Should you do a First Look at your Wedding?

We are team whatever you want. Seriously. We support you if you want to do a first look, but if your heart is set on that grand moment of seeing each other down the aisle, we’re here for it too! We get asked a lot about whether to do a first look or not, so we’re giving you some of our advice on the subject!

First off, do you boo boo! Make the choice and stick to it, regardless of others’ opinions. Remember this is your wedding day, and you’re marriage. Also don’t feel pressure from vendors, friends, or family to do the first look to make your wedding day timeline work better, your timeline doesn’t balance on the fact of a first look. Phew, we had to get that out first!

Reasons to do a First Look

If one of you is shy, and more introverted a first look is a great idea. Having 100+ people staring at your when the love of your life walks down the aisle is frankly, A LOT! Give yourselves an intimate moment to have those emotions so you both are comfortable. Truly there are not many times on your wedding day where it’s just the two of you. Soak in a sweet quiet moment together before all of the craziness begins.

Don’t worry, we’ve seen a lot of couples still have an emotional reaction as their person comes down the aisle! That moment is big.

Lastly, the moment you see your person your big nerves melt away. Having a wedding can be a bit nerve-wracking. It’s natural! Most of our couples have some pre-ceremony jitters. It’s all happening and the excitement can lean into nerves, easily. It’s always fun to watch our couples see each other for the first time and then exhale the nerves away and be ready to ‘Do the damn thing!’

Reasons a first look is nice for your timeline? We’ll ‘front load’ the timeline, getting all the portraits done, potentially even family portraits! This is the only way we’ll be able to spend most of your cocktail hour with your guests. It doesn’t mean you’ll be at cocktail hour for the full time. A good 15min delay for some formal portraits allows your guests to get their drinks and start mingling before you arrive. The best part is your guests will be ready to cheer you into cocktail hour by that time!

Why you shouldn’t do one…

Yes, we are romantics and we still get emotional at a good first look down the aisle moment. I mean a crying groom or a tear-filled bride? How can you not get emotional? This moment is in every fairytale book ever. So we’re team aisle if you want to have that grand moment together.

Be prepared for your parents to be in tears, and your bridal party to be hyped! If you choose to for go the first look there are still things we can do in your timeline to make your day go smooth!

Pre-ceremony (depending on time/sun) we can knock out your respective bridal party portraits so post-wedding we don’t have to do all of them, just full bridal party. We can also have your solo portraits complete too! All things we can eliminate from post-ceremony photos and get to partying with your people faster.

If you find this blog helpful, you’ll love our tips on how to keep your bridal party small!