5 Reasons To Choose a First Look for Your Wedding
There's tons of reasons to do a first look or not, find out our top reasons you should definitely consider a first look!
When we started planning our wedding, we knew photography was our number one priority. It went beyond just budget priorities, but the timing of our entire wedding week was determined by our photography. We were so lucky to work with the amazingly talented photographers and videographers of Two Fish Weddings. Because our photos and video were the top priority for us (aside from actually getting married of course), we knew a first look was happening. There are lots of reasons I think a first look is a great option, but I'll share my five top reasons that I think you should choose a first look for your wedding!
There were certain things we did in order to ensure amazing photography that were a little unconventional. Most people who choose a first look, just choose to do it right before the ceremony to get some pictures. We, however, decided to do our first look the day before the wedding. There were a couple of reasons for this. The first was that we knew time would be tight on the day of. Second, it's hotter than hot in July in Albuquerque so we wanted to be able to take advantage of early cooler weather in the morning. Third, after a week of friends and family being in town and event after event, being able to spend quality time together during our first look pictures.
Truthfully, the first look "moment" pictures were not nearly as special to me as the time we spent taking our bride and groom shots. It was so amazing to have relatively unlimited time to take them and to not have the pressure of others waiting on us to finish taking our photos.
There is a lot of debate about first looks, some people prefer the traditional route and others, like us, prefer a first look for convenience. I know a lot of people worry about whether a first look will ruin the moment that the bride walks down the aisle, but I will say that for both of us, there was nothing that could have replaced that moment. We could have done 100 first looks and the moment we first saw each other as I was walking down the aisle on my dad's arm was priceless.
I'm sure some of y'all are thinking, yeah sure your moment down the aisle was still beautiful, you're just saying that. Well, here's your proof. This is the moment Steven first saw me walking down the aisle (photo via Two Fish Weddings website)
And our wedding video (jump to 5:00 for the aisle):
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Madison & Steven from Two Fish on Vimeo.
Here are my top five reasons you should choose a first look:
Convenience & Time:
Doing a first look allows for better?planning and less time feeling rushed. A first look before the ceremony allows for extra cushion time to get the best photos. If for some reason you can't get them all done before the ceremony, there will be time afterwards. If you do all your photos after the ceremony though, there is only so much time you can take up before your guests will really get antsy.
Time Alone:
Weddings get absolutely crazy with out-of-town guests coming in early the week of the wedding. For Steven and I it was extremely important for?us to set aside time during our wedding week for just the two of us. We went on a dessert date one night and then we had four hours blocked out for our first look pictures and hang out time the day before the wedding. My nerves were totally shot by the day before the wedding and getting to hang out with my future husband made the week so much more enjoyable.
Quick Turnover:
Most traditional weddings do photos of the wedding party and bride and groom after the ceremony while the guests enjoy some type of cocktail hour. Sometimes photos take longer than an hour which causes a delay in getting the reception started. Having your photos done before the wedding allows for a quicker turnover which keeps everyone happy!
Better Photos:
I don't want to make anyone upset who didn't do a first look, but as a photographer I truly believe you're able to get better photos with a first look. More time with your photographer allows he or she to get?more creative with their shots. If you do photos after the ceremony, there's often a huge rush to get just the necessity photos completed so the guests can move on to dinner.
Wedding Party:
Doing a first look allows for you to take a huge chunk of your wedding party photos before the ceremony. This allows for your wedding party to have very few, if any, photos to take after the ceremony is over. The bride and groom will also have less photos to take since only the family photos will be left.
I would love to know, did you choose a first look? Why or why not? If you're dating or engaged, have you considered it?
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Madison, I love your wedding video!!!!
Madison, these are such great reasons! So logical. Michael and I will be doing a first look on our wedding day. All of these reasons went into our deciding, but I can get very anxious and overwhelmed when there are a lot of people, so seeing him before everything will just calm me down completely. 🙂
I had never heard of a first look until this post, but what a wonderful idea! In the next couple of years I will probably have a wedding of my own to plan and although I'm so excited, I am kind of scared of all the pressure too! A first look seems like a fabulous idea to take a little pressure off of the big day!
P.s. Your wedding video is the sweetest thing I have ever seen!!
I totally recommend it. It makes the whole day less stressful and you really do get to enjoy one on one time together! There's definitely lots of pressure in planning a wedding, but there's lots of fun too!!
