It's no secret; we LOVE first looks!
Okay, I'm not going to say that everyone should do a first look before the actual ceremony, but... I'm willing to firmly declare that most couples would benefit from a first look.
There are lots of reasons for this, and only some of them are selfish on my part.
Reason #1
Precious alone time! This may be literally the only time on your whole wedding day that you and your partner get to have a private moment. And while it's wonderful that you get to spend your big day surrounded by friends and loved ones (and the random folks your friends and loved ones brought with them), it's also pretty darn great to have even 15 minutes where it's just you and your partner. Where you get to hug and be excited and have an intimate moment acknowledging that holy crap you're about to get married! This is a really beautiful time, and a little moment of peace in an otherwise fun but hectic day!
Reason #2
More gorgeous photos of the two of you! Okay, this one is a little selfish on my part, but I also have you two in mind here! Regardless of whether you wait until the ceremony to see each other or you do a first look, the photos are going to be wonderful and meaningful, however, when you do first look photos, the pressure is off! You can take your time being excited to see each other. You can bask a bit in the excitement of this momentous occasion with your very favorite partner in crime. And all the while, we can be taking more gorgeous photos of the two of you, which is an opportunity we don't get when couples wait to see each other until the ceremony. I promise you that first look photos will be some of your favorites of the day
Reason #3
Cocktail hour! Not for us, for you. Let's be honest, would you rather be taking formal photos after your ceremony while everyone else is enjoying the cocktail hour, or would you rather already be done with formal photos, sneak away for some fun pics of just you two (or even you two and your wedding party) and then still make it back in time to enjoy a celebratory drink that you worked so hard to plan? I know which one I'd prefer, and I have a feeling you do too. When you do a first look, you get to spend more of the day together, as partners, because you're not hiding from each other for more than half the day! And that also means that you can knock out things like formal family photos before the ceremony, so that you can get footloose and fancy-free faster!
Ultimately, whether you and your partner decide to do a first look, or wait until the ceremony to see each other, is a matter of personal choice, but if you don't have a strong personal or cultural reason to wait until the ceremony, I'd encourage you to let this tradition go, and do that first look!
--Sam
Bonus Reason!
Just look at these gorgeous first look photos from some of our recent weddings!
