5 Reasons Why You Should Consider a First Look

Many engaged couples get asked by their photographers if they would like to do a first look. I have my own recommendation, but this is entirely a personal decision between the couple. Let’s talk about what a first look is, and what the benefits to doing a first look are. At the end of this article, you should have all the information you need to make an informed decision on whether you do a first look.

To start, when photographers say “first look”, they specifically refer to the groom seeing the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony. There are other ‘first looks’, such as the bride and her father, but for the purposes of this post, ‘first look’ refers to the bride and groom. These are the benefits to having a first look

1. Intimate private moment to be vulnerable with each other - Maybe you don’t want to break down in front of hundreds of your wedding guests when you see each other for the first time. The first look is typically a private moment in a private location shared between the bride and the groom, and the photographer is there to capture these intimate moments. You have an opportunity to tell each other how beautiful you look, how much you love each other, and if you’re going to tear up, it won’t be in front of your wedding guests.

2. Opportunity to read vows privately to each other - First a first look, vows can optionally be read to each other. If you don’t want to do this in front of your wedding guests, this would a good opportunity to recite vows and is related to the point above

3. Shortened Ceremony for your guests - This is related to the point above. Some couples would like to have a shorter ceremony for their guests so they can enjoy more time mingling. However, if you do want your guests to witness your vow reading, then this point is moot.

4. Bride & Groom Portraits, Wedding Party Photos, and Familiy photos can be done before the ceremony, This relieves timeline pressure post-wedding - This really does make the rest of the day after the ceremony go by smoother. If you get family photos out of the way, there’s more time to enjoy the activties after the ceremony. Often times, the timeline gets very packed and rushed after the ceremony if a first look is not done: You have cocktail hour, marriage certificate signing, family photos, then wedding party photos altogether. Well could you space them out? Sure, but then you may risk delaying the reception. You’d need to have an extended cocktail hour to not delay the start of reception.

5. Opportunity to enjoy cocktail hour - So even if you do a first look, you still might not be able to be a part of your cocktail hour depending on the timeline, but if you don’t do a first look, you definitely wont be a part of it. There aren’t a lot of opportunities for you to actually interact with your guests; it’s really just during the reception. Cocktail hour will give you substantially more time to interact with the people you love the most and you’ll likely not see them again for a while.

The single benefit for not doing a first look is if you want a true reaction of seeing each other for the first time in front of your guests. This is important for some couples and if this is the case, then maybe a first look is not the best option for you. As a photographer, I highly recommend doing a first look, and building your timeline around that IF seeing each other for the first time of the bride walking down the aisle is not important to you.

I love helping each of my clients make important decisions like these. There are so many moving parts to a wedding, and a lot of decisions to be made, and it can absolutely be overwhelming. Let me help you plan your wedding! I offer timeline planning assistance with each of my wedding packages. If you’re looking for a wedding photographer who will support you throughout your day, let’s work together. Book a consultation with me and let’s chat!