Should you have a first look?
You’re engaged, congrats!
You’ve got some planning ahead of you and maybe you’ve already figured out the venue and the date and are starting to work on more of the nitty gritty details of your big day. One of the major things you need to get together is the timeline of the wedding day and with that comes: the first look.
What is a first look?
Traditionally the groom doesn’t see the bride until the moment that she’s walking down the aisle and it’s a moment shared with the entire audience at your ceremony.
The first look turns that entire tradition on it’s head. It’s a private moment shared between the bride and groom well before the ceremony where they get to share words and show off how great they look, with no audience and usually minimal involvement from the photographer.
The question comes down to, should you do a first look or keep it traditional? I’m here to give you some info about why I think you should have a first look.
1. You get to have a private moment with just you and the one you love
The real beauty of a first look is that there’s no one else there, it’s just a moment to be shared between you two. Yes, the photographer will be there to capture it, but they should be able to expertly shoot the moment while giving you space to catch up for a quick minute.
Usually on wedding days there’s so much preparation going on, last minute things, you’re busy getting ready, etc. It’s enough to fry your nerves a bit. But worse yet is the fact that you don’t have your best friend by your side to talk to. First Looks are usually the first chance you get to talk to each other, compliment and gush about how you both look, and dish about what’s been going on on their end. I’ve seen it time and time again how it relieves the pressure of the big day.
2. It helps the timeline run smoothly
Without the first look you’re usually confined to doing the couples portraits, bridal party, AND family group photos all during the cocktail hour. Which means that’s less time you get to spend mingling with all your friends and family that came to celebrate your big day.
By starting off your day with doing a first look, that means we can some additional time before the ceremony to get those photos out of the way and get you back to enjoying cocktail hour and spending time with friends and family. You could still run off and do a few minutes worth of photos to get that post-ceremony joy, but you also get to mingle and enjoy a cocktail or two!
3.The real meaning behind the traditional look during the ceremony
The truth is that there’s nothing romantic about it. The real reasoning why grooms weren’t allowed to see their blushing bride on the wedding day was because of arranged marriages and fear that without the societal pressure of the ceremony and being surrounded by the audience itself that the groom would bolt at first view.
Yeah… so beyond all the perks of why you should do a first look, there’s also that.
So there you go! There are 3 reasons why I think you should do a first look.
That being said, I’m here to remind you that whatever you want is what you should do. If you’ve had your heart set on keeping it traditional and your boo seeing you for the first time as you walk down the aisle then that’s 100% what you should do. Because really at the end of the day it’s all about you.
Have you picked a wedding photographer yet? If not I’d love to chat with you about your wedding day! Feel free to reach out to me via my contact form or send me an email at shootme@mgpulido.co I look forward to meeting you!
