The First Look is a concept that has been catching on more and more to wedding days for the past Five years and yet, is something that I STILL get questions about. Honestly, this is something I find more grooms’ and parents’ asking questions about than Brides but we are still going to talk about it for anyone that is either totally lost on the idea of a First Look or is contemplating it. I should say – I do NOT judge or decline couples that chose not to do a First Look. This is a personal preference and a lot of people still LOVE the tradition of a Groom seeing his Bride for the first time walking down the aisle. I’m going to walk you through all the BENEFITS of having a First Look that a lot of people don’t even think of and will show you just how good a First Look can be for your wedding day and photography 🙂

1. You don’t miss Cocktail Hour! Think about that for a second… you get to be present at your ENTIRE cocktail hour. Why? Because when you do a First Look, you typically see each other BEFORE the ceremony and we knock out ALL portraits at that time as well. Typically the timeline of your day would be First Look, Bride & Groom Portraits, Bridal Party Portraits & Family Portraits before Ceremony. This is so good because you get to see your immediate family before the ceremony, they get to compliment you and tell you how beautiful you both look and there is no rushing. I usually write out timelines to do all these portraits and STILL leave time for my couples to relax at least for a half hour before the ceremony. How nice is that!? Then when your ceremony is done… you can go right in Cocktail hour and mingle with your guests! If you DON’T do a First Look (and than don’t schedule enough time between the ceremony and cocktail hour for portraits) it WILL cut into your cocktail hour time. I try my very best to get my couples to as much of their cocktail hour as they can but this doesn’t always work.

2. You get to react to Each Other! Something else to think about for a minute. When a Bride enters the church or ceremony venue for the first time and her groom sees her for the first time in her dress… he smiles, he may cry or may not and than he escorts her up to the alter. But that’s IT! He can’t hold her, he can’t hug her, he can’t kiss her, he can’t even tell the Bride how BEAUTIFUL she looks or his first, genuine reaction. Nope… he has to wait 30-45 minutes to say everything he thinks but by then, those initial reactions have faded. It’s sad but it’s true. He WILL tell you how amazing you look but it just won’t be the same. Not only that but he will have hundreds of people STARING at him, waiting for his reaction! I think it’s nice to see each other, just the two of you (and your photographers and video-graphers, sorry!) and share those genuine reactions together. He can say OH MY GOSH! YOU LOOK GORGEOUS BABE! and she can say YOU LIKE IT?? They can hug each other, they can cry together, they can laugh at how REAL it all suddenly feels and just be in that moment together. THAT is one of my favorite moments of a wedding day and it always makes me tear up.

3. Kiss those Nerves Goodbye! When you read the paragraph I wrote, one part of it can paint a very frightening picture for the groom. HUNDREDS OF EYES WAITING FOR HIM TO REACT TO SEEING HIS BRIDE FOR THE FIRST TIME. Let’s be honest, not EVERY groom will cry because not all men are emotional like that. And with an entire room staring at you, it may make him react even less! That is A LOT of pressure for a groom, I could only imagine that 20 minutes leading up to that moment… he is just a mess! He is super nervous, hiding in the back room of the church… not really knowing who or how many people exactly are out there. When he does walk out onto the altar, all eyes are on him waiting to see if he cracks. Yikes! That makes me nervous every time and I am not the one getting married! If you have a First Look, the majority of guests won’t know that you’ve already cried those happy tears and instead will be glad to see a Groom simply smiling and looking super cool, calm and collected. His hard part is already over and now he can watch his Bride walk down the aisle to him and make things official. (TRUE STORY: Even after First Looks, MOST grooms STILL cry when they see their Bride walk down the aisle!)

4. More Wedding Day! This might be the best advantage to doing a First Look. First Looks take place before your ceremony and actually extend your wedding day. You get to be with each other longer, spend more time together with your close friends and family and feel a lot more relaxed. Once those nerves are gone and ALL the pictures are over with, it really does set in with Brides & Grooms that they truly can relax and soak in their wedding day. There is a lot more time to work with when there is a First Look and we really will never rush you! And it GUARANTEES all of your wedding photos will have Natural sunlight! I would HATE to get ready to take photos after a Ceremony and it has gotten too dark out and all of your family photos would have to be done indoors. Let’s face it, indoor light is just not as flattering as natural light is 🙁

5. The photos are pretty incredible! 🙂 Just take a peek at the wonderful, sweet reactions First Looks get. It is SO fun to capture!