What is a First Look and why should I have one?

The groom's reaction is one of the most important moments to EVERY single bride on their wedding day, and it should be. It's the one moment you have been waiting and planning for your entire life. What most think about the first look before the ceremony is actually becoming not so common. Tradition states that if the groom sees the bride before the ceremony, that it is bad luck for the marriage. But this tradition comes from arranged marriages. They didn't want the groom to go running if he thought the bride was ugly! How crazy is that?

If "tradition" is keeping you from wanting a first look, hear us out! This is becoming a not so common practice in wedding days and we want to list a few reasons why you SHOULD opt for a first look.

Here is how the moments right before the ceremony goes: the groom, after spending most of the morning relaxing and playing with his friends, has to do a few quick portraits then it's off to the ceremony to wait until the coordinator tells him it's time to go. He walks out into a room of 80-300 people all staring at....HIM. Nerves begin high, and they stay high when he sees how many people are staring at his face for the reaction that he's bound to give. His bride marches down the aisle and she's the most gorgeous he has ever seen her. But, since he is so nervous he isn't really able to let all of his true emotion come out. This is why most of the "traditional" weddings don't have much of an epic reaction from the groom.

This is where the first look comes in handy. First looks aren't about breaking tradition, they are a moment for just the two of you to enjoy one another. It is an intimate moment between the two of you. If you want us to just snap a few reaction photos and leave the room, we can do that! We don't pressure you, we don't interrupt you, we let you have your moment. This is your perfect place in time to just BE. He gets to take all of you in, your perfect dress that you spent months perfecting, the beautiful hair and makeup that you spent hours having done, gorgeous jewelry that you spent hours thinking of and picking out. He can look at every single detail of YOU. PLUS, and this is a big plus, he will have that reaction you are dying to see. He will also give a more emotional reaction when the moment actually comes. Emotions change and run high when the ceremony actually hits, so not only will you have your intimate reaction, but you will also still get your traditional reaction. Best of both worlds!!

Just one little tweak to the wedding day, and you could get twice the epic-ness! By adding a first look, he is able to relax and enjoy the full day with all of his best and closest friends and his bride. We are able to take the maximum amount of portraits before you ever step foot in the ceremony. This takes so much pressure, stress, and anxiety away from the bride and groom. Once that first look happens, we can SEE the stress melt away. You have your person there with you for the ENTIRE day! And that is such a relief. No more worrying about him accidentally seeing you through a crack in the door. No more stressing about all of the portraits that HAVE to happen after the ceremony. No more keeping guests waiting for possibly an hour or more. You can get into the party quicker and enjoy your wedding with everyone you love.

We never, ever pressure any of our couples to do a first look. However, we do HIGHLY suggest it for mostly purposes of letting you enjoy every minute of your day with your most special person. The day is about both of you and why shouldn't you enjoy it all together!?

If you have read this and want to possibly do a first look, shoot us a message! We would love to help you create a timeline that works perfectly for your day! We love first looks, and we bet you will too!