Okay, y’all let’s break it down!! Pinterest is flooding with pictures of first looks and while they are just as picturesque as the next, we think choosing whether or not to do a first look or not is about way more than a photo opt. This choice effects the feel of your entire wedding day.
So let’s chat first looks. What is it? There are SO many fun ways to do a first look. You can do a first look with the bridesmaids or the first look with your father. However, we’re going to focus on the first look with your special someone! It’s the intimate moment where the groom and bride see each other for the first time before they walk down the aisle.
While the traditional format of a wedding is to wait to see each other until you are heading down the aisle, we have a few reasons to consider a different plan.
More Time Together
The biggest reason that we advocate for a first look is that you and your hunny get to spend more time together on your big day. Do you really want to spend over half of the day playing hide-the-bride? It’s exhausting trying to dodge each other and most importantly is takes away precious time from your wedding day that could be spent together. Seriously, this is THE day meant to celebrate the two of you coming together so what better way to spend it then together?!
Opportunity to Appreciate the Details
Now you may think that having a first look will take away from the reaction walking down the aisle, but the truth is that it won’t. Nothing can compare to that feeling as you and your honey lock tear-filled eyes. So remember that you have spent months and months planning and picking out every single detail including the bride’s dress, hair and nails, and the groom’s suit and tie. The first look can serve as a way to appreciate all of the beautiful detail on your dress or how the tie brings out the groom’s eyes. You get to talk, be casual and be unfiltered, taking off some of the pressure from walking down the aisle. Unfortunately, when walking down the aisle, you’re actually often too far away to even get to fully see the details.
A Bigger Reaction
A common objection that we hear to having a first look, is that couples want to save the moment for the groom to have a huge, emotional reaction. But after photographing more than 75 weddings, we’ll tell you that this is a common misconception. During the ceremony, all eyes are on the groom. Expectations are at an all-time high. And often, that pressure doesn’t amount to an unfiltered, emotional reaction. Groom’s freeze, understandably. But with a first look, there is way less pressure. It’s just the bride and groom off on their own. This is where we see the most emotional reactions. And this never seems to take away from the reaction down the aisle. Instead, you get two reactions! Often they are different and filled with totally different emotions. Woohoo!
One Time Alone
Your wedding will be filled with other people from the moment you wake up and get ready, to the final moves on the dance floor. There will be a constant flurry of vendors, family, and friends flying all over the place wanting to socialize and get a picture with the couple of the day. The first looks allows you to be intimate, even if it’s just for a little while. It’s a special time for the two of you to simply be with each other and soak in the special day ahead. Without it, you often don’t even get a moment alone.
More Portraits
A first look allows you a more peaceful timeline. You aren’t rushing around during cocktail hour scrambling to get as many photos as possible. Instead, we have plenty of time pre-ceremony to capture bridal party fun, extra couples portraits, and candid family moments. Without a first look, your cocktail hour is consumed by portraits where we get as much as possible, but sometimes that is just the bare essentials. With a first look, we have all of the time we need to get those bare essentials and then have some time to play and have fun! It gets your more photos of your most important people!
A Cocktail at Cocktail Hour
Last but not least, taking your first look pictures allows you to enjoy the rest of your day. You can get all of the other necessary photos with the bridal party and family out of the way so you have more time to socialize, eat, dance and have a drink at the cocktail hour. And with the happiest and busiest day of your life, you’ll deserve to be stress-free for the rest of the night. Less posing, more dancing!
A good 95% of our couples do a first look and have loved the intimate, special moment it creates. Chat with your special someone and think about how you want to spend your big day, because in the end, it’s YOUR day and you deserve to spend it being the happiest you can be!
