A First Look can be an amazing part of your wedding day! If you aren’t sure about this tradition, this blog will explain why it would be a romantic addition to your wedding day celebration that not only adds to the experience but also reduces stress.

Please know that we would never want any of our couples to feel pressured to go with this option. However, we do want to make sure that we share all of the benefits of a first look, because there is a reason 90% of our couples do this and LOVE it!

The First Look Explained

*If you're more of a quick peek person, feel free to scroll to the end! We got you, there's a good wrapped up conclusion that the end. *

I have confessed my deep love for “First Looks” numerous times on our blog, and I tend to point them out in every blog post. There is a reason for this. They’re awesome! However, not everyone is aware of how wonderful they truly are, because they get caught up in how “non-traditional” it is and they immediately write it off.

Couples want a REACTION. To be so surprised and overcome with joy when they walk down the aisle that their partner bawls at the first sight of the other! Isn’t that EVERY lover's dream? Who doesn’t want that reaction?

Luckily, for us personally, we were able to have the best of both worlds. Josh and I decided to share an intimate First Look moment on our wedding day, AND he still got all teary eyed when I came down the aisle. Walking down the aisle on my wedding day was a moment that I will treasure for a lifetime! Our First Look didn't take anything away, if anything, it added to it!

After experiencing my own wedding and shooting over 100 others, I’ve come to this conclusion: Some couples love “traditions”...but what a they REALLY want when it comes to their partner seeing them for the first time is a REACTION. Those who are not interested in a First Look usually think that by seeing each other beforehand, they will lose part of that reaction. They also assume that it will not be as emotional or as intimate as it would be if they were coming down the aisle.

What I have found is so ironic.

Everyone knows that wedding days can be a bit stressful for the couple getting married.
The whole day is focused on them, they need to look their best, they need to be on time, who has any idea what side the boutonniere is supposed to go on and little by little... the tension can sometimes grow.

It’s before the ceremony and the gravity of what is about to happen starts to sink in and the calm, collected partner who was playing golf just a few short hours ago is now starting to feel a little anxious.

So what happens next? They wait in a little room somewhere for their cue from the coordinator. It seems like it’s taking FOREVER. Finally, the coordinator leans their head in and hurries them to get ready. With clammy hands, they enter the ceremony and what do they find? They find anywhere from 50-300 people and they’re all looking where? Right at their face because everyone has expectations and anticipation about their first reaction.

This is the farthest thing from a private, intimate moment. Sure, it’s powerful and wonderful. It truly is one of the best moments of the entire wedding day! But when I walked down the aisle, Josh wasn’t a nervous wreck because he had spent the morning with me and our best friends, and the pressure was OFF. By the time our ceremony rolled around he was ready to ENJOY our beautiful day!

The nerves were gone and when the nerves are gone, true emotions are free to be expressed in a truly unhindered way. So if I were to condense what I just wrote: Basically, it's normal to become incredibly nervous on wedding days...even if they seem cool and collected.

For most, the nerves kick in before they see their partner because when they see them, everything becomes VERY real! So when the nerves start creeping in, instead of keeping to a secluded space until it's time to enter the ceremony, what if you went to a private place...no people, no onlookers, no distractions...and you let the love of your life, quietly call your name and you can turn around to see each other for the first time. To turn around and finally get a first look at your stunning partner and not only would you get to see each other... You could embrace...cry together...kiss...and really savor that moment together for as LONG as you wanted. Show off the dress, