In my opinion, wedding first looks are one of the most underrated potential parts of your day. Now this isn’t going to be a wedding blog post knocking people that like to wait until they see their significant other until the ceremony, but it does highlight some of the pros of having a first look before the ceremony.
What is a Couple’s First Look?
So what is a first look session? It’s a private moment when the couple get together after they’re dressed but before the ceremony. This lets the partners share an intimate moment before the craziness of the wedding day and is usually a good time for styled or posed portraits, which leads into my first point.
A Wedding First Look Gives You Time.
Time. A ton of the weddings we’ve shot, or helped shoot with, don’t go exactly as scheduled. That’s completely fine and pretty natural, but with everything being rushed it makes it hard for vendors to do their job sometimes. Being conscious about that and setting time aside to get photos of you and your significant other on your wedding day, greatly improves the number of images delivered after your wedding and the number of shots that can be “perfect”. There’s more time to be in control as the wedding photographer and/or videographer (Check out our post on having a wedding videographer here!). First looks have a lot of emotion and an anticipation with what they represent, so it’s a naturally good time to get reactions and photos that are unique to you two.
A Wedding First Look Gives You a Chance to Breathe
Taking a breath. Your wedding day is hectic, so much so that you may forget that you need to eat. Scheduling time for just the two of you lets you take a breath, be with the person you love, and be in the moment as it slows down. Being in the wedding ceremony with all eyes on you, getting family pictures done can be stressful, and when it gets to the cocktail hour and reception you’ll just want people to leave you alone so you can eat haha. But the wedding first look gives you that opportunity to just slow down and breathe.
If you’re expecting poor weather on your wedding day, it might be best to plan on a first look because it gives you more options for pictures. If it’s pouring rain after the ceremony, you’ll be thankful you had pictures done in advance.
The last reason is for all you criers out there. If you know the tears are going to fly the first time you see your other half the day of your wedding, a first look will give you time to freshen up before the ceremony.
First look or not, the first time you see each other on your wedding day will be special.
