The First Look – A Must Have for Your Wedding

To first look or not to first look – that is the question. This is the number one struggle fo most of our brides who are fighting with the urge to break the tradition and participate in the new norm – the first look. Well, guess what – I’m ALL for it! Want to know why? because first looks give you and your soon-to-be hubby/wifey a lot of benefits.

What do I mean by that?

The Benefits of a First Look:

• First looks give you a more relaxed timeline.

“Much more personal & private!”

– Sara E.

Have a large wedding party? Need lots of family photo combinations? Get some freedom with a first look. You will have way more time in the morning to get everything you need to done and more buffer time throughout the day in case things run behind (which they usually do).

• A first look will give you relief of pressure.

“We got to treasure our first look and do our vows in private. After that, no stress at all.”

– Katie O.

Want to get some of the tears out beforehand and not feel the pressures of all eyes on you? The first look will give you the freedom to cry your heart out and give your partner a genuine reaction without the pressure of people watching you or the anticipation/anxiety of a big moment happening in front of your dad’s friends/extended relatives (we all have a few in attendance).

• A first look gives you the freedom to enjoy your cocktail hour.

“Because you save time to smash down some snacks.”

– Bernadette R.

We usually have about 15-30 minutes after family formals are finished to get bridal party portraits finished. Since you did the first look and got these done before the ceremony, you can use that time for either more portraits of you and your partner or enjoy your cocktail hour and start greeting your guests early (maybe then they’d leave you alone to eat lol).

• First look = more portrait opportunities.

If portraits with one another are important to you, opting for the first look will give us more time to take photos of you both together. How? It’s because we’re able to get your bridal party done before the wedding as well as take portraits of you both together. We’ll do family photos after the ceremony and then there’s more time for photos of you!! It also gives your photographers more time to find reallyyy good locations.

• And my personal favorite, it’s the most intimate time of the day.

For me and my husband specifically, the first look was the most intimate time of our entire wedding day. Don’t forget that for most of the day, you are hosting your party – chatting it up with all of your guests, hanging out with your wedding party, saying your vows, dancing your heart out, etc. There isn’t really any time within the traditional wedding timeline where you are alone with your new husband/wife. Tom and I wrote special letters to one another and exchanged them during our first look. We both sobbed like small children and specifically asked for privacy during this time. By our first look, I was already overwhelmed by my wedding band being lost… (a story for another blog post) so seeing him and having this moment was a breath of fresh air.

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FAQ’s

But what about tradition?

Tradition is great, but there are so many parts of the day hat is already following tradition (white dress, something blue, having a bridal party, etc.) This is your day. You might as well make it as pain-free as possible for yourselves.

But what about him seeing me walk down the aisle?

If your man is emotional, he will probably give you a more genuine reaction during your first look. Actually, most times, an emotional man will cry during the first look AND you walking down the aisle. If your man isn’t very emotional, he may not cry whether or not you do the first look. And it will be special to see one another either way.

Have anything to add to our list of benefits? Leave a comment below!