So what is a First Look, anyway??  A first look is when a specific time is setup on the wedding day for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony!  This is a very sweet and unique moment of your day that you will remember forever!  Now I know the old tradition says you shouldn’t see your honey until you’re walking down the aisle…his eyes well up, you’re looking longingly into each other’s eyes, you reach the podium, and BAM – the ceremony starts.  The truth of the matter is, walking down the aisle will be incredibly special and sweet whether you’ve had a first look or not.  In my opinion, having a first look does not change the impact of this moment.  Grooms ALWAYS get emotional when they see your beautiful face coming up the aisle to be their forever love.  So here are my top 5 reasons you should have a first look!

      1. You get to have a private/intimate moment with your fiance (this probably won’t happen the rest of the day!) 

The couple usually chooses to have this moment only between themselves (and their photographer), which gives them the freedom to express their love and emotion without the pressure and anxiety of having others present.  This moment is SWEET and I choke up nearly every time!  This is one of the many reasons you need to feel comfortable with your photographer!  He/she will be with you through every step of the day and the first look is no exception.  We always have our zoom lenses on in order to give you and your fiance the space to feel comfortable and at ease.

But enough about me – this is one of the few moments alone you will have together on your wedding day and you have the time to hug, kiss, and talk before everything gets started.  If your first look is at the ceremony, you don’t get those special moments – the ceremony starts right away!

      2. You get to spend your wedding day together, rather than apart – no sneaking around!

What many couples don’t realize when they decide not to have a first look, is the coordination it takes to make sure you don’t see each other before the ceremony!  You’ll hide while he is getting his photo taken, eating lunch, seeing his family and then he’ll hide while you do all those things as well!  This means you’ll be hiding out in some dingy (well…probably dingy) corner of the church all morning and not making memories with your love!  Who wants to sit around alone on their wedding day? Not me!

With a first look, you get to do all of these things together and enjoy each others’ company before you tie the knot!

  3. Get the jitters out – reduce anxiety and nervousness 

Whether you’re a person that likes to be the center of attention or not, when you have the added anxiety of not having seen your fiance before the ceremony, it can be quite the anxiety-ridden moment with all eyes on you walking down the aisle!  Having already seen your soon-to-be-spouse, you can relax a bit and savor each step walking down that aisle to him.

      4. Keep the party rolling!

Having already seen your fiance, you can get all of the pictures started and completed before the ceremony even happens!  Without a first look, you are stuck doing most of the photos after the ceremony, which creates a large gap between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the reception!  Each photographer suggests a certain amount of time these posed photographs can take – we tell our brides to allow for at least a full TWO hours for family and bridal party photos (this can be more or less depending on the size of your bridal party and families).  So you might end up either shorting yourself on all the photographs you want so guests don’t have to wait as long or creating a large dead space after your ceremony where guests have to figure out what to do with themselves for two hours – this can be hard on out-of-towners coming to your wedding!  With a first look, the posed photographs are usually complete, so guests don’t have to wait for you to take pictures after the ceremony and the party can get started!  Let’s pop that champagne! 😀

Last but certainly not least…

      5. More opportunity for photos – both candid and posed!

This relates to all of the other reasons you should do a first look!  Now that you’ve had your first look: you had an intimate moment with your fiance to share some emotion; you’re no longer sneaking around each other; you are spending your wedding day with your soon-to-be-spouse; your jitters are out; and you’re ready to party!  This means your photographer can capture all the poses you want AND get all those in-between moments with your fiance, friends, and family!  Without a first look, there aren’t as many candid moments to capture between you two because they simply didn’t happen!

Since the posed photographs are complete, your photographer will also have a better feel for where there might be some extra time to get some extra special moments in another location, at sunset, or that extra photo with the entire extended family you weren’t sure you had time for. Boo-yah! ;D

this photo below was taken even after a first look!  these moments are allllways sweet, sweet, SWEET!

There you have it!  My Top 5 Reasons to have a First Look!!  Did you know I also am a BIG believer in having a first look with your Father?!  Yup.  But that’s for another time!  Thanks for stopping by! 😀