Oh my!! My husband and I have been bitten by the dance bug!! We signed up for dance lessons for our wedding..and now we just can't quit going!!...

Our goal: for our dance instructor to tell us we should compete!!..but now I'm thinking lets tell our dance instructor we want to compete!! I know, sounds silly!!...but we are 100 and 10% convinced if we practice and practice...we can do it!!...and it's so much fun!!

We are no spring chickens here!!(36 and 45)

So, where does one begin??...There has to be competitions out there for beginners!!

thanks so much for any advice, tips...whatever!!

Congrats! first off.
There are several web sites you can check for competitions of choice.
If you and your husband "compete"..
you would be an "amateur" couple.
Read the rules of each organization carefully as it can vary. Most will have a calendar that you can check to see when and where and costs of a competition. Also, an even better deal is to check out your local colleges and universities in your region as well as checking with your teacher.
Colleges and universities might also have ballroom dance teams that actively sponsor social events, competitions, lessons, etc as well as checking with your. Don't worry about your age, organizations break the age groups down. Try looking at National Dance Council of America, USA Dance chapters, accessdance.com or just goggle ballroom dance competitions. Happy reading (-:

Almost all competitions (except for world ones) have beginner divisions.

What you will really need to do is find coaches who have some experience in working with competitive students rather than only social ones. You do not need to have experience before doing this - most competitions students start with competition teachers right from the beginning.

If your current teachers try to discourage you from this goal, it simply means that they are not going to be able to help you with it and are afraid of losing business to someone who can.

If your instructor taught you your wedding dance then he/she might have no idea you want to compete. You were/are most likely learning social dancing. I would suggest you speak to your instructor first and then you'll have decide the style of dance - American or International. You might have to switch instructors. As Anymouse said, not all can coach competitive dancers or want to. There is no reason why you can't compete at your age. I have friends in pre-bronze who have been competeing for a year and they are in their early 50s.