with how things look. Either way, she doesn’t judge, she just seems to go with it. I would suspect that most people care how it looks since they’re paying for a lesson, but who knows?

I also suspect that they are pretty inclusive and work with same-sex couples too since Joe corrected himself once when he referred to a guy leading and instead he said, “The person leading.” While Mark and I are a hetero couple, it’s nice to know that my same-sex couple friends would have a place to go too!

So, what did we get out of it? A 2 minute dance routine that has a sequence of moves that we repeat once. It looks great and we’re practicing to make it look even better. Thanks Sara and Joe! (And it you’re still reading, thanks for sticking with it!).”

Henry H
Huntington Beach, CA
June 3, 2013

“I had always imagined the first dance at our wedding to be something special and amazing. My financee signed us up with OC Weddng Dance, and honestly I didn’t klnow what to expect. I was a little nervous considering that I had never taken any dance lessons before. The first lesson we had with Joe and Sarah went so well. They are so nice and personable. Sarah is sweet and very patient with me. They were always able to work around our busy schedules. My job can be very stressful and when I came to the lessons each week all that stress went away. I always went home smiling. We knew that we wanted to learn the Waltz and we had our song picked out. Sarah was able to have our dance moves go along with the music, which was so cool. The basic moves she taught us looked so professional and with a little practice we were able to feel like real dancers!

Joe and Sarah made learning something new, fun, exciting and very afforable! I couldn’t be happier with this experience!”

Yang L
Chino Hills, CA
June 3, 2013

“My fiance and I were referred to Joe and Sara by our friends who had them as instructors for their wedding. We wanted to do a viennese waltz for our first dance and didn’t know anything about waltzing, so in comes Sara!

Sara is quite energetic and enthusiastic when it comes to the lessons and knows how to teach people with minimal experience like us. I never thought I could actually learn to do a waltz. Best of all, Sara even choreographed our first dance with us! Joe mostly coordinated our schedules (fairly busy when planning a wedding!) and was extremely flexible with days/times.

Can’t think of any negatives with Joe and Sara, we would definitely recommend them to any of our friends that may be getting married =)

Bonus: both of them are interesting to chat with after lessons, ask Joe about dancing with the stars and you’ll find out”

Linda H
Fountain Valley, CA
May 30, 2013

“My fiance and I knew we wanted something different for our first dance. We didn’t know what to expect and what we wanted to do. When we met Joe and Sara, we knew we were in good hands. They were so warm and welcoming. We were excited to learn our dance which we thought was a complicated one. They made it so easy for us to learn and they were so accommodating with our busy schedules. We learned how to Tango in just a few weeks, and everyone at our wedding loved our dance. Sara and Joe are so creative and inspirational. They made the experience so much fun, and we are so thankful to have them as our instructors. They are so pleasant to work with and they both took the time to walk us through each step of the way. We highly recommend Joe and Sara. Thank you for making our night memorable!”

Jennifer R
Huntington Beach, CA
May 28, 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 insructor 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!!!”

Masato M
Fullerton, CA
May 22, 2013

“I and my fiance decided to take a dance lesson for our wedding and we found this place with yelp’s great reviews.

Even though my fiance can dance well, I did not have any dance lesson experience before and I was little worried about taking lessons. But after taking few lessons, we actually could start dancing together well and it was really fun experience.

Sara and Joe are great teachers. Each time I confused with steps, they thought me steps in very easy and clear way. Sara is also very talented about creating beautiful choreography with our opinions and taste. We really loved what she created for us and exited to dance at our wedding.

Overall, we are very happy about lessons here and would love to be taken back. We are really glad that we could find best place to practice our wedding dance in orange county.

I definitely recommend Sara and Joe’s lesson for all of you who are looking for wedding dance practice!”

Anna P
Whittier, CA
May 22, 2013

“So, my fiance and I were trying to figure out ways to make our reception more exciting, I got the crazy idea of having a choreographed dance for our first dance as a couple. Nothing is more boring than watching a couple rocking back and forth slowly for 3-4 minutes. BORING!

We had google searched wedding dance choreographers and found a couple of them somewhat in the area. I found Orange County Wedding Dance first and decided to fill out the inquiry form. Within 20 minutes, I got a call from Joe inviting us to come to an introductory lesson for tips and such.

After the first lesson with the wonderful Sara, we were hooked. She was very helpful and had a lot of patience for us. We are not dancers at all, but she took the time to break down each step. She is also very conscious of how much space you have to dance and also where the audience is sitting. Very knowledgeable – you can tell she has had years of experience!

Overall, I was extremely happy and excited with the lessons that we took. Our wedding is in around 10 days now, and I can’t wait to show everyone our new moves. We have told NO ONE coming to our wedding yet, and can’t wait to surprise them! They will definitely be taken back.