Thank you so much!! I love our video:)
Excellent post! I certainly would never pressure our brides and grooms to do a first look but I definitely do a little happy dance when they do choose to do one 🙂 Love your blog, so glad I found it!
Thank you Alex! I totally agree, you can't pressure them at all, BUT it's super exciting as a photographer when they do choose a first look! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I'm new to wedding photography and I'm doing my my first "first look" this weekend. Thanks so much for your blog. Great post.
Haha that's totally fine if it does change a bunch of times! What's important is that you and your future groom agree on what's important! And thank you about the dress! I loved it 🙂
We're a little weird to have done it the day before 😉 But the timing just worked! It's so hot in the summers in Albuquerque that your only window for pictures is like 10am. It definitely makes the transition smoother, but it's not for everyone! I'm glad it worked well for you!
I totally see the benefit of the first look and love the photos! We went the traditional route and he saw me for the first time as I walked down the aisle, and we're both happy that we did! It was how I always imagined it! 🙂
That's awesome! As long as it worked for you, that's all that matters 🙂
I love ALL of your reasons! We thought of doing one near the traintracks, but ultimately decided on not doing one. I'm happy with our decision, but I definitely see the many pro's in doing a first look. All of your photos are so beautiful, and the photos of Steven seeing you walk down the aisle is priceless!
Thanks for appreciating both sides, girl! 🙂 Y'alls photos are amazing so you definitely didn't miss out on that account by not doing a first look 🙂
We all got ready in one large hotel room (me, my mom, my daughter, my best friend, and hubby), then went down into a courtyard area to meet the rest of my family and did all the family photos, before the wedding. After the wedding, the photographer did the bulk of the photos with just me and hubby. I wouldn't have changed a thing about it! It was a destination wedding, so it just wasn't practical to have everyone scattered among different rooms.
That makes total sense! Destination weddings are already kind of un-traditional so you might as well do what makes the most sense for y'all! 🙂
When I got married, I preferred the old school way. Thus, I opted not to do a first look....we did not see each other before our ceremony. In fact even though we lived together we didn't see each others outfits either. We knew colors and such but not what the final product was going to be. Seeing each other for the first time was like magic. My hubby hadn?t seen my dress at all, so I was so excited for that moment. The moment I entered the room and saw his face at the alter, tears came streaming from both of our eyes. Because of his job, I am not used to seeing him in a suit, but to see him in his tuxedo and to see the look on his face when he saw me was a moment that I will never forget! 🙂
That's so awesome Tania! It's so important that whatever you choose is perfect for you as a couple and it sounds like it was! I love that y'all didn't know what each other's outfits were, that makes it so special!
I loved doing the first look!
That's great! I'm glad it worked for y'all!
We didn't do a first look because my husband was set on it. It was not even up for debate. But the photos we have of our faces seeing each other the first time walking down the aisle are irreplaceable. Our expressions would not have been as good if we had just seen each other before nor would they have been that full of emotion just taking "first look" photos. Those pictures are worth more to me than ANY of our couple shots taken after. And we still have great photos as a couple. I love you but I will respectfully disagree on this one. There is nothing like seeing each other for the first time as you walk down the aisle. The sacredness of that moment is IRREPLACEABLE in my book. If anyone wants to see our photos let me know and I'll prove it to you 🙂
Well, you're definitely right that we can agree to disagree. I'm glad you guys had your special moment though and that it worked out well for you 🙂 I would love to see your wedding photos, just cause I love wedding photos! Ultimately y'all chose what was best for you and so did we! I couldn't have imagined how awesome it would be having TWO amazingly special moments for our first look AND walking down the aisle! It was perfect for us! 🙂
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We did not do a first look, nor did my two daughters that are married. They went the more traditional route. But I do think it's great and gets tons of photos done ahead of time. What beautiful pics!
Thanks Alli! I'm glad you can appreciate both sides 🙂
YES! As a wedding photographer, I've found it goes SO much smoother if the bride and groom do a first look. They're so much more relaxed and enjoy themselves and don't feel pressured to rush for guests. It's so worth it!!
I love that you two did your photos a day earlier. How fun and unique!
You shoot weddings?! How fun!! 🙂 But yeah, first looks are AMAZING for photographers. Literally life and time savers! The rushing for the guests is the worst part about not doing a first look, I think!
