First Look. To See or Not to See

So what exactly is a first look? Simply put – it’s when the bride and groom spend some time before the ceremony (yes, before) in a private moment where we get to capture the intimacy of them seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day.

Totally breaks from tradition right?
So, now the question is, to do a first look or wait until the ceremony?

There are some circumstances that truly call out for a first look, such as:
- You have an evening ceremony and you want to use natural light to capture your important photos.
- You have a tight wedding schedule and you need to do all of your group/family photos before the ceremony.
- You want to have plenty of time to venture out for your bride/groom photos.

Does it create some awesome memories? Yes. Can it improve your wedding day schedule? Yes. Is it for everyone? No!
Only you can decide if this is the right choice for you and your groom! If you have a full day for your wedding and aren’t constricted on time, or if you have a day-time ceremony where you’ll have plenty of sunlight for your photos… maybe you can afford to wait until afterwards and not do a first look. It’s definitely a break from tradition. And it’s completely your choice.

Why is a first look important for photographers?  Because it gives us the opportunity to produce natural, light-infused, gorgeous photographs that might (depending on your schedule) be missed otherwise. We’d like to believe that our clients not only hired us to document their day, but because they love the art that we create in our photography and that they want that same style for their own wedding photos. If your schedule doesn’t allow a lot of sunlight for photos, consider the first look – it’s one way that we can count on to get you the same gorgeousness in your own photos that made you fall in love with our photography when you first visited our website :)

We hope these tips/details will help you in making a decision for your own wedding and first look. While we think it’s a great break from tradition, at the end of the day it all depends on the bride and groom and how they feel about it. If you have any questions – just let us know! We’d be happy to offer some tips when creating your own wedding schedule.

Happy planning!