If you are looking for some way to spice up your wedding, I highly recommend Sara and Joe of Orange County Wedding Dance!”

Paresh M
Huntington Beach, CA
May 3, 2013

“Sarah and Joe have been absolutely great. My fiance has a dance background so she caught on fairly quickly. I’ve never danced a day in my life and Sarah has had a tremendous amount of patience with me. After just a few lessons, I’m insisting on doing a box step any time I need to dance from now. Sarah has helped us put together a really nice first dance and we can’t wait to show off our new skills to our family and friends.”

Tricia B
Walnut, CA
April 20, 2013

“As a person who frequents yelp for good finds, I hope this review will help anyone looking for dance lessons! Sara and Joe are wonderful to work with! Sara is very patient – you would have to be to work with my fiancé and I who have 4 left feet! She broke down each of the dance moves and simplified them so we could catch on. She also let us videotape our lessons so that we could practice at home in preparation for our wedding. She put us at ease during our lessons, made them fun and enjoyable – so much so that we signed up for ten lessons! Not only to help us with our first dance but our grand entrance as well.

Joe was very flexible and accommodating whenever changes needed to be made to the schedule – and he was also very reliable. I could text or call him and expect a response right away.

Both my fiancé and I highly recommend Sara and Joe! We can’t thank them enough for making our wedding that much more memorable!”

Penny N
Huntington Beach, CA
April 5, 2013

“This is the couple you want to work with you to make your first dance the best it can be. We started with another instructor and was not very excited. Then we were introduced to Joe and Sarah and everything changed. We got very excited. They put together a mother-son dance for us that was so fun and then one for the bride and groom. So professional and patient. We had to cancel a few times and they were so nice about it. If you are looking for a great instructor for any kind of dance then Sarah and Joe are your must call. They get back to you right away if you leave a message. An A++ for this couple.
Penny”

Michael W
Orange, CA
March 18, 2013

“Joe and Sara are awesome! My wife 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 chagrin we went with a choreographed dance. Personally, I enjoy leading and I enjoy executing a move with the correct lead such that the dance looks smooth and planned, but my wife didn’t want me stepping on her feet…which I firmly declare 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 wife 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 me the correct leads and footing when I 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! How many stars can I give? Just five? Not nearly enough!”

Adam S
Corona, CA
December 8, 2012

“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.”

Brooke G
Los Angeles, CA
November 27, 2012

“Because of Joe & Sara, 300+ guests from our wedding said the “Father Daughter Dance” was one the most memorable parts! There wasn’t a dry eye in the room – we even heard the band cried it was so meaning and well choreographed! If we could give them “10+ stars” we would.

From the first moment we met Joe & Sara, they embraced us with kindness and sincere care, which made us that much more excited about the process. Both Dad and I are not much of dancers to start, but Joe & Sara helped give us the confidence we needed and steps to make us look like we knew what we were doing. We appreciated that, since the fist lesson, they listened to all we had to say, helped us brainstorm a wonderful dance for us to learn in weeks to come and most importantly understood how important this was for us and how special our time together while practicing would become.

They make a wonderful team, teaching both the female and male dance steps as needed with patience, kindness and more often than not, much needed encouragement. They are both wonderful people inside and out and if there was a reason to use them again personally or provide as a recommendation, both Dad and I would say “call Joe & Sara” in a heartbeat. There is no doubt in our minds they are the reason they made our dance as special as it was, if only they could have been there to see it, too! A million thank-you’s again Sara & Joe and we’ll be sure to send the video as soon as we get it!”

Whitney P
Newport Coast, CA
November 19, 2012

“Joe and Sara were one of the best finds of our wedding planning process. They are incredibly patient and adapted easily to mine and my husband’s taste of moves we liked or didn’t like. My husband doesn’t like to dance and I do so he agreed to take dancing lessons out of pure love for me, but Joe and Sara made it an enjoyable process for both of us. We will definitely be back for any dancing lessons in the future! Thank you Joe and Sara!”

Michele M
Garden Grove, CA
November 15, 2012

“My husband and I got married this past Sunday on 11/11/12. We had 5 lessons with Sara. I most highly recommend Orange County Wedding Dance. Sara and Joe are so helpful. They went the extra mile to make sure that my husband and I were comfortable with our first dance. They even offered to go to our reception site for a final touch-up lesson with us at no charge!

Our weekly dance practice was one of the most stress-free parts of planning our whole wedding!

Thank you again Sara,

Michele”

Aubrey Z
Costa Mesa, CA
November 10, 2012

“Joe and Sara are THE BEST!! No matter where you are in SoCal, it is worth every minute to go to them!!

The only thing my husband was nervous about was our first dance and it was his idea to take lessons. Good thing because he has two left feet and is very difficult to teach. I am SO happy we found Joe and Sara. We couldn’t have done it without them.

