Attention brides and grooms! Several of you have asked about doing a "First Look" on your wedding day (seeing each other before the ceremony). Should we do it? Should we not do it? What are the pros and cons? What about the tradition? Well... this is your lucky day! We found this great article by Lauren Clark that explains it perfectly! Since we couldn’t have said it better ourselves, we asked Lauren if we could use the article here. Being the super cool chick that she is, she said “sure!”

There's a lot to read (we know), but it's super-duper important!! Deciding whether or not to do the "First Look" can make all of the difference in your wedding photos... so grab some popcorn and enjoy!

Intro:
As you know, we strongly suggest doing a “First Look” before your wedding. A “first look” happens when the bride and groom see each other BEFORE the ceremony. Your mother and grandmother will gasp at this idea – we know!! So we thought we’d give you a little bit more info before you decide if a “first look” is right for your wedding. :)
 

Some insight to the tradition:
Many years ago when arranged marriages were the only way to go, the brides parent's wouldn't allow the bride to see the groom before the ceremony just in case she thought he was ugly and would run away before they were married.
 

So how does the First Look work?
We keep the couple separated until they are fully dressed and ready. Once the bride is ready, we send the groom to the front of the ceremony sight (or a location of your choice) and have his back towards her with no one else in the room. Her father can escort her in or she can walk down the aisle alone. When she is ready she walks down and tells him when he can turn around and take his first look! This is where the magic happens. Tears, beautiful words and relief hit the couple.
 

The bride and groom are no longer nervous, and he's able to see her walking down the aisle as he always dreamed. We take a few images and then step back so the couple can have some privacy. When they are ready, we go photograph them privately and then start the wedding party pictures.


Why we suggest doing the “First Look”:
1) The bride is not stressed out after she sees her groom.

2) We don't have to play hide and seek with the groom before the ceremony. 

3) We take most of the photographs before the ceremony so the couple, family, and guests all get to the reception at about the same time.

4) We have natural light to make stellar images of the bride and groom together, unlike when they get married at 6 and the sun has already set after the wedding. If this is the case (and trust us, it almost always is), we have very little time to take photos of the bride/groom, bridal party, and families standing in front of the church before they have to be rushed off to the reception. We believe that people hire us for our ability to capture the bride and groom on the wedding day… and if we don't have the time or natural light, we are not able to do this as well as we would like. Couples that don’t do a “first look” risk being disappointed in the few "traditional" shots they have of each other when all is said and done. Our creative flow is stopped when this happens.

5) The couple gets to see each other alone for the first time, instead of in front of hundreds of people. They can say things to each other and hug like they wouldn't be able to if they saw each other for the first time at the altar. The groom will say things to the bride that she will never forget because it is a no-pressure situation. They wouldn't be able to speak if they were just seeing each other for the first time at the altar.
 

6) The groom normally has a more genuine and breathtaking "look" on his face when he doesn't have three hundred guests staring at him as you walk down the aisle. And because it is just the bride/groom, we are able to capture these looks close up, instead of from the back of the church.

7) There is much less stress on everyone involved in the wedding day. The time constraints that we deal with when we haven’t done a “first look” aren’t there.

8) You’ve hired us to take the best possible photos of your wedding – and the first look is the best way to do that. Because we will have more time to take your photos, you will have more photos to choose from. Chances are, they will also be more creative and artistic because they were shot in a more relaxed setting. And because you’ll be more relaxed, the photos will seem more natural and real.  :)
 

Do you HAVE to do the First Look?
Absolutely not. While we highly suggest it, it is not mandatory or required. Deciding whether or not to do the “first look” is a very personal decision that each couple must make for themselves.

Thanks to Lauren Clark for helping us put these ideas/thoughts into words! Let us know if you have any questions about the First Look! 

And in case you missed it, here are 2 of our more recent “first looks!”  Enjoy :)