Your wedding day is one of the biggest milestones in your life. You dream of it, plan for months, and just like that, it’s gone in the blink of an eye. Leaving you with photos of your big day to look back on forever. So, of course, you want to make sure you have every moment captured on film. One of the ways you can do that is by taking the non-traditional route and having a first look before the ceremony.
What is a first look?
A first look is also commonly known as a bride and groom reveal. It’s a modern twist to the wedding timeline that becomes more and more popular every year. It’s planned in advance with the help of your photographer to whisk you and your beloved away to a private location. Allowing you to see each other for the first time on your wedding day. This also provides for some great pre-ceremony wedding photos!
5 reasons to do a first look on your wedding day
1. More photos = Less stress
By scheduling your first look in the morning it opens up the ability to do family and bridal party formal pictures before the ceremony, giving more time for portraits afterward. This is also great because before the ceremony is when everyone is looking at their best. Makeup hasn’t had a chance to be ruined by happy tears and hair is still being held in place with fresh hairspray.
Wedding days can be hectic and delays are often unavoidable. If you only have an hour scheduled for after ceremony photos, but a delay happens, you are now left with even less time to capture your memories on film. By splitting the photo session to before and after the wedding, you help to reduce the stress of trying to squeeze all of them into a small time window.
2. Natural lighting
Another awesome perk of doing before ceremony photos is that you get different lighting in your shots. By doing a first look photo session before the ceremony, and doing portraits afterward, you get different natural lighting moments for the photographer to work with.
This also gives you better photos, which is money well-spent. After all, if you’re going to invest in a photographer, you should do what you can to make sure you’re getting your monies worth with the finished product.
3. Calm your nerves
Your wedding day can be a stressful day of last-minute details, greeting guests, and making sure everything is running smoothly. Anxiety and wedding jitters can really get to you, making the day less enjoyable. So by taking the first look, you are taking a moment to relax. Allowing you to rediscover what brought you here, by spending some time with your soon-to-be spouse.
4. Spend more time with the guests
Your guests are here to celebrate you and this new chapter in your life. Having less posed photos after the ceremony means that you can have more time to mingle with them. This gives you more time to thank them for being a part of your big day. It also allows more time for sipping cocktails with family and friends at the reception. Creating candid photos and precious memories to last you a lifetime.
5. Quality alone time with your love
On your wedding day, you have virtually no alone time with your new spouse. There is only one “first look” and by having it done in private, it’s much more intimate and it can help you to look calmer during the ceremony. You also save yourself the stress of hiding from each other all day prior to the “I do.”
Taking a moment before the ceremony for pre-wedding pictures of the first look allows you to step back from the hustle of the day. This gives you a chance to momentarily slow down time. Seeing each other dressed up and ready for the big moment can help you capture this moment in photos you’ll cherish forever.