They are so patient, kind, accommodating and make it so much fun. Even on our first visit they got started right away, coming up with a game plan and beginning with the basic steps. Throughout the lessons they taught us a few different steps and tricks to keep the routine interesting and fun without being too difficult or beyond our skill level.

I only wish we would have started sooner. We waited till the last minute, not giving ourselves time to learn to our full potential. Even so, they did such a great job in that little amount of time! If you think you’ll only need a couple of classes, think again!

Because of them our first dance was exactly what we wanted, memorable. I was even able to get in a last minute lesson with my dad for our dance. My dad lives in another state and was only able to fly in for the weekend of the wedding, yet we looked like we had been practicing for years!

We had such a great time with Joe and Sara that we are going to continue taking lessons from them! My husband and I figured out dancing is something we love to do together and are eager to learn more!!! And Joe and Sara are so awesome! They even came to our wedding!!!”

Michael Y
Garden Grove, CA
November 9, 2012

“My fiance and I have had four dance lessons with Sara and Joe for the past few weeks in preparation for our wedding. My wife-to-be likes dancing, and I have never danced before. You can probably imagine my apprehension with going to a dance studio to learn how to.

During our initial consultation and first lesson, Sara made it super easy and comfortable to learn. I felt at ease and found how nurturing, patient, and encouraging she is. My fiance and I really like her, and although the dance moves seemed very basic, as our “skills” progressed, she modified our dance routine to include more elaborate, romantic sequences. We knew she was customizing our dance based on how she felt we were doing, and encouraged creative collaboration.

Our previous lesson added [with] some mind-boggling moves and will require some practice, but we know that we’ll be able to pull them off and wow our friends and family. I know I will — after all, they have never seen me dance before.

Will we screw up the sequences? Possibly. Will it matter? Not really. I just love the fact that I have some basic moves down at least! 🙂

We have two lessons remaining to perfect our routine and timing as much as possible.

Possible future lessons: hip hop? I need to learn how to do basic moves during non-ballroom type music.

Joe has been great as well. Quite flexible with scheduling, and always welcoming and accommodating. He hasn’t pressured us into anything, and we like that.

All in all, Sara and Joe are great individuals — we had the opportunity to talk a bit about their personal history, dance passion, and various business topics.

Last week, one of my friends pointed out that they had hired Sara and Joe a few years ago to teach them their wedding dance too. And just like us, they liked their instructors as well.

Highly recommended. They also do business as ‘Time-Out!’ Dance Studios.”

Saba K
Irvine, CA
October 31, 2012

“Thank you Sara and Joe for making our wedding dance such a success! It took my wife and I quite a long time to learn our wedding dance, but they were very patient and helpful in choreographing it from beginning to end. We even practiced the ball room entrance and the transition from the entrance to the dance.

I am definitely not a dancer, but with enough practice and guidance from Sara and Joe our first dance went flawless.

Many thanks!”

Murdock T
Fountain Valley, CA
October 29, 2012

“Groom here and never danced before. Sara is extremely patience and always makes it a nice experience. After a couple lessons I already feel much better about dancing that first dance at the wedding.”

Sarah S
Fountain Valley, CA
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!”

Ed G
Chino Hills, CA
October 20, 2012

“Our wedding party is as disparate a group as you can imagine. Engineers. Computer geeks. Accountants. Nurses. But we had something in common: We were all uncoordinated and awkward in our skin but were united in the goal of doing something special for our wedding–a surprise Thriller group dance.

We found Joe and Sara of OC Wedding Dance through Yelp. When we told Joe and Sara of our idea, they shrieked. They thought it was a great thing to do to set the fun tone of the wedding, Sara seemed as excited to teach us as we were to learn it. She told us, in fact, that she had already taught a group just like us to do it weeks before. It brought the house down.

We met at a dance studio near the airport. She broke the dance down to simple moves we could remember, using laymen’s terms to explain how to do it (stretch your arms out and clench your fist like cinnamon rolls to show the audience). She even let us tape it so that we could show members of our group who couldn’t make it to the rehearsal.

I don’t think we could’ve picked more perfect and more knowledgeable person to make our wedding memorable. Sara has the patience of a saint and the encouraging, you-can-do-it spirit of a kindergarden teacher. Above all, she’s a miracle worker: she has transformed a bunch of geeks and made them dancers, if only for an evening.”[*]

Chelsea G
Balboa, CA
October 12, 2012

“I was married this past August and wanted to make my first dance with my husband something unforgettable for our guests and for us as we started our lives together. Joe and Sarah of Orange County Wedding Dance and “Time-Out!” Dance are 100% responsible for helping make our first dance as husband and wife everything we hoped for and more!

For our first lesson, we were a little nervous because my husband and I had never done ballroom dancing together before. But, Joe and Sarah made us feel so comfortable and genuinely listened to what we wanted for our first dance.

