Used to be a time when a freshly wed bride and groom could shuffle sheepishly ’round the floor, flash a smile at the cameras and call it a first dance. Not so anymore. Thanks to the massive popularity of TV shows like ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” and FOX Broadcasting’s “So You Think You Can Dance,” even the average Joe knows his rumba from his cha-cha, and probably is a fan of both. Which means that your reception guests are going to come with expectations, if not score cards.

When you head out on that dance floor for your first foray as husband and wife, make it a moment for the memory books. In a good way. Here in Houston we are so lucky to have not one, not two, but three locations of the famed Arthur Murray Dance Studios—at nearly 100 years old, the nation’s most venerable dance-instruction organization. Arthur Murray instructors have taught Broadway dancers and Hollywood stars alike. And they can teach anyone–even your average Joe (or typical Tom or ordinary Ed or whatever dance-averse-but-otherwise-perfect dude you’re planning to marry).

Maria Johnson, who owns Arthur Murray Dance Studio Cypress–The Woodlands and Memorial are Houston’s other locations–reminds brides that the first dance is your first public moment as husband and wife. “Don’t overlook the importance of how a beautiful first dance can be a wonderful lifetime memory,” she advises. Uh, no pressure, right?

Right. Because you, smart bride, are going to sign up for dance lessons. You’re going to get some professional first-dance choreography for yourself and your hubby. Heck, you might even corral your bridesmaids and groomsmen for a group lesson or two—a great idea for a couple’s shower, particularly when followed by drinks, food and maybe even…dancing?? Good thing Arthur Murray Dance Studios of Houston offer all these instruction options and more. And not a single score card in sight.