To start, I would like to explain what a first look is. For those of you who don’t know, a first look is the “new age/non-traditional” wedding day event which allows you and your fiance to see each other before the ceremony on your wedding day. The first look is a moment set aside on your wedding day for you two to have your own moment without anyone around… Other than us of course. So now that you know what a First Look is, lets talk more.
After going on five years worth of weddings AND our own wedding we’ve realized how much we love first looks. We’ve also realized a lot of misconceptions about them. We constantly hear that it’s bad luck for you to see each other before the ceremony. While there are some valid & excellent reasons on why you may choose not to do a first look – the “bad luck” reason shouldn’t be on that list. Ready for some wedding education. The tradition of the bride and groom not seeing each other before the ceremony originated in the time of arranged marriages. A bride and groom weren’t allowed to see each other in case the bride and groom weren’t attracted to each other and called the wedding off. Real romantic right? The traditional element shouldn’t be a reason for you to base your decision on!
I think it’s no secret that we love first looks. We loved that we did one on our wedding day! One thing no one will tell you is how fast a wedding day goes by. On top of that, you and your fiance don’t get a ton of alone time. So we make it a point to try to get you a few minutes of alone time to love, kiss, cry with joy, or just say “Dang Babe! You look good!” I promise nothing will replace that memory of your man hugging you so tight and saying “this is the best day of my life!”
Katie recently got this reaction from Caleb and said: “It was so special and definitely my favorite part of the day!”
Another misconception is that walking down the aisle won’t be as emotional. Tell that to Mallory who teared up and had a smile ear to ear while walking down the aisle, even after doing the first look.
What we’ve noticed is quite the opposite. That once you’ve done your first look and shook off some pre-ceremony jitters. You allow yourself to live in the moment when walking down the aisle. We all know wedding days can be stressful and what do you do when you’ve had a stressful day at work? You call your fiance and talk. Most of the time with him calming you down and easing your stress. This EXACT thing happens on a wedding day. When you two can see each other before the doors open to the ceremony you are prepared, relaxed, and ready to officially be husband and wife. You aren’t worried about the 200 people staring at you. All you see is that wonderful man at the end of the aisle.
I want to make sure you know; our clients are in no way required to do a first look. However, we do see the extreme benefits of doing one. If you choose to not do a first look. That’s totally fine, It’s just our preference to do one for many reasons. Keep Reading!
• On average we’ve seen that clients who opt for the first look get 40% more photos of the two of you. Because we’ve set aside more time for you two to have moments alone together, you’re going to have more moments documented leading to more photos at the end of the day.
• Most brides don’t realize that once you start the walk down the aisle and his jaw hits the floor because of how spectacular you look. He can’t say a thing, he can’t hug you and sometimes will even hide his emotions because 200 people have their eyes on him. You have to wait 30 minutes, sometimes more, for the ceremony to complete before you can actually talk freely to each other.
• As much as we love giving you a free moment to talk and give you extra photos because you opted for the first look – more than anything we love giving you (and everyone involved) a stress-free wedding day. A traditional wedding day begins with a ceremony when you walk down the aisle, then the ceremony ends, and we have to document a lot before you can enter your reception. After a traditional wedding day ceremony we have to photograph; Family formals, wedding parties, and husband & wife photos all before your grand entrance into your reception. Whereas our brides who do the first look, their wedding day begins with a first look. Aka your day starts with seeing your soon to be husband! Isn’t that the way every day should begin? After that, we do wedding party photos which means you are surrounded by your best friends for the rest of the day. Also, we can usually do ALL family photos before the ceremony. Meaning, you can enter your reception within minutes of your ceremony, and you’re not making your friends wait for you.
Thank you so much for reading through another episode of The Married Podcast. Head on over to listen through the entire episode or if you are more of a watching person check out our YouTube channel for the entire real episode live in our very own home with a super cool neon sign. Don’t forget to leave any questions or comments in the section below and as always share away! If you loved this episode we would love to see you leave us a review <3
Have more questions? Drop them in the comments below!