Throughout our sessions, they tailored a dance routine to fit our specific levels of ability and personal music choice with sheer professionalism and confidence. My husband and I looked forward to dance class each week with Joe and Sarah because they made us feel so comfortable and helped make our dance routine fun and exciting.

Lastly, Joe and Sarah are extremely flexible, which is great for busy couples! They worked with our schedules and were completely accommodating if we needed to reschedule. Additionally, they offered to drive out to our reception venue for our final session to help tailor our dance routine to the dance floor space we would be using on our wedding day.

The first dance at my wedding was PERFECT, and I am so thankful to Joe and Sarah and OC Wedding Dance for making it possible!”

Leslie V
Westminster, CA
October 8, 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 got married over 2 years ago, and we still highly recommend Orange County Wedding Dance without any hesitation.”

katheleen t
Long Beach, CA
October 2, 2012

“Sara and Joe are a dynamic team devoted to meeting the needs and desires of wanna be dancers. I was a bit ambitious about the mother/ son dance, and Sara has been patient and very professional in helping us w/ a creative and meaningful routine. Thank you Sara for the opportunity to make a memorable experience extraordinary!”[*]

Janet C
Tustin, CA
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.”[*]

Shannon H
Rancho Santa Margaarita, CA
September 30, 2012

“We absolutely love learning from Sara! (and Joe but Sara has been doing most of the lesson for us). We came in unsure of what to expect. We had what I would classify as an “odd” or “different” first dance song. It wasn’t a standard ballroom dance song and I didn’t know if we could be helped in our lesson because of it. Sara blew us away. She was into the alternative song and truly inspired us! She had ideas for different steps and changes we could do to show off the musical changes. It has turned from what I thought would be a standard dance to something much more. Each lesson brings new moves to the floor. Our wedding is just over three weeks away and we are definitely excited to show off the moves at our wedding.”[*]

Richelle C
Cerritos, CA
September 30, 2012

“Joe and Sara where AMAZING!!! They are both very friendly easy going and most of all Patient! They really know what they are doing. we learned are First dance on just 4 weeks and the compliments still have not stopped! we even made youtube!!”[*]

Anne Z
Newport Beach, CA
September 29, 2012

“I was recently in a wedding, and we all attended a class at Orange County Wedding Dance so that we could learn the many moves of our group dance: Thriller. I”m not the most coordinated person, so I was a little worried about performing a dance in front of 200 guests, but the instructors at Orange County Wedding Dance made the learning process so easy. They broke down the dance step by step, so that we all had the dance easily memorized within just an hour. On top of that, the instructors were kind and patient. I highly recommend Orange County Wedding Dance!”[*]

Robert Q
Tustin, CA
September 28, 2012

“My fiancée and I wanted to do a memorable first dance. We met with Sara and Joe for a consultation and they listened to what we would like to do and to which song. By the time we left we had already learned a few steps to practice at home before our first lesson. The personal attention durin each lesson was phenomenal. They were both very patient and choreographed our dance to our skill level.

They both did their best to make us comfortable with the dance and not feel like we were just another wedding couple passing through. For somebody who has never danced anything remotely organized, they made me feel like I can actually dance! If you are planning a first dance, schedule some time with Sara and Joe, It will definitely be worth it!”[*]

Devin S
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
September 27, 2012

“My fiancee and I were unsure of our first dance. We choose a not so traditional song, but Sara was able to pull together a dance that not only goes great with the song but is something that I can dance to.”[*]

Sarah R
Costa Mesa, CA
September 20, 2012

“The thriller dance they put together for my friends wedding was amazing!!”[*]

Robin B
Irvne, CA
September 19, 2012

“My daughter just got married a couple of weeks ago. For the couple’s first dance they did a customized version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. When she and her fiance first told me they (along with the entire wedding party) were going to take dance lessons I was really a little nervous. I had always thought the first dance should be to a romantic classical tune. But when the couple (and then later joined by the entire wedding party) broke into Thriller it brought down the house! Everyone did a fantastic job thanks to Sara and Joe. All of the guests, from grandparents to young adults have done nothing but rave about how much fun it was to start the reception off with such an incredible, unique dance. Thank you Sara and Joe for creating such an amazing routine that everyone managed to perform as if they had taken lessons for years.”[*]

Electra S
Newport Beach, CA
September 19, 2012

“Amazing! The Dance Instructors made it so simple and, most importantly, fun!”[*]

Kimberly S
Pinellas Park, FL
August 29, 2012

“The experience was wonderful! My fiancé and I not only feel so much more comfortable about our dance, but we are so excited now! And now we know how to dance together for the rest of our lives! Such a wonderful couple, I would highly recommend lessons for ANYONE… Especially if you think “prom dance” style will cut it! :)”[*]

Jordan B
Irvine, CA
August 29, 2012

“We had so much fun at Orange County Wedding Dance!!! Sara and Joe were SO patient with us and definitely made the process fun!! We were a little nervous to take dancing lessons but they made us feel so comfortable and relaxed!! We would recommend them to anyone!!”[*]

Cory C
Irvine, CA
August 24, 2012

“Joe and Sarah taught my husband and me our wedding dance and we loved them so much we recommended them to our friends and they loved them too! They are so patient and can teach anyone from any experience level to look like a pro!

