4 Reasons Why I’m for "First Looks"
Ok, first thing you might be asking is “What is a ‘first look’?”
The simple explanation is that First Looks are photos taken by your photographer BEFORE the ceremony of yourself and your spouse-to-be. It’s the big reveal done in a private location and captured beautifully by your photographer.
But what about tradition? Yes, there are some that prefer to stick to tradition and wait to see their partner until the big walk down the aisle. For those that choose the traditional route, your photos are usually taken after the ceremony and before the reception. Sometimes, that even means you miss your cocktail hour. Bummer.
Which leads me to the reasons why I advise couples to do First Looks…
1. More time to enjoy your hard-earned cocktail hour.
If your cocktail hour immediately follows your ceremony, or if there is less than an hour and a half in between, you may find yourself missing some, if not all, of your cocktail hour if you wait until after the ceremony to take all of your photos. I don’t know about you, but cocktail hour is one of my favorite parts of the wedding. Good food, good drinks, everyone is chatting and mingling… just a great time. I wouldn’t want to miss it, that’s for sure.
2. You get that special moment captured on film, up close and personal.
Traditionally, the first look happens as you walk down the aisle. Depending on the photographer, it can be difficult to capture both emotions from the bride AND the groom. And if you’re the bride, you’re walking down the aisle, and all you want to do is give your hubby-to-be a giant hug! Well, once you reach that altar, there’s a ceremony that has to happen. No hugging or kissing until the Rev says so… which leads me to #3.
3. You can hug and kiss the crap out of each other!
Yep. You can jump into a huge bear hug, and kiss them until your lipstick comes off! And once again, the photographer gets to capture every bit of that emotion. (see the amazing photos of Mindy and Mark below)
4. You (likely) won’t be late for your ceremony.
So many brides I meet with tell me that they’re concerned that they’ll be late to their ceremony. Well, if you do your First Looks before the ceremony, chances are much smaller that you’ll be late. You’ll already be dressed, ready to go and you’ll have some of your nerves relieved already (which is beyond helpful).
