THE FIRST LOOK

Your first look is an amazing part of your wedding day!If you are not sure about this new tradition, the next few paragraphs will explain why it would be a romantic addition to your wedding day celebration that not only adds to the experience but reduces stress as well!

WHYWhen I ask brides who are not sure about a first look why they wouldn’t want one, the number one reason I hear is “I want my groom to cry when he sees me walking down the aisle” or “Having a first look might lessen his reaction at the ceremony”. My wife as a bride a few years ago, had the same mentality! She wanted that REACTION when I would first see her ! And I think that is a dream of most brides!What if I told you that your groom might feel less stressed and in turn feel more open to releasing his emotions when he first sees you at the top of the aisle because of the amazing moments he shared with you during your first look?Think about it - without a first look, your groom has not seen you all day. He is sitting with his buddies waiting for the cue to line up for the ceremony. He seemed calm and collected earlier that day but now is starting to get a little anxious. After all, he will be standing in front of 50-300 people in just a few minutes and each one of them will be staring at HIM to watch his reaction when he sees you! Talk about pressure!! This is the furthest thing from an intimate moment! It is still amazing and powerful and something you will remember forever, but if you’ve had a first look, you will both be much more relaxed and your groom won’t be a nervous wreck! Instead, the pressure will be off and you will both be able to ENJOY a wedding day? Without a first look... it doesn’t.The nerves will be gone and when nerves are gone, true emotions are free to be expressed! 

A NEW TRADITIONNow imagine a different scenario. The nerves are starting to creep up on your groom, but instead of keeping him in a secluded space until his time to enter the ceremony, what if you took him to a private place...no people, no on-lookers, no distractions...and you, his beautiful bride, the love of his life, walked up to him and gently tapped his shoulder. He would turn around and finally get his first look at his stunning bride and not only would he get to see you, but he could embrace you, cry with you, kiss you, and really ENJOY that moment with you for as long as you both wanted. When you show him your dress, twirl a few times and then ask him what he thinks, his nerves start to diminish. After all, you are the one that can make him the most comfortable anyway!Because you are not on a time crunch, you casually move into your romantic portraits. No one is around, the coordinator is not announcing “15 minutes left”, and there is no pressure. It is just the two of you (and me!), capturing the excitement and the joy of your wedding day. It is your time to be TOGETHER and ALONE! When does that happen on a wedding day? Without a first look... it doesn’t.After your romantic portraits are done, you get to meet up with your best friends! Your bridal party joins you and because you 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 portraits begin and they are FUN; because there is time to make them fun! No guests waiting impatiently at the cocktail hour and no DJ coming to find the photographer to get a time check!

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. Soon it is time for the entrance of the bride. Your groom is waiting for you, clasping his hands not out of nervousness but out of EXCITEMENT! The moment builds, your mom stands and all of the guests follow her lead. Your groom looks up and sees his bride! You are his best friend, his companion, his everything and you look absolutely stunning! The closer you get, the bigger he smiles!Now, after all that I want to say: my clients are in no way required to have a First Look by any means!! I used to feel bad for sharing this option with couples who were against it because I did not wish to push anything on them. However, I have seen the benefits of a first look and I share this only because I want the BEST for my couples! It is totally okay if you choose not to share a first look! But let us chat soon about how to create a special timeline to fit everything in! Keep reading to find out more of the benefits of sharing your first look privately!

WHY IT IS WORTH ITYou are investing a lot into your wedding photography. With a first look, you will receive 30-40% more portraits of the two of you...and those are the images you will decorate your first home with! With a first look, you make the most out of this large investment and get the most for your money.You actually get intimate time on your wedding day with your man. Most brides do not realize that when you come down the aisle and totally SHOCK him with your gorgeousness that he cannot even tell you how amazing you look! He cannot touch you, embrace you or even SPEAK to you. You have to wait until 30 minutes later when the ceremony is over for him to react and tell you how amazing you look. And after 30 minutes of the ceremony, the reaction is not the same! First looks allow you to extend your wedding day. Normally the wedding day would start when you come down the aisle, then the ceremony would end, you would rush through portraits so you are not late for the introductions and then it is reception time. With a first look, your wedding day is extended by several hours! Instead of being rushed for your bridal party portraits (read: 10 minutes max), you actually get to enjoy them and have fun hanging out with your BEST FRIENDS on your wedding day!

First looks allow you to be TOGETHER and alone on your wedding day! Normally portraits are a little rushed after family formals and it can be hard to really get back into that “lovey dovey” mode ... especially with family around! When you have just shared your first look, you are ready to love on each other and I always capture super sweet images during those moments!You get rid of the nerves. I know a lot of grooms who are not fans of the first look idea at first, but because they had never experienced their wedding day before, they had no idea how nerve racking it can be! I have

testimonials from grooms that initially were not a fan of the first look...but afterwards admitted to being SO much more relaxed and ready for the ceremony!Side note: Brides, if you have never seen your man cry or get emotional, you cannot expect him to be overly emotional on your wedding day. Some guys just embrace their brides and never cry...and that is okay! Some guys show very little emotion when his bride is coming down the aisle (with or without a first look!) and that is okay too! Just enjoy this amazing day and try not to put any expectations on him.