They are also really creative with their choreography and can really do any type of dance you want! For my wedding, I wanted to do salsa and foxtrot so they invented ‘foxy salsa’ for me, and my friends wanted a version of THRILLER, so yeah, they can do it all!!!”[*]

Laura M
Huntington Beach, CA
August 23, 2012

“One word for Sara and Joe……AMAZING!!!! When I told my fiance I wanted to take dance lessons for our first dance, surprisingly, he was up for it. But on our first night, I was worried he wouldn’t like it. Fortunately enough, because of Sara and Joe, he really enjoyed himself and was ready to come back for more!

They are so patient, friendly and talented. Don’t worry if you’re not a dancer, because they will make you a dancer. Before you know it, you will be dancing the night away!

They really have worked with us and choreogrpahed such a beautiful first dance, I can’t wait to show our family and friends.

This is place to go for all you engaged couples out there!!! You will not be disappointed!!!”

Jenn H
Brea, CA
August 18, 2012

“AMAZING! There are no better instructors than Joe & Sara. My Fiancé (now husband as of 4/28/12) Brian and I took lessons for our first dance. It was a beautiful waltz that was entirely choreographed by these very talented instructors, just for us. Joe and Sara were both very kind and PATIENT with us as we were not he most graceful of dancers. We looked forward to going to our lessons each week and by the end of it, we both felt overwhelmingly confident and were able to walk out onto that dance floor for our first dance as husband and wife with no hesitation and…. we nailed it! Our family and friends were so impressed by what we had learned. Joe and Sara were flexible with our work schedules and made time for us. They truly care about making this experience positive and they share in the excitement you have as well for this very important moment. We could not have asked for better instructors. This experience was filled with laughter, fun and was BY FAR the best part of our wedding preparations. We owe Joe and Sara so much for making our first dance what it was. If we could give more than 5 stars, we would.”

Lauren H
Santa Ana, CA
August 17, 2012

“My Finance and I are getting married on September 1st so we figured we needed to get some practice. This is such a great experience. They are great teachers! Very knowledgeable, kind, and encouraging. We enjoy the classes very much. We even get some homework so we can learn faster and improve before the big day. It is the best dance lessons I have even gotten. Very nice people and very flexible with our busy schedules.”[*]

David A
Buena Park, CA
August 6, 2012

“Trust me when I say this… Sara and Joe made a believer out of me. More importantly they made a dancer out of a guy that was hesitant to do a choreographed 1st dance. Pardon the pun but they made every step of the experience fun and made me want to come back for more. Take the time to schedule a visit and I guarantee you will walk out with a overwhelmingly positive experience that you’ll want to share with family and friends.”

Jonathan C
Irvine, CA
June 23, 2012

“I had no idea how to dance or what to do for a first dance at my wedding. Joe and Sara choreographed our first dance for us and helped us look like we know what we are doing. Without them, my first dance probably would have been an embarrassing experience.

In general, I would highly recommend private lessons rather than group classes. My wife and I took a few group dance lessons and learn pretty much nothing. Joe and Sarah are great teachers. They also helped create customized first dance based on our song and what we are able to do.”[*]

Rachelle H
San Juan Capistrano, CA
June 3, 2012

“Joe and Sara are amazing wedding dance instructors. I used them for my first wedding, which ended up being short-lived for good reason. The second time around, I found my soulmate and I wanted to do everything different from the first wedding…that is, everything different other than working with Joe and Sara. I insisted that we work with them and my Fiance was very agreable after meeting them and taking the first lesson. We had an amazing experience with Joe and Sara, who created our first dance for us and made the learning experience so pleasureable. Our dance lessons actually brought us even closer together. Joe and Sara are very knowledgeable in many forms of dance and can taylor your first dance to meet your vision of that special first dance. They really are awesome to work with and I can only give them my highest recommendation.”[*]

Jim R
Ladera Ranch, CA
June 3, 2012

“My bride and I have taken well over a dozen lessons from Joe and Sara preparing for our first dance. They developed a specially choreographed dance around our song “Then” by country music star Brad Paisley. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Joe and Sara and always looked forward to our time learning from these masters of dance. They are a pure joy to work with, very patient, full of encouragement and always took ample time with us. We enjoyed our relationship with them so much that we even invited them to our wedding. I highly recommend Joe and Sara to any bride and groom looking to create “The Bomb” first dance. Thanks Joe & Sara!”[*]

Joseph L
Los Angeles, CA
June 2, 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!”

