Planning wedding first dance lessons up to the big day

Start from the wedding date and work backwards. Let the couple book a first lesson online, where you hear the song, see how they move and agree on the style; then book the rest of the series yourself, spaced so the last lesson falls a few days before the wedding. Put the song, the date and the dance level in the booking note, and ask the couple to bring the shoes they'll wear on the day. The series then fits their calendar, and nothing is left to the final week.

The first lesson is where you find out what the couple wants: a simple, elegant slow dance, a choreographed routine, or a surprise change of song halfway through. Make it a service couples can book on your public page. On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description, and each slot belongs to one service with its own start and end.

Lengths and prices are examples: set your own. The couple is one booking: one person fills in the form and writes the partner's name in the note. Book doesn't take payments, so if you sell a pack of lessons, explain in the first-lesson description how it's paid.

Once you know the level and the routine, count how many lessons it takes, then place them backwards from the wedding. A couple with no experience and a choreographed routine needs more time than a couple who want a simple slow dance. Leave space between lessons for practice at home, and keep a margin before the wedding for a final rehearsal.

At the end of the first lesson, book the whole series with the couple from your calendar. First and last name are required, email and phone optional, and you can add a note to each lesson, such as "lesson 3: turns and dip". If you enter their email, they get a confirmation and a calendar file for each lesson, so the plan is in their diary as well as yours.

Couples who both work can come in the evening or at the weekend, which is also when your group classes run. Decide how many private slots you keep for wedding couples each week, and create them on the weekdays you choose, repeated until an end date. In busy wedding months, open a few extra slots for those weeks only.

Ask the couple to bring the shoes they'll wear on the day from the run-through lessons onwards. A long dress changes turns and dips; if the dress isn't ready, a long skirt helps. If the venue has a small dance floor or a carpet, adjust the routine: ask about it in the first lesson.

Couples can't move lessons online: they contact you, and you move or cancel from your bookings list. Book doesn't email them about changes, so confirm the new time yourself. Keep the final rehearsal protected: if other lessons move, the last one before the wedding shouldn't. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.