Why You Should Consider a First Look

Among the myriad of wedding day traditions, first looks having become a topic of discussion for just about every wedding. According to a study by the Knot.com, nearly half of all couples who wed decide to go with a first look. In our experience with our couples the numbers are actually much higher and closer to 75 or 80% of our couples are doing a first look.

As your wedding day approaches, you’re probably wondering whether you want First-Look wedding photos—or whether you want to wait until you walk down the aisle for your big reveal.

Although we do love the first look and feel like the benefits of the first look greatly outweigh the negatives, We also always encourage our couples to do whatever they want to do. Because at the end of the day, it’s their wedding, and what they prefer matters the absolute most!

Below are a 5 elements to consider when debating on whether or not the first look is beneficial.

What Is the First Look?

The first look is when a couple sees each other before the ceremony for the first time on their wedding day. This intimate moment typically makes for an emotional photo opportunity.

1. You can finish all portraits before the ceremony

Besides family formals, you can get the majority of bridal party + bride & groom portraits completed before the ceremony even begins! We need a minimum of 60-90 minutes to accomplish these, so by doing a first look, this eliminates that one hour of waiting time for your guests between the ceremony and reception. Additionally, your hair and makeup are also still fresh and super camera ready!!

We normally recommend keeping family formals for after the ceremony, because it’s normally more difficult to have all the family show up early!

Lastly, we also always try to schedule 20-30 minutes during the cocktail hour or reception for a few more bride & groom portraits at sunset. This is when the light looks absolutely swoon-worthy! Everyone knows how important sunset/magic hour lighting is to photos. On your wedding day, we should utilize the best and most romantic light of the day to create the best photos for the bride and groom, rather than doing your bridal party photos or family photos at this time. If we had to do the 1 hour of bridal party and family photos after the ceremony, the couple would miss out on that sunset light for themselves.

2. It extends your day by 2-3 hours

Speaking of cocktail hour, instead of trying to cram all of the portraits + family formals into the 1-hour cocktail window, you can give yourself a more relaxed timeline. This is much less stressful for yourself and your entire bridal party! Instead of the stress and worry of having to get everything done quickly, this makes all the portraits very relaxed and a lot more fun! Plus, we can usually go to more than one location and get a lot more variety. And this leads me to our next point…

3. You’ll receive MORE portraits in your final gallery

If you have a first look, this gives us a LOT more freedom to go to several spots, either on location or off! If you have an alternate location you’d really love your portraits at, or want to travel to a few different locations nearby, a first look allows us to do so. This leaves you with so much variety for portraits in your gallery! Couples that do a first look typically receive 30-40% more portraits of themselves in their gallery if they do one!

4. You can react and talk to each other more authentically

Although your groom will be emotional when he sees you walk down the aisle, he will still need to keep ‘t himself composed. He won’t be able grab a hold of you, hug you tight or yell in excitement about how beautiful you look. He has to wait 30 minutes or more before he has the chance to do so, and by then, the initial first reaction has worn off!

Most guys rarely show all their emotions in front of every guest at your wedding. Doing a first look gives them the privacy and permission to do so. It let’s them show their excitement freely! And sometimes, this part of the day will be your only time alone together all day which leads to the next point

5. It’s probably your only time alone TOGETHER

First Looks’ allow you to actually be TOGETHER on your wedding day. It is  the only time to be ALONE the whole day! For the majority of the day, you are surrounded by your loved ones who want to share this day with you (which is beautiful and great), but the whole day can easily be focused on everyone else. This time allows you both to really connect with each other alone and still be in the mood for those beautiful, romantic photos you will want to hang all over your home. When you have just shared your first look, you’re READY to love on each other, and we always capture some super sweet photos and videos, with raw emotion during those moments!

6. It diminishes nerves

We hear from so many couples how most of their nerves went away after they saw each other! It helps you to feel more relaxed and make the ceremony more enjoyable. Plus, you’ll probably actually remember your ceremony better because you weren’t so nervous. The whole thing would probably be a blank blur otherwise! :)

7. More Moments and More Experiences

Even if you see each other before the ceremony, there is a completely different set of emotions you’ll experience as you walk down the aisle and see your partner on the other end. All the anticipation and planning comes down to this moment and a swell of emotions will take over you. Not to mention all the guests swooning as the stare and watch you as you walk down the aisle. Doing a first look with your partner wont take anything away from this moment. We promise! Actually it gives you more moments and more experiences on the wedding day, all different and unique in their own way.

We hope this helped you decide on what’s best for your wedding day! In the end, we always want our couples to choose what fits best for them… because it’s their wedding day, and it should be exactly how they envision it!