Katherine S
Riverside, CA
May 9, 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 next 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. Five stars, highly recommend OC Wedding Dance’s services.”

nicole c
Irvine, CA
April 3, 2012

“Joe and Sara are amaaaazzzinng! I don’t even know where to start! My fiance has two left feet and now that we are taking lessons we have figured out he isn’t too shabby with a little TLC! Joe and Sara are very patient and they don’t make you feel dumb or hopeless. They take time and instruct you without frustration and if you are struggling too much they will create a variation just for you. My fiance and I actually look FORWARD to our dance lessons, because we have FUN!

For our grand entrance, we want to do something fun and exciting so we gave Joe and Sara the music and videos hoping we can do something similar. At our most recent lesson they taught us a routine that is completely unique and custom to us! I am so excited and I know our guests will be so impressed. We are having a small wedding and weren’t sure if we wanted to incorporate costs of dancing lessons into our budget, but we are SO GLAD that we did!”[*]

Lauren V
Fullerton, CA
February 3, 2012

“My fiance and I are working on our first dance (east coast swing!) with Joe and Sara and they have been wonderful to learn from. Such gifted teachers, and they come up with the best choreography on the spot! They teach at just the right speed, and in just three lessons so far we have learned enough to look pretty good. In two more lessons, I think we’ll be looking pretty great!”

Meil G
Irvine, CA
January 28, 2012

“I am so thrilled to have met Joe and Sara! They are a beautiful and amazing couple. They have so much patience and have their best interests for us. My Finace and I are currently taking lessons with them for our first dance in March 2012. They would choreograph right in from of us, and would immediately teach us. At times, the would even go over the time for us to feel comfortable about our steps so we can practice it beyond the studio. They offer that we record the dance, so we can reply and remember our steps! HOW SWEEET! If you are looking for honest and great teachers, you don’t need to look any further. I would highly recommend them! The best in OC, hands down!!!”

Josh N
Irvine, CA
January 24, 2012

“Joe and Sara are great to work with. We had a unique request where we only wanted part of a song to be choreographed for our wedding because we are using a mix of “classic” songs with more Top40’s Club songs. Both Joe and Sara work extremely well together and really provide a great balance of creativity and logic to the sessions. Although we have not performed the dance for our wedding yet, we have the moves down and it has exactly the look and feel we were looking for.”

J K
Irvine, CA
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!”

Catherine G
Hawthorne, CA
January 24, 2012

“Joe and Sara are awesome. First dances are like a language they speak fluently and teach easily. My now-husbandthen- fiancé was very shy and struggled to shift his feet even a little on the dancefloor, and I wanted an elegant first dance for our wedding. Joe and Sara choreographed something really sweet inspired by the Venetian Waltz, and our guests were really surprised and blown away by it.

Learning with them was so easy. You never feel embarrassed or self conscious if you struggle to get a move down, they are just so easygoing and fun. I can’t recommend them enough for the couple that wants something extra special at their wedding reception.”[*]

Lori S
Fullerton, CA
October 9, 2011

“Orange County Wedding Dance is a MUST HAVE vendor for any engaged couple looking to wow their guests with their first dance. Joe and Sara are not only extremely talented; they are patient and excellent instructors. From our first meeting, my fiancé (now husband) and I felt very at ease. Neither of us are great dancers and Joe and Sara worked with us to create an incredible first dance. The lessons were filled with laughter and were the perfect stress reliever through all of the wedding craziness.

Once I grasped the entirety of Joe and Sara’s talent and how easy they made dancing seem, we decided my dad and I should take some lessons for the all important Father/Daughter dance. They worked with my very nervous father to make him feel comfortable and taught him some steps to really impress our guests.

I really can’t say enough great things about Joe and Sara, our experience or the final product of the lessons. You can’t go wrong working with them!”

B W
Huntington Beach, CA
September 28, 2011

“My now husband and I went to Sara and Joe to learn our first dance for our wedding. It was great! I have a shy and nervous honey, and Sara and Joe put him completely at ease! We had a free first session which convinced us that lessons would be worth it and fun. We had 3 more lessons to learn our dance. We probably could have gotten by with one less, but would have been nowhere near as comfortable. One more session would have been perfect if we had had the time!

It was great to have two teachers in the one hour. I believe we learned the dance in half the time because while Sara would be working on choreography, Joe would be teaching. Other times one would be teaching me and one would be teaching my hubby.

I thought they were great, not pushy, and I would definitely recommend them to any couple looking to learn their First Dance.”[*]

Jennifer V
Los Angeles, CA
August 27, 2011

“THE best experience in all of our wedding planning!

