Tampa Modern-Vintage Wedding Photographer

5 Reasons You Should Consider A First Look

Lets start this off by explaining what a “First Look” even is.  A first look is when the bride & groom see each other before the ceremony and have their bridal portraits taken in a more relaxed, intimate environment. This option is not for everyone, however, it is quickly gaining popularity! Read my reasons for why you should consider doing a first look (-:

You get to spend time alone
A first look will allow you two to spend some quality  time alone together, a moment that will not happen for the rest of the day until you leave the reception at the end of the night! This will allow you both to become more relaxed and romantic since you’ll be able to cry, laugh, and kiss each other to your hearts content without 80-200 pairs of eyes watching your every move, or your planner reminding you that you “only have 10 minutes left”. You get to share this very intimate moment, seeing your bride in her wedding dress for the very first time, with no one but each other. It becomes  a very special and cherished memory.

It calms your nerves
Most couples are very nervous before walking down the aisle. Of course you’re excited, but nervous none the less. A lot of couples are apprehensive to do a first look because they think it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony (watch out for a future blog post that will explain wedding tradition origins!) or they don’t want to break tradition but seeing each other beforehand can really calm your nerves! You get to spend quality time together, talk to each other, pray with each other. If the grooms first time seeing you is when you are walking down the aisle, there is no way for him to tell you how gorgeous you are, how excited he is to become your husband, or kiss you passionately. He will have to wait until after the ceremony is over, after the greetings have been done, after the family and bridal party portraits… he will have to wait a good 40-90 minutes after he has first seen you! So just because he has seen you before the ceremony itdoes not mean that he wont be filled with joy and anticipation when you start walking down the aisle. If anything, he is more excited now than nervous!

Fun Bridal Party Portraits
When you do a first look you are really doing yourself a huge favor! Not only do you get to spend some alone time with your love, but you get to spend more time with your best friends! After having your romantic, intimate bridal portraits done, we get to take the bridal party portraits, photos of you and your very best friends having a blast on your wedding day. Being surrounded by your closest friends before walking down the aisle is also a huge help for calming nerves (-;

More Photos
Couples who plan for a first look get 30-40% more photos! This is because we have more time. A first look can be as long as you want, usually 1-3 hours. We have the ability to go anywhere, not just be restricted to locations close to the reception site, and we have the freedom to be more creative. The bridal portraits are the images you will be showing off to friends and family, hanging up in your home, and filling your heirloom album. Why wouldn’t you want a lot of them? This day happens once, you should be taking full advantage of it!

Party With Your Guests Sooner
Of course, being a photographer, the “more photos” would seem like the obvious selling point. However, its this one! When I tell couples that by doing a first look they are able to get to their cocktail hour and reception (and the bar) faster since the photos will be all done, their eyes light up! I mean, it makes sense , you are paying for it after all. Why shouldn’t you enjoy it? And the fact that you get to mingle with your guests who came from all over to see you be united? Icing on the cake. Not to mention, if you’re able to mingle with them at the cocktail hour, chances are you’ll be left alone to enjoy your dinner with out (too many) interruptions (-;

Of course, I never push the first look on anyone. Ultimately, this is a decision to be made by the couple. There is no wrong answer. I fully support first looks because I know they help ease nerves, provide you with more photos and get you back to your families faster. If a first look isn’t for you, no problem! Please just make sure that you have a timeline created and leave enough room for portraits after the ceremony and before the reception without feeling too rushed or overwhelmed.