I'm not engaged yet, but this is something that I've been debating. I really like the idea of him seeing me for the first time when I'm walking down the aisle, but all of the first look photos I've seen look so beautiful!
Your photos will be beautiful either way, it's more a matter of how the timing goes throughout the day 🙂
Doing a first look was not even a question for us. The main reason was that Jordan knew it would make him a lot less nervous. I totally agree that the actual first look "moment" wasn't as special as just the overall time we got to hang out together before the wedding. It was really nice to get all of the posed bridal party and family pictures out of the way, and it was also fun to say hello to family that had arrived early! I would do it again in a heartbeat. So far I'm the only one of my close friends who's done a first look, though. I think people still love the tradition of seeing the bride for the first time when she walks down the aisle.
They definitely do still like that tradition, which is fine! For us a first look was just never even a question. Although when it got closer I did go back and forth just for the sake of tradition, but ultimately pictures won! 🙂
I honestly really wish that we would have had a first look--I think it would have really cut down on my nerves! PS--I love your wedding dress, Madison--so gorgeous!
Thanks girl! I'm sure it's hard to look back and wish you had done things differently but at the time you did what felt best to you!
We did a first look and I'm SO HAPPY that we did. My wedding day was extremely stressful (mostly family drama) so it was great to be able to take a moment with just Nate before the ceremony to decompress, get a hug and kiss, and know that everything was going to be all right. It also gave me time to tease him about it being the first time I had ever seen him cry. 😉
Exactly girl! That moment together makes a huge difference on your nerves!!
I've never heard of doing a first look the day before the wedding. I really like that idea because you're right, it does save so much time for other wedding day activities. For us, we did not do a first look. I actually really wanted a first look when we first started wedding planning, but my (now) husband was adamant against it. He didn't ask for much when it came to the wedding, but this is one thing he felt passionately about. I had to give in. In the end, I was really glad I did. Seeing my husband for the first time as I walked down the aisle was a memory that I will never forget. I agree that the moment would have been special regardless of first look or not. It also helped that I had an amazing photographer. I explained to her my fears of not doing a first look (mainly time) and she put all my worries to rest. She was able to capture every picture I could have asked for and then more of my husband and I after our ceremony while our guests were enjoying cocktail hour. In the end, your wedding day is going to be the best day of your life whether you decide to see your husband before the ceremony or not. Oh, and I just love the pictures of you two during your first look!
The moment is special no matter what 🙂 Sometimes the grooms are very passionate about that moment and that's totally fine. You have to do what makes the most sense for you!
Such cute pictures! We didn't do a first look because I wanted to be old fashioned but it definitely is a time saver because I did feel like our pictures after took quite a long time.
That's totally fine that y'all decided not to, there is nothing wrong with that 🙂
Never thought of the convenience factor. I'll have to put this in my memory bank for future reference 🙂 Interesting perspective.
Thanks Dani! I'm glad it made you think 🙂
As a photographer, first looks take SO much pressure off! It's awesome to really get a chance to spend some time taking more artistic photos of the couple and wedding party (ya know, the ones they'll actually want to hang on their wall), than to rush through all of the posed checklist sort of shots after the ceremony! Great post, Madison!
Exactly!!! The posey pictures aren't necessarily the ones you'll want to blow up to a canvas or anything. But the sweet ones of the bride and groom are!
We did this! Mainly because neither of us liked the idea of everyone else being in our "moment." We wanted it to just be us!
Exactly! I love that outlook on it 🙂
Agree to all 5 of these!! John and I didn't do a first look, and that is the only thing that I would change about our wedding day. I think we would have been able to enjoy the day so much more if we had a moment alone 🙂 🙂
It really does make a difference, hopefully you don't regret it though! I'm sure your wedding was still amazing!
Amen sister x5!! We did one too right before our ceremony and it was the best decision we made in regards to our wedding. I remember that look he had when he turned around more than anything else that day 🙂 And our ceremony was maybe half an hour later so I don't feel it ruined anything and it saved us soooo much time in our already-too-short reception. By all means, do a first look!
Love that! That first look moment is so special 🙂
We didn't do a first look ..BUT ... it was probably because it was 12 years ago and most people didn't do that..lol. I don't know that I would do it now...I can totally see how it would be easy and convenient for everyone concerned, especially the bride and groom but I loved that our first look was when they opened the doors to the church and I came in. 🙂 I'm a traditional type girl ... but who knows..If I had it to do over again I might. 🙂 I LOVED your pictures! They are gorgeous!
