Why you should DEFINITELY do a first look on your wedding day
When people tell you that your wedding day flies by, they aren’t lying. Months and months of planning are over in a few exhilarating, incredible hours. Even though you’re surrounded by the people who love and adore you the most, it’s important to squeeze in a few private moments with your soon to be husband or wife in the midst of the chaos.
So… what exactly is a first look?
A first look is a private meet up where the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony. Some couples do a partial first look, where they hold hands but are still hidden. There are a ton of ways to do these and you can really get as creative as you want with it.
First looks are something our parents and grandparents definitely weren’t doing. They aren’t traditional but they’re popular for a ton of reasons.
Reason #1: FIRST LOOKS ALLOW YOU TO REFOCUS AND BE PRESENT.
It’s easy to be tangled up in the chaos of your wedding day. You’ll likely be worried about your hair, make up, shoes, dress, family members, bridesmaids, etc. You’ll be anticipating the ceremony. Will I mess up my vows? Will I trip? What about the weather? But here’s the thing.. none of that matters. What matters is you’re marrying the love of your life. That’s IT. When you take the time (about 15 minutes) to do a first look, and you see the person you’re about to marry, everything else melts away. You’re focused on each other and that’s it. It’s a truly magical, private moment. After I had my first look with my now husband, my head was clear, my nerves were gone and I was ready to go!
Reason #2: MORE IMAGES:
Obviously this is a big deal for me since I’m a photographer. But even if I wasn’t, I’d know the importance of photos like this. These are the photos your grandkids will look at one day. Like I said, your wedding day flies by. It’s so important to have as many photos as possible and in my opinion, a lot of variety! Depending on your timeline, you might not have time after the ceremony for photos of JUST you and your spouse. Out of our entire wedding gallery, our first look photos are my favorite and are a reflection of my favorite moment— our first look.
REASON #3: MORE TIME TO SPEND WITH GUESTS:
Here’s the thing. If you do a first look, you can also take your family photos before the ceremony as well. (just make sure to tell those family members to arrive early!) This saves a ton of time and allows you to fully enjoy the reception! You can actually participate in cocktail hour and start dancing! ayyyyy!
REASON #4: YOU’LL STILL BE OVERJOYED AND EMOTIONAL AT THE ALTAR:
A lot of people hesitate having a first look for this reason alone. Will my husband still feel emotional when he sees me? Will it take away the “big” moment? Here are my thoughts. My husband and I were more emotional during our first look and it was SO special. To me, that was a big moment. But when I saw him waiting for me at the altar, and he saw me walking towards him, it’s a WHOLE OTHER MOMENT! At the altar, you’re in your “let’s get marrrrrried!” mode. You’re about to declare your love for eachother in front of the people who love and support you the most. The emotions will still be there!!
Planning a wedding is no joke. I know there are so may things to think about, decide on and plan. I hope this article was helpful for you, wherever you are in the process!
