Let’s start at the beginning. What is a first look? It's a special time where you and your fiance get to see each other for the first time on your wedding day in a private moment before the ceremony. I highly recommend them! A first look not only allows more time for photography and a smoother timeline, it's also a sweet intimate moment for you to share with your fiance before the craziness of the day. If you aren’t sure about the tradition, this blog post will help explain why it would be a romantic addition to your wedding day. 90% of my couples have a first look, and they absolutely LOVE it!

Andry and I did a first look on our own wedding day three years ago. We both agree hands down that it was our absolute favorite part of the entire day. We were both so nervous the entire morning, but when we finally got to see each other, all those nerves went away. We shared such a sweet special moment, just the two of us. We didn’t even notice the photographers. BUT our photographer captured our priceless reactions, and I have a framed photo of our reactions hanging in our bedroom. They are some of our favorite photos from the whole day. Not to mention, after our first look, we got the spend the entire day with each other! We didn’t have to wait until the 6pm ceremony.

Many couples don’t want to consider a first look, because they get caught up in how “non-traditional” they are. But the digger I deep, the more I realize what is most important to my couples is the reaction of the bride coming down the aisle, and the photos of the reaction. Well, I can tell you after photographing countless first looks, that first look reactions are so priceless. I’ve witnessed so many tears by grooms. But those reactions to the first look don’t change the fact that even though the groom has already seen the bride, they always still have an amazing reaction, tears and all, to their bride walking down the aisle. If anything, I think the first look helps the walking down the aisle reaction, because all those nerves are gone, and true emotions can express themselves.

When you have a first look, you and groom get to embrace each other when you first see each other. You get to cry together, laugh together, and KISS each other! You get to take a moment for yourselves. You get to be TOGETHER and ALONE (besides the photographer who you won’t even notice). You don’t have 50-300 pairs of eyes on you. After your first look, you get to move casually into portraits. There’s no time crunch, no DJ reminding us that guests are waiting, and there’s plenty of time for photos. We get to take all of your bride and groom photos, bridal party photos, and family photos BEFORE the ceremony. That way, after the ceremony, you can head straight to your own cocktail hour to spend time with the people you love the most. Think of it this way, when you do a first look, you get DOUBLE the amount of portraits.

I would never want to pressure any of my couples into a first look if it’s just not for them after they’ve looked at all the pros and cons for having a first look or not having a first look. I ALWAYS respect my couples’ wishes. However, if there is no first look, we’ll either have to cram all of the portraits into 1-1.5 hours between the ceremony and reception (meaning we won’t get as many photos or as much variety), or you’ll keep your guests waiting for quite a long period of time if we use the entire 2-3 hours that I generally recomend for capturing a wide variety of bride and groom, bridal party, and family photos. Just remember, that these portraits are the ones you’ll frame and hang in your home, and these are the photos that will be passed down for generations.

I want the BEST for all of my couples, and after shooting over 75 weddings, I’ve been able to figure out what works really well. I love to give my couples’ all the advice I possibly can, because most of them have never been married before, and I’ve been a part of SO many weddings at this point.

Still on the fence? Check out some of my favorite first look photos!