Why first look?
Why First Look??
More than any other question, I get this one the most from brides and grooms: “Should we see each other before the ceremony?” and I always respond with a resounding “YES!” As a bride myself not too long ago, I completely understand and acknowledge the special moment of your groom seeing you for the first time walking down the aisle, and we can make that happen. We make it a private, special moment with just the two of you (I will or will not take pictures– depending on what the bride and groom would like). Below are a couple of reasons why we believe this is a good idea for your wedding day:
1.) This allows for the bride and groom to talk and have special time together before the ceremony and reception. It is a sacred, special time with just the bride and groom and many times ends up being one of their favorite parts of the day.
2.) This allows for more pictures to be taken. If we take pictures only after the ceremony, the bride and groom will have approximately 5-10 minutes of pictures of the two of them. If we take pictures before, the bride and groom will be photographed from 20-30 minutes. In the end, you will have a larger selection to choose from.
3.) The bride and groom, along with their wedding party and guests, can go straight to the reception following the ceremony. Everyone is hungry and ready to party, so why not let them? Weddings can be physically and emotionally exhausting and the last thing most people want to do after the ceremony is to take pictures. You will be able to enjoy your reception venue for a longer period of time and celebrate more! : )
4.) If the wedding is during the winter when the sun is setting around 5:00-5:30, taking pictures before an evening ceremony will allow for the bride and groom to be photographed in the sunlight, which provides a wider range of images.
I have heard people say they regret not seeing each other before, but I have never heard of anyone regretting seeing each other before. It’s a practical way to minimize stress and maximize your investment on your big day!
Words from a few brides…
“Although I was a very traditional bride, there was no doubt I wanted to have a first look. First of all, my husband was very nervous and needed to be with me to calm his nerves before the ceremony. Because of it, he got through the vows without a sweat! Not only is it convenient to take all of your pictures before the ceremony, but the first look ended up being the most special moment of the whole day. Walking down the aisle to my future husband with just the two of us in the empty chapel, seeing the look on his face, and just having a moment to take it all in together is an unforgettable memory I will always cherish.” - Elyse, married July 31, 2010
“We decided to do a “first look” mainly because we didn’t want to have to do formal portraits after the ceremony! We knew we, along with our closest friends and family, would be very emotional and also ready to go eat, drink, and mingle right after the ceremony! If we had formal portraits afterwords, we would cut out time from the best part of the wedding! Also, as an afterthought, it was a really sweet moment to have a first look and I know Jess got some amazing shots – in our opinion, better pictures than if the first look was done while walking down the aisle!” – Claudia, married August 21, 2010
“Although I understand the idea behind seeing your husband as you’re walking down the aisle, it calmed me down and allowed me to enjoy every second of the wedding since I had already seen him before. Seeing Lee beforehand allowed me to focus on that special moment just with him so that when I walked down the aisle, I wasn’t completely freaked out and nervous. Lee said that even though he saw me before the wedding, his heart was pounding out of his chest as I walked down the aisle. Seeing me before helped calm his nerves about being in front of so many people.” – Becky, married July 24, 2010