It's definitely a new trend! Traditional is totally fine! Each person is different 🙂
I wish I'd thought through a few more of my wedding details, like this, because I think it would have been easier on everyone!
I'm sure it was still a special day!! 🙂
I have to say, I've never heard of doing a first look the day before the wedding, but I kind of love it! And I couldn't agree with your reasons for any sort of first look more. One thing I will add is that you get a reaction from your Groom that you might not get otherwise, simply because you're in an intimate setting and there aren't 100s of eyes staring at you.
We chose to do a first look and I said a million times after, I don't know how people forego it. I was a complete mess the hours leading up to the wedding, before I got to see my groom. As soon as I saw him, my whole attitude changed. I shed all my tears and was done with those for the rest of the day. I'm quite confident walking down the aisle would have been next to impossible without a first look.
It just worked for us with the timing of the week 🙂 That's definitely true about the groom's reaction! Depending on the guy, a one on one setting might be much better than it would be in front of an audience.
I totally know what you mean. Getting to see the groom makes all the difference in your nerves!!
Looking back I wish we had done this. And I love that you did it the day before, so smart!
Your photos are still great! 🙂 It was a little crazy getting ready so many times but it worked out so well!
My daughter and son-in-law did the First Look for their wedding. You are so right, it really allowed more time with the guest for sure. The pictures are so important and doing the First Look allowed for lots of photo time prior to the guest even arriving. We all enjoyed the wedding and the reception without the interruption of photo taking time.
That's awesome! I think it's a great decision 🙂
We did a first look so that we would have more time at the reception and not feel so rushed! I would definitely do it the same way if I had to do over again!
Me too, girl! Best decision for us 🙂
YES! and amen! I looooved our first look. It was such a sweet, intimate time with just the two of us (and the photographer hiding) but I totally forgot about everything that day and just remembered the reason why we were getting married. It was probably the best moment of my life. Plus, I was super set on having this gorgeous scenery outside of town...which would have never happened unless we did a first look! WAY better photos!
Your first look photos are amaaaazing. I remember seeing them on your blog! And yes, having that intimate moment was SO awesome. It's something I don't think you could have known until you've done it, you know?!
Thanks!! Yes, I agree! But good photographers like you need to convince more people! 🙂
I haven't heard of first look before, what a neat idea.
It's awesome for a lot of weddings! I loved it for mine.
We did a first look for almost all of these reasons, and I am so glad that we did. I think we blocked off 2 hours for our first look time, the day of the wedding. I wouldn't have done it any other way because we were able to get some amazing shots in a different location that are truly some of my favorites.
We even got the family shots and the wedding party pictures done before the ceremony too. The family shots were because of the weather - but I'm so glad that those got taken care of beforehand. We were able to take pictures of just us - on the blog today - after our ceremony and I loved that!
That's awesome!! Getting those perfect bride and groom shots are so important. It's really easy to get caught up in all of the other shots that have to get done and sometime you'll end up without time to take great one on one shots!
I know doing a first look really does make a photographer's job easier, and can definitely relieve some of the timeline tension. Having shot a wedding myself now, I certainly am on board with the idea of extra time before the ceremony to get all of the bride & groom & wedding party photos in. But, I would choose the traditional route for myself over and over again. I wanted that antsy energy of not seeing each other until I was walking down the aisle. And, when we did have our time to do portraits, it was honestly so special to take some alone time together in the middle of the wedding festivities. It relaxed me in a way I don't know would have been possible before the ceremony. But, that's just me! Every couple should do it whichever way makes them most comfortable!
As long as it worked well for you, that's all that matters 🙂 There was definitely still anxious energy for us, I very vividly remember feeling I was going to puke because I was so anxious! HAHA
I do think there is something to feeling more relaxed if you do a first look that isn't on your actual wedding day. But for us, though not a lot of our wedding was technically traditional, we were 100% set on not seeing each other until the aisle on the day of our wedding. Your pictures came out lovely though!
That's totally okay that you went the traditional route, there is nothing wrong with that! For us though a first look was a definite!
Yes! I'm so glad we did the first look!!! Makes SO much more sense 🙂
It does make more sense for a lot of people! 🙂 It definitely did for us!
