And we’re back for Part 3 of my “Making the Most out of…” series! If you missed the first two parts you can check them out here:

The Wedding Booking Process

Getting Ready Photos

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You’ve probably heard of what’s known at the “First Look” or “First Sight” on a wedding day; if you haven’t, you’ve probably been sleeping under a rock for a couple of years! ;-) An idea that’s recently become quite popular, it’s a time where the bride and groom see each other for the first time on their wedding day before the ceremony in a private, intimate setting. What’s interesting is that the old tradition of waiting to see each other when the bride walks down the aisle stems from the days of arranged marriages when brides and grooms would not actually meet each other for the first time until their wedding day!

While I don’t ever try to persuade my clients to choose one way or another, I definitely like to make sure that I educate them on what the First Look is all about and provide it as an option. Here are the top 3 reasons I see couples choosing to have a First Look:

 

1) Ability to see each other in a private, intimate setting for the first time on your wedding day 

Wedding days can often be a bit stressful, nerve-wracking, and emotional. The First Look provides the opportunity to see each other for the first time on the big day without a ton of other people watching and can really help to get rid of any pre-ceremony jitters! As the photographer, my goal is capture the meeting from a distance, making sure to give the bride and groom their space until they are ready to move forward into their portraits.

2) After the ceremony you can head straight to your reception

Without doing a First Look, all family portraits, pictures of the bride and groom with their wedding party, and pictures of just the bride and groom together have to take place after the ceremony, before heading to the reception. Unless you plan a large chunk of time in between your ceremony and reception this time can often feel rushed, as you are generally trying to cram a whole bunch of pictures into a small amount of time.

When couples do see each other before the ceremony we usually get almost all of the photos out of the way before the ceremony even begins– including all of the family pictures! This generally makes the time period after the ceremony much more relaxed, as couples are able to focus on spending time with their guests and can even join in with their cocktail hour if they choose!

Because the lighting outside is typically more harsh during the middle of the day when we do the majority of the photos, I will often ask to pull my bride and groom outside for some more photos of just the two of them for 10-20 min. in the evening, after the ceremony (sometimes during the reception) when the lighting is most pleasant. It not only allows for more photos of the newlyweds in beautiful light, but it also give them a few minutes of alone time away from the hustle and bustle. :-)

3) More time for photos

Finally, a First Look provides the opportunity for more relaxed, naturally lit photos of the bride and groom. Unless you’re doing a destination wedding or you’ve planned special activities for your guests after the ceremony, the overall time spent taking photos of the newlyweds (and the newlyweds with their bridal party) without a First Look is less than what you could have if your photos were taken before the ceremony. Most couples don’t want to leave their guests waiting around for a long time at their reception site, so the time schedule is generally pretty tight after the ceremony.

Another thing to think about: Depending on the time of year that your wedding is in and the time you are wanting your ceremony to be, a First Look is sometimes necessary in order to have naturally lit photos of you and your new spouse (i.e. December sunset time in the midwest is around 5:30 pm).

While a First Look is not for everyone, it’s definitely something to consider as you think about what you want the experience on your wedding day to be like. Personally speaking, James and I did not choose to have a First Look when we got married over 4 years ago. Gasp! BUT, we didn’t know much about it back then, we’d never seen it done, and we ended up going back to our photographer and getting more photos of just the two of us in our wedding attire a month after our wedding because we were really rushed after our ceremony and weren’t able to get as many photos as we wanted! Looking back, a First Look probably would have been a better fit for what we were wanting photo-wise out of our day. :-)

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