A "first look" is when a couple sees each other on their wedding day before their wedding ceremony. It is a private moment for the couple, away from the eyes of family and friends.
BELOW ARE 5 REASONS WHY YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER A FIRST LOOK:
1. IT CALMS THE NERVES
If you’re the type of person that gets nervous around crowds, doesn’t like to be the center of attention or gets anxious rather easily, then this is a great option for you. We’ve found that most clients are super nervous just before the ceremony, and those that thought they wouldn’t be suddenly get a little freaked out. Lets face it, your wedding is probably one of the biggest days of your life. Depending on how involved you are in the process and your personality type, there can be a lot of internal stress built up to that moment of seeing each other for the first time. Doing a First Look will give you peace of mind knowing that your significant other will be there for you to help calm those nerves. Time and time again we see the stress fly away just after the bride sees the groom for the first time. It’s almost like a weight is lifted off their shoulder and the rest of the wedding day activities are a breeze.
2. WAY LESS RISKY
Is the reward worth the risk? Try to think more logically and less emotionally about your wedding day. The reality is a wedding day only happens once. You set a date, pick a venue and you’re set. Whatever happens, happens. Your wedding day is not guaranteed to fall perfectly into place. There are a lot of moving parts that you can’t control. Like bad weather, people running late, traffic jams, missing rings, a setting sun, etc. The list goes on and on for the potential of what could possibly go wrong. So instead of betting against the odds try planning things out with as little risk as possible. Plan for the worst and your day might end up being surprisingly pleasant. If you decide to do a first look, it basically means you can get all your pictures done and out of the way. Seeing each other before the ceremony lets you finish all your bride & groom portraits, bridal party portraits and family portraits. So after the wedding all you have to think about is actually attending your own cocktail hour and mingling with guests who are eager to congratulate you. It also provides you with a back-up time slot to finish your portraits just in case something kept you held up earlier in the day.
3. THE FEELINGS DON’T GO AWAY
So you’ve been dreaming about your wedding day since the day you were born. Right? You’ve been thinking about how precious that one moment is going to be when you see each other for the first time. Right? Well, what if its not everything it was cracked up to be? What if it was special but just not THAT special. I don’t mean to be cynical here, I just want to lower the expectation level so you don’t have super high expectations for something that might not be exactly what you imagine. Mind you, I’ve seen some AMAZING moments because the couple opted out from doing the First Look. But at the same time I’ve seen incredible moments at the ceremony just moments after doing a First Look. If the emotions are really there, they are going to come out regardless of what you do. Seeing each other privately before the ceremony is much different than seeing each other in “Let’s Do This” mode as all your best friends and closest family members are watching.
4. MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PICTURES
This one is probably our favorite because, let’s face it, we want you to have more opportunities for great pictures. At the end of the day all that’s left is the photography to look back on.
5. BE PRESENT AT YOUR WEDDING
“Your wedding day will go by so fast!”
This isn’t an overstatement. There is so much activity and things to accomplish on your wedding day that sometimes taking it all in just isn’t possible. Even more reason to have a photographer capturing those unseen moments right before you. Try thinking like this when planning your wedding: For every tradition, location or moment in my wedding day, something extra is required from either me or my day. So if that tradition of seeing each other at the ceremony is very valuable to you, other things have to be appropriately moved around to accommodate for both. There is only so much time in one day. Unless you have all the money in the world, let’s be realistic about your day but creatively plan so that you can have the best of both worlds.