I am so glad we met Sara and Joe, from the beginning it was a great experience. We had a really off-beat song and ideas of our own to give, and they were absolutely great about working with any ideas, input or concerns we gave them.

It’s really fascinating to watch Sara devise a brilliant choreography right in front of your eyes, and Joe was always dependable to work with us until we got a part that we were struggling with. They make a great team, and although we knew their days were filled with appointments, it didn’t feel like we were just another couple. They give you all their attention, remember all the things you’ve discussed in the past, and are so invested and excited about delivering the first dance of your dreams that it might as well be their first dance.

I recommend fitting in as many lessons as you can afford in your budget (we did 5 + a venue visit), I personally didn’t feel absolutely ready until the last rehearsal. It involves both practice and tweaking the routine until both parties (couple & instructors) have arrived on a choreography that both reflect the personalities of the couple getting married, and show the expertise that went into crafting it.

It can be done in less lessons if you commit to practicing at home A LOT (harder than it may sound considering how busy planning a wedding makes you, plus the difficulty of finding time alone in a proper space if you’re keeping the dance a surprise), and probably would have to keep to a more simple routine (unless both bride & groom are experienced dancers). And keep the song short, believe me it starts feeling really long when you start filling it with stuff!

I love that they are perfectionists, they would not be satisfied with anything if they weren’t sure it looked great and we were comfortable doing it. By the end we knew the dance like the back of our hands and were not nervous at all going into it, just excited! Everyone was on their feet cheering for us, and were very surprised and impressed. It was so worth it, it is a wonderful memory to share with all your loved ones. I can hardly explain it unless you experience it, really!

Best of all, there was not a moment when this felt like work. It was a great time for my now husband and I to have fun in the midst of all the craziness, and we have great memories from the entire experience.

Thank you so much Sara and Joe!”

Justin C
Irvine, CA
August 21, 2011

“Let me just start by saying: I was pretty sure I was unteachable when it came to dance. The one dance teacher I’d had previously (college “fun” course) tended to stare at me blankly when I couldn’t “do it just like this”.

I can’t say Joe and Sara have made me love dancing (they’re good but not magical), but the process of choreographing and learning our wedding dance was about as fun and painless as it possibly could have been. After eight lessons (not super cheap but reasonably priced and well worth it for the personalized attention), I’m proud of how our dance looks and feels.

This has been a great investment in turning one of the scariest parts of our wedding (for me) into one I’m truly looking forward to.”

Jessica C
Irvine, CA
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!”[*]

Ben H
Santa ana, CA
August 5, 2011

“My wife and I had a wonderful experience learning our routine with Joe and Sara, OCWD. The couple was knowledgeable, patient, and dedicated. As teachers, and inexperienced dancers, we certainly appreciated their professionalism.

To be more specific, Joe (who handled our scheduling) was always good about communication and working around our busy schedule. For her part, Sara helped us with the fine details of the dance routine until we were able to get the steps just right.

I really liked the fact that they basically “team” taught us throughout the whole experience. It was really beneficial to have both a male and female experienced dancer to help guide both my wife and me. I would certainly recommend Orange County Wedding Dance to friends and family!”[*]

Bryce V
Fountain Valley, CA
July 28, 2011

“My fiance and I found Orange County wedding Dance on http://www.theknot.com as one of the highest rated dance instructors.

Joe and Sarah have been amazing. They are always prompt, courteous, and professional. They took my two left feet and turned them into magic. Joe and Sarah felt like two old friends that were able to help us for our big day. I would recommend everyone for their services.”[*]

Alex D
Alhambra, CA
July 26, 2011

“For my wedding, we wanted to learn a dance. My fiancee at the time was a pretty good dancer overall, but not me. I’ve always hated dancing, so you can imagine how a dreaded taking lessons. We researched over 2 weeks for different dance instructors and we finally came across Orange County Wedding Dance.

They offer a free lesson on the 1st lesson. Can’t go wrong with that right? We made an appointment with Joe and Sara (instructors). They are very nice and friendly. At first I thought that they weren’t really going to show us anything, but they actually taught us different basics steps to a Waltz. I can honestly say that I had lots of fun dancing. They really know their stuff. If they can teach me how to dance, they can teach anyone. The bottom line is this: there are so many dance instructors in LA and OC. I’m so glad I took advantage of the 1st free lesson.”[*]

Cata L
Newport Beach
July 15, 2011

“My fiancé and I are in the middle of our classes to prepare for our first dance at our wedding. We want to make sure our guests will be entertained by our dance, but without making it overly complicated. I thought this was going to be very difficult, since we are not very good dancers. However, after only 3 classes Sara and Joe have taught us so much!. We are half way through learning our routine and I can’t believe we are ACTUALLY GOING TO PULL THIS OFF…our guests will LOVE our “little performance”. They really are great teachers.

