Your first look is an amazing part of your wedding day! If you aren’t sure about this tradition, I will explain why it would be a romantic addition to your wedding day celebration that not only adds to the experience but also reduces stress. Please know that I would never want any of my couples to feel pressured to go with this option. However, I do want to make sure that I share all of the benefits of a first look because there is a reason 90% of my couples do this and LOVE it!
40% More Portraits
You’re investing a lot into your wedding photography. With a first look, you’ll receive 40% MORE portraits of the two of you… and those are the images you will decorate your first home with! With a first look, you make the most out of this large investment and get the most for your money.
First Looks allow you to extend your wedding day. Normally the wedding day would start when you come down the aisle; then the ceremony would end, you would rush through portraits so that you’re not late for the introductions and then it’s reception time. With a first look, your wedding day is extended by almost 3 hours! Instead of being rushed for your bridal party portraits… you actually get to enjoy them and have fun hanging out with your BEST friends on your wedding day. The WHOLE first half of my client’s wedding albums are filled with images just from this time together before the ceremony.
Your Only Alone Time
Most brides don’t realize that when you come down the aisle and totally SHOCK him with your gorgeousness… he can’t even tell you how amazing you look. He can’t touch you, embrace you, or even SPEAK to you. You have to wait until 30 minutes later when the ceremony is over for him to react and tell you how amazing you look. And after 30 minutes of the ceremony, the reaction isn’t the same as the initial first glance.
First Looks allow you two to be TOGETHER and alone on your wedding day. When my couples see each other, not only was it intimate, it was their only time to be alone the whole day! They cry and laugh and cry some more… and then that put them in the PERFECT mood for their romantic portraits. Normally portraits are a little rushed after the family formals, and it can be hard to really get back into that “lovey-dovey” mode…. especially with family around! When you have just shared your first look, you’re READY to love on each other, and I always capture some super sweet images during those moments!
It’s a Stress Reliever!
Believe it or not, but first looks are the best way for you to get rid of your nerves! I’d say, literally 1/2 of my couples who have decided to do a first look, the grooms were not fans of it at first. However, because they have never experienced their wedding day before, they didn’t know how nerve-racking it can be. I have testimonials from so many grooms who initially weren’t a fan of the first look… but afterward, they admitted to being SO much more relaxed and ready for the ceremony!
“I wanted to wait to see Ashley for the first time as she walked down the aisle. However, we decided to incorporate a first look to give us more time to get photos with our bridal party and families before the ceremony. We felt relief knowing we could enjoy cocktail hour with our friends and family instead of spending a majority of the hour taking our family pictures after the ceremony. The moment when I turned around to see Ashley for the first time, I was speechless. It was a moment for just the two of us to take in and enjoy before the craziness of the rest of the wedding. We were so happy to capture these moments with just the two of us and it’s some of our favorite portraits!
Greg Roth
Tradition Is Still Okay!
I like to always educate my couples about a first look so that they realize that if they want an ABUNDANCE of portraits, they may not receive as many images if they decide not to share a first look.
If you truly want to stick to the traditional route and your timeline is not set in stone yet, I would suggest allowing at least 2 hours of portrait time in between the end of the ceremony to the start of cocktail hour. This will allow us to still capture all of your family formals, bridal party portraits, and newly-wed portraits without having to sacrifice your cocktail hour.
Allowing for this much time in between locations is super easy to coordinate when you have a ceremony and repetition in two separate locations. However, it is almost impossible to do this when everything is all in one location.
If there is no way to allow for added time in between the ceremony and cocktail hour, there are still ways to make portraits possible! You may not have as many as you would like, but the photography timeline can be designed to better suit your wedding day!
