A wedding day first look is magical. There is no other way to describe that sweet anticipation as you prepare to see your love for the first time on such a special day of your lives. One of my favorite parts of the wedding day is when I get to watch the bride and groom see each other for the first time. I never try to force my couples to do a first look but I know the ones that do choose to do so have not regretted it one second! First looks are always such sweet moments & also a way so you & your groom can spend most of the day TOGETHER rather than spend most of the day apart.

Many couples have the question of should I do a wedding day first look? So I created this blog post to list a few notes about both options. With that being said I do like to educate my couples on the tradition of not seeing your spouse before the wedding & it’s exactly what it sounds like: Avoiding your fiancé before the ceremony starts. The reason being that, back when marriages were arranged, the bride and groom weren’t allowed to see or meet each other until they were at the altar. Google has tons of articles on this if you’d like to learn more! I wanted to share some helpful tips and pros/cons of doing them so you can make the best decision as a couple & move forward with what you’re most comfortable with.

Option #1 | First Look

Pros:

• The first time you see each other is private and shared just between you two! This may be one of the few times of the day you’ll get alone together.
• You both will look & feel your freshest.
• The nerves of seeing each other for the first time will be gone and then you can simply look forward to and enjoy your ceremony with your family and friends.
• You get so many more portraits. When things run late it’s almost always the bride and groom portraits getting the short end of the straw but with a first look theres more time for portraits.
• You can schedule all wedding party photos before the ceremony, so afterwards all the formal images left to take are family photos and then you’ll be able to head to your reception quickly instead of having your guests wait for a longer period of time.
• You get to go to your some of your cocktail hour if family formals aren’t extensive.
• Your bridal party and family also get to go to cocktail hour instead of waiting to take all the formal pictures.
• Timelines seem to be less stressful when more photos are done before the ceremony.

 

Cons:

• • Seeing each other before the ceremony goes against tradition if thats important to you.

 

Option #2 | No First Look

• You do not see each other before the ceremony and the first time you see each other is when the bride is walking down the aisle.
• Pros:
  • You get to keep up with tradition.
  • If you are wanting to have a cocktail hour for guests only that you do not want to attend between the ceremony and reception, taking the bulk of your images after the ceremony will allow your guests to mingle and enjoy drinks while you’re getting your pictures taken.
• Cons:
  • If the ceremony begins late, or family photos run longer than expected, then it’s always the bride and groom’s portrait time that gets cut short.
  • The photo time after the ceremony will take longer so guests will have approximately an hour and a half to two hour interval from when the ceremony ends to when the reception begins (this can be a pro or con depending if you want to entertain your guests during this time or not!)

I hope this was helpful in your decision making process & explains why I love first looks.

Also other fun first looks are ones between dad & bride that are always so sweet or waiting to let your bridesmaids see you in your dress for a fun reveal that always gets the best reactions. Let me know your thoughts on first looks in the comments!

A look at an Indoor Ceremony Editorial

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