To First Look or Not to First Look: That is the Question
Nearly every couple comes to us with the same question: “Should we do a first look?”. While our answer is always a resounding yes, we understand that some like to maintain the tradition of having the grand reveal be during the ceremony itself. Couples also wonder how to make family moments extra special on their wedding day. Like our sweet bride above, she shared a First Look with her father and her husband on her wedding day. Both moments were unforgettably sweet!
As wedding planners and photographers, we wanted to help ease this wedding planning woe. Based on our experiences, we are going to weigh the options along with you. Below, we are sharing the pros and cons of a wedding day first look. Grab your bridal bubbly and take a seat–we are going to chat through this together!
First Look Pros
Your wedding day will be bustling with activity. While it is sure to be a blast, finding time alone with your new spouse can be a challenge. Having a first look guarantees you will have the coveted one on one time on your big day. It quiets all the noise, puts the timeline on pause, and allows you both a moment to be together. Of course, the grand reveal in itself is super special, too. But most importantly of all is having that special time to share just the two of you.
Another bonus? This peaceful time together is a great time to read each other love letters, or even your wedding vows. Often the vows get lost in the emotion of the wedding ceremony and the watching eyes. Reading them to one another during this moment can gift you the time to listen and soak in every word.
Take it from our brides themselves. We are always sure to chat through the magic of their day together during their gallery preview. And during that chat, we ask how they felt about their first look. Every single time, they share that they are so thankful they decided to go for it. They feel it did not take away from the excitement of the reveal during the ceremony. In fact, they share it actually made the walk down the aisle even more enjoyable, as the first reveal nerves were out of the way!
All that being said, this brings us to the cons. The first con is that it does take some time away from your timeline. You can work with your planner and photographer on finding a good time to wiggle this in. Secondly, the other is simply: the grand reveal will be before, not during the wedding ceremony. While we personally and professionally feel a first look is beneficial in many ways, some couples really cherish the first time they see each other being during the ceremony. We completely understand this! If this is tugging at you, we encourage you to go for it and wait until the ceremony! At the end of the day, our advice is always to do what feels best for YOU! Your love story is completely special and unique, and your wedding day will beautifully reflect that no matter what. <3
Written by Social Curator: Kelsey Pfleiderer
While you have your planning binder out, check out our blog on traditions here: Twisting Traditions: How To Personalize Wedding Traditions to Best Fit You