4 Great Reasons to Do a First Look At Your Wedding (And One Great Reason To Skip It)
As a documentary wedding photographer, I am all about the candid, natural, moments. I tend not to vouch for doing many shots that are staged in any way, so it might surprise you to know that I actually recommend doing a first look to almost every couple I work with. There are some really great reasons why you should do a first look and only one really good reason to skip it.
Reason #1: Calm Your Nerves. There’s something sort of weird about the tradition of not seeing your husband or wife to-be in the hours before your ceremony. They are your best friend and the person you want to be with for life’s biggest events after all! Having a private moment to see each other just before the ceremony and to take away that nerve-wracking "big reveal” feeling can help make the ceremony a less anxiety-inducing experience. It will put you and your partner in a good space and allow you to take a beat to enjoy your day together before it really begins.
Reason #2: A first look makes for truly beautiful, emotional photos. During your ceremony, you’ll both have all eyes on you and nerves will have kicked in. Sometimes, this will make you clam up and not express your emotions in the same way that you might have in private. With a first look, your photographer can capture a beautiful, authentic, emotional moment between the two of you that may not have happened otherwise. Capturing your emotion as each of you sees each other for the first time on your wedding day can make for some of the most amazing images and portraits of the two of you from the day. It is possible to capture these emotions while one of you is walking down the aisle, but with the distance between you physically and the formality of the moment, it is never quite the same photo-wise.
Reason #3: You’ll be looking as perfect and fresh as you will all day (as will your bridal party and family members)! Take advantage of your freshly made-up selves and take your couple portraits, family, and bridal party photos before the ceremony. That way you can all ugly cry during the ceremony and nobody will have to worry about the ramifications of mascara stained cheeks or keeping a makeup artist on site for the extra time for touchups (do make sure to bring some makeup to touch up before the ceremony though, as you’ll likely need it post-first look emotion!).
Reason #4: THIS IS THE BIG ONE. Get your portraits over with before the ceremony so that you, your bridal party and your family can relax and enjoy the party with your guests after the ceremony! You’ve probably spent hours planning (and paying for) delicious food and drinks to serve your guests at your cocktail hour. Don’t miss out on all that deliciousness yourself because you’re off taking photos! Cocktail hour is a perfect time to chat with guests and make some rounds talking to family and friends who have traveled from near and far to celebrate with you. Do a first look so you can thoroughly enjoy that time!
The ONLY reason to skip a first look: You want the first time that you see your partner on your wedding day to be when you are at opposite ends of the aisle. If that tradition is most important to you and overshadows reasons 1-4, by all means, skip the first look! It’s your wedding day and you should stick with what you love. If you’ve always dreamt of your ceremony in this way, then do it! It will be beautiful and your photographer will still capture your “first look” emotions (make sure to hire a second photographer if you care to get both partners’ emotions captured).
Very important advice if you go this route and skip the first look: Make sure to have a friend who isn’t in all of the photos snag you and your partner some cocktail hour food and drinks so you don’t miss out!
