Why do a first look at your wedding?

Why do a first look at your wedding? I’m giving you my top 5 reasons. There are about 20 I can think of but lets keep it light. I will still honor anyone’s wish for a traditional first look. These are just my preferences and the main reasons that I’ve told brides when asked, “Why do a first look at your wedding?”.

1 – It Will Help to Reduce Your Stress

Personally I am so anxious and a over thinker so I know that this was just one more thing for me to over think. There are so many benefits to doing a first look and I think this is a major reason. Catering, florist, in-laws, bridesmaids getting lost on the way to your wedding; you have enough to think about. Seeing your husband for the first time does NOT need to be a stresser. This is why I do a first look before the ceremony.

2 – More Professional Photos

Let me explain. As you can see by my examples in this post, with a first look you can get more up close angles of you and your husbands face. I usually have two photographers, one to focus on the groom and one to focus on the bride. During the ceremony the main focus is usually on the bride coming down the isle. Or we try to focus on the grooms face but you’re walking down a half mile long isle and there is no way to zoom in on his face as he sees you for the first time.

I will also add, that if we have more time before the ceremony we can go take more photos that you will carry for a lifetime. If we have more time for photos after the ceremony,  the couple always wants to go to cocktail hour BECAUSE of wanting to spend time with friends. So because of this, less professionally posed photos are taken.

3 – You Get TWO Special moments

Just because you have a first look before the wedding, doesn’t diminish the first look during the ceremony at all. You’ll still have the introduction music, you’ll still have someone giving you away and you’ll still have loving relatives and friends watching you walk toward your best friend. Only difference is this moment is more for everyone else when a early first look is just for you two. For you two to take in each other and take in the day.

4 – Benefits your timeline

We want cake! Am I right? We want to celebrate with family and friends as soon as the ceremony is over. I completely understand. No Bride wants to miss cocktail hour because they have to go do 2 hours of family photos, then go do bridal photos and then do husband and wife portraits. The solution is a First Look. It mean you’ll have to be dressed and ready a little earlier but the time savings after the wedding are too good to ignore. I’ve had a Bride and Groom go directly to their cocktail hour before any of their guests because we got ALL the photos done beforehand. We did some sunset photos later on but I can’t tell you how happy they were that they could enjoy their family and friends during that time.

5 – It’s an and outdated tradition

Again, I treasure anyone’s request for a traditional first look being at the ceremony. But I make sure they know where the tradition comes from before they agree to it. This tradition was first used where the Bride completely covered her face until the kiss because they didn’t want the Groom to back out if he didn’t like the look of the Bride… Pretty harsh right?

Plenty of other traditions in weddings have been outdated, updated, deleted or kept the same. Make your wedding your own. Weather it be a first look down the isle, or first look in the privacy of just you two, it’s gonna great and I can’t wait to be a part of it.