I recommend Sara and Joe 100%. They are talented, sweet and patient. We are loving our classes so much that after the wedding we are going to come back to take swing dancing classes and salsa with them.”

LC M
Huntington Beach, CA
May 10, 2011

“I can’t say enough great things about Sara and Joe… they make a great team! They are skilled dancers, personable, professional, and most importantly… patient! This is critical when teaching non-dancers 🙂

We met with them for a first consult, which was totally free… as others have stated. We sat for the first 20 minutes to discuss our vision, timeline, our dance background, and songs we were considering. I came prepared with our own CD. Then, we jumped right into the dance lesson where they showed us the different dance styles that would go with the three songs we were considering… that helped us narrow down our choice. There was no payment due on our first visit, nor pressure to purchase a dance package. Nevertheless, we were hooked and wanted to learn more! They worked out a reasonable package for us and we were grateful that they were able to accommodate our tight deadline. We waited until the last minute to book dance lessons, so we had one week to learn our first dance before leaving for our destination wedding.

We purchased 4 lessons, took them back to back, and as I’ve already mentioned… they were extremely flexible and patient with us. I’m a dancer, my husband is not… there were some frustrating moments… Sara and Joe could sense my frustration and had the best strategy for working through those challenging moments. I was impressed.

After each lesson we had plenty of new steps to practice. They also provided written notes and allowed us to video the lesson to help us practice at home.

Be warned: the dance studio is used by multiple people at once (professional dancers preparing for competitions, other couples learning their first dance, etc). There may be times where the CD player is being used by others so you have to wait your turn to play your song; however, the learning never stops! This was not an issue for me since I’m not easily distracted and was able to focus on our dance moves… I only mention it so you know what to expect. If anything, I was inspired by some of the kids in the studio who were dancing with such ease.”[*]

Michael M
Fullerton, CA
April 21, 2011

“Joe and Sarah are great. I had originally only wanted to make my fiance happy, but they made it simple and enjoyable. They worked with us until we were comfortable with our dance. On top of working with our budget I would recommend them to anyone in the area.”[*]

Eugene G
Irvine, CA
March 6, 2011

“Our experience with Sara and Joe differed greatly from their other two reviews on here.

We visited Orange County Wedding Dance twice, first meeting with Joe who was very nice and personable. Our first session was an introduction where we explained our vision for our wedding dance and received a half hour lesson. Joe seemed quite knowledgeable and took time to explain each new dance move he taught us. At the end of our session, Joe explained that their rates are $80 per session, but if we sign up for two sessions and write a review for them online, that one of the sessions will be free.

When we arrived for our second session, we explained to Joe that we would take him up on his offer: we wanted two dance sessions and would gladly write a review for them. When he explained this to Sara, she became visibly agitated, overtly sarcastic, and highly standoffish – not just toward Joe, but with us. It seemed as though they had some type of misunderstanding, and we were put in the middle of it.

Sara insisted on continuing with our session despite our asking what was wrong, and made us highly uncomfortable for that entire hour. She was rude, and made the whole thing awkward.

Needless to say we never went back for the second, but we did write a review for them, just as we promised. While it was clear that both Joe and Sara are very talented and knowledgeable (we did end up using a lot of what they taught us in those two sessions), the entire experience left us no choice but to not recommend Orange County Wedding Dance to anyone else.”

Anna W
Hacienda Heights, CA
February 12, 2011

“Love, Love, Love Sara and Joe!!! Me and my husband (fiancé at the time) went here for dance lessons for our wedding dance. I did a lot of research ahead of time and compared a lot of prices. Private dance lessons can be really expensive. Our experience with Sara and Joe was amazing and totally worth every penny. Everyone at our wedding was amazed and we got tons of compliments!!

We choreographed our dance to be a three parter. It was to three different songs and each dance was different. The first song was a slow dance, so the type of dance was called Nightclub two step. Our second song was the song from Greece, titled “Greece Lightning”. We did a swing for that song and our last song was from Dirty Dancing, titled “I had the time of my life”, which was a salsa. Three totally different dances, they help us put together every step, every transition, and every detail. It was amazing and soo soo much fun!!

Sarah can teach anyone to dance. My husband and I are both not a dancer!! They are the best teachers ever!! And I know because we took dance lessons some where else first. This other dance studio was having a special so we tried them out first. We learned more in one lesson with Sarah than we did in 3 lessons somewhere else.

If you want to WOW everyone at your wedding with an amazing dance routine this is the place to go. We drove 40 miles every weekend and it was totally worth it. With only 10 lessons, we looked comfortable and professional at our wedding!!!”

Sandy T
Garden Grove, CA
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.

Joe and his wife Sara are great instructors and they 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.”