• Fail-Safe Dance Tunes to Get Everyone on the Dance Floor
• Where to Take Those Merengue Lessons
• Five New York Couples on Their Wedding Days
• The Best D.J.’s & Bands for Everything From Classical to Top 40
The Big Reveal
Sheila Dos Santos & Nathan Iverson
June 27, 2008, Stage 6 at Steiner Studios
“We had Brazilian drummers and dancers come out at the point where weddings sort of hit a wall. My mom and I found this guy in Little Brazil. He brought out his binder with pictures of girls in carnival outfits. I was shocked!”
(Samba Inredo Vavá Maravilha, 973-573-9410; prices upon request.)
The Intergenerational
Dance Ring
Martha Kaiser & Daniel Sokoloff
October 20, 2007, The New-York Historical Society
“We had about 180 guests, and everyone was dancing. I mean, we had 60-year-olds who had flown in from China the night before on their feet. We had trumpets, horns, multiple singers.”
(Urban Gorilla Orchestra, available through Elan Artists, 888-800-3526; elanartists.com; $12,500 for an eight-piece band.)
The Choreographed First Dance
Alison & Ben Schrag
September 27, 2008, Monteverde, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
“Our first dance was to “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’”the song that plays at the end of Mannequin. We choreographed it at three in the morning when we got home from a bar. When we were on the dance floor doing it, I turned to him and he was like, ‘Are we going to do the backbend now?’”
(Debbie Bates at Stoy Entertainment, 212-557-1588; stoydj.com; prices upon request.)
The Groomsmen Bust a Move
Michele Stocknoff & Scott Levy
September 13, 2008, Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers
“We had a mirrored dance floor. That’s Jason, a groomsman, dancing to Ike and Tina Turner’s ‘Shake a Tail Feather.’ He’s doing the invisible Double Dutch, a signature dance move amongst that crew. Many others joined in, including myself”a personal first.”
(Uptown Mix, available through Vali Music, 201-768-9100; vali.com; $25,000 for a twelve-piece band.)
The Father-Daughter Dance
Stacey Ciulla & Stuart Schwadron
September 13, 2008, Cipriani Wall Street
“We danced to Paul Simon’s “Fathers and Daughters.’ Then the band played “Let’s Get It Started’ and he did a split! My mother was like, “No! He’s going to hurt himself!’ At least this time he didn’t put the tie around his head.”
(Totally Live, 212-684-0060; totallylive.com; from $18,500.)
The Bride Boogies
Jennifer & Philip Lee
September 27, 2008, Public Restaurant
“We were having a great time dancing to “Heaven Is a Place on Earth.’ Unfortunately, that’s not my husband in the shot! But those are my in-laws; they definitely got caught up in it. At one point there was a dance-off, including both our fathers, who never dance, as well as some of the venue’s staff.”
(D.J. Dina Regine; djdinaregine.com; from $3,500.)
