To
First Look
or not to First Look
The First Look Explained...
I have to confess my feelings on the First Look. They’re AWESOME. However, not everyone is aware of how awesome they are because they get caught up in how “non-traditional” it is and they immediately write it off.
Some brides love “traditions,” but what a bride REALLY wants when it comes to her groom seeing her for the first time is a REACTION. Those who are not interested in a First Look usually think that by seeing each other beforehand, they will lose part of that reaction. They also assume that it will not be as emotional or as intimate as it would be if they were coming down the aisle. What I have found (this is starting to sound like a research paper!) is so ironic! Everyone knows that wedding days are a bit stressful for the bride and groom. The whole day is focused on them, they need to look their best, they need to be on time, the groom has no idea what side the boutonniere is supposed to go on and little by little, the tension grows.
It’s before the ceremony and the gravity of what is about to happen starts to sink in and the calm, collected groom who was playing golf just a few short hours ago is now starting to feel a little anxious. So what happens next? The groom waits in a little room somewhere for his cue from the coordinator. It seems like it’s taking FOREVER. Finally, the coordinator leans her head in and hurries the groom to get ready. With clammy hands, the groom enters the ceremony and what does he find? He finds anywhere from 80-300 people and they’re all looking where? Right at his face because everyone has expectations and anticipation about his first reaction.
This is the farthest thing from a private, intimate moment. Sure, it’s SO powerful and SO wonderful. But I noticed that when couples have done a first look, as the bride walked down the aisle, the groom wasn’t a nervous wreck…he had spent the morning with his bride and their best friends and the pressure was OFF. By the time our ceremony rolled around he was ready to ENJOY their beautiful day!
When the nerves are gone... true emotions are free to be expressed.
So if I were to condense what I just wrote, basically, Grooms normally become incredibly nervous on wedding days, even if they seem cool and collected. For most grooms, the nerves kick in before they see their bride because when they see her, everything becomes VERY real!
Let me paint a picture for you. Instead of keeping the groom in a secluded space until his time to enter the ceremony, what if you took him to a private place, with no people, no lookers, no distractions, just you – his beautiful bride, the love of his life. You quietly call his name and have him turn around to see you for the first time. He would turn around and finally get his first look at his stunning bride and not only would he get to see you… he could embrace you, cry with you, kiss you and ENJOY that moment with you for as LONG as you both wanted. As you show him your dress, and you twirl a few times and then ask him what he thinks… his nerves start to diminish. After all, you’re the one who can make him most comfortable anyway.
Because we aren’t in a time crunch, we casually move into your romantic portraits. No one is around, the coordinator isn’t announcing “15 minutes left”, and there is no pressure. It’s just the two of you and your photographer, capturing the excitement and the joy of your wedding day. This is your time to be TOGETHER…and to be ALONE. When does that happen on a wedding day? Without a First Look, it doesn’t. After your romantic portraits are done, you meet up with your best friends. Your bridal party joins you and because you still have plenty of time to spare, the bride touches up a little makeup while the boys act like boys. After a few minutes the bridal party portraits begin and they’re FUN. They’re FUN because there is time to make them FUN. There aren’t any guests waiting impatiently at the cocktail hour and there isn’t a DJ coming to find the photographer to get a time check. It’s wonderful!
After portraits are done, the girls and guys separate and prepare for the ceremony. The guests begin to arrive and the ushers are in place. Pretty soon it’s time for the processional music to begin and one by one, the bridesmaids make their way down to the front of the ceremony. As the groom clasps his hands, they aren’t clasped out of nervousness but excitement. The music builds, the mother of the bride stands and all of the guests follow her lead. The groom looks up and here comes the BRIDE!!! His best friend, his companion, his sweetheart. She’s stunning, ABSOLUTELY stunning. The closer she gets, the bigger he smiles.
Now let me put a disclaimer on here before we continue… Our clients are not required to do a First Look by any means! I used to feel bad for sharing this option with couples who were against it because I didn’t want to push anything on them. However, I’ve seen the benefits of a first look over and over again and so I only share this because I want the BEST for EVERY couple!! It’s totally ok if couples choose not to share a first look!