We did a first look, more out of practicality than anything else. We got married in a small chapel that's literally just the sanctuary. The two doors go outside. It would have been near impossible to hide me from Dan before the ceremony. Plus we were staying in this great hotel in an old art-deco style bank, and I love the pictures of the two of us in the lobby. Yeah, it wasn't "just us," but it was also so sweet the number of strangers who stopped to congratulate us.
That's awesome that you planned it around getting the photos you wanted! I love that 🙂
We did a first look, too. I am so so so glad we did. It really allowed for us to calm our nerves and make some sweet memories before the ceremony.
Yes! The nerves thing was huge for us too, although I did still have nerves right before walking down the aisle. I can't imagine what they would have looked like if I didn't do a first look.
YES to all of these. With my husband being a photographer, it really was our priority too and we planned a lot around it. I love that you guys did it the day before. Did you get your makeup and hair done twice then? Such a good idea! I love the idea of a bridal shoot too but I didn't want to pay to get my hair and makeup done twice hahaha
I did have my makeup and hair done twice! I didn't do a trial run with my makeup so the trial run was the day before the wedding when we did our first look. Luckily though, my makeup artist was amazing so I didn't have anything to worry about. It was also great to test whether my hair and make up would last all day or not! Your bridal pictures are still gorgeous!!
First and foremost, y'all's first look photos are gorgeous! Seriously, girl. Beautiful and oh-so-sweet!
I totally agree with you here, and from a photographer's perspective, a first look makes the day run a LOT more smoothly simply because you have more time. Add in the bonus of the couple spending more time together and getting a moment alone, and you've got a recipe for a wonderful thing.
That being said... when we got married, we did not do a first look. The portraits we took after the ceremony were tough to make happen, though they turned out beautifully. (We've actually got one of 'em on the wall of our bedroom!) I don't regret that our choice because everything worked out and was special with a few quiet moments peppered in, but if I were to do it again, I'd want to do a first look simply so we had some down time together before descending upon the craziness of the wedding day because we were go-go-go from the moment I walked down the aisle to the moment we hopped in our vehicle and headed to the hotel post-reception.
I love that you're able to look back and say you wish you had done it differently but it sounds like you still got amazing photos! I would love to see your wedding photos sometime 🙂
Yes, we absolutely still got some amazing photos. 🙂 And you might be in luck -- our anniversary is in three days, so if I can get Winston to go for an anniversary blog post (since he's weird about social media stuff, which is hilarious to me since it's my job), you might see some of 'em.
yes yes and Amen! choosing to do a first look was one of the best choices we made about our wedding! I only know people who regret NOT doing it, not people who regret doing it. Love your pictures, so gorgeous!
That's so true, there aren't many who regret a first look after the fact 🙂
Those pictures of you guys are so adorable! We didn't do a first look, but I've been to weddings where they definitely should have because we were sitting at a cocktail "hour" for more than 2 hours. Yikes! Love this!
Thanks girl! It's not the way it HAS to be, it just worked really well for us!
I used to always dream about the moment of walking down the aisle, but I'm becoming more and more convinced that a first look is the way to go. First of all, I'm a quality time person, and I think that having that time would be really special and help me relax. Also, I hate being rushed or feeling like people are waiting on me. It would definitely be less stressful for me this way. Pictures are SO important to me, so I would really want to take my time and be sure to get really good ones. Thanks for sharing this, Madison! You were a gorgeous bride. I love reading your posts about your wedding!
You will definitely still have that moment walking down the aisle. I added in our wedding video and a photo of our "aisle moment" in this post after you had commented. I think if you hate being rushed, a first look is DEFINITELY the way to go!
I just came back and watched your video and it made my day! It's so beautiful. You definitely did have an "aisle moment!"
Hehe 🙂 I added it in because I wanted to show people you can have both the first look moment AND the aisle moment 🙂
So so sweet!
Thanks Chelsea!
Amen to all of these!! My husband and I were able to have our first look in a little chapel behind where we would be getting married. And as a photographer, it's seriously so much better if the couple does a first look. You're right, Better pictures and more time to spend together. Plus, it's still so special to see your husband at the end of the aisle for the real first time. I hope this post changes some brides minds! 🙂
Everyone has their own opinion, but I hope this will help future brides to see the positive sides of doing a first look. I wouldn't change how we did it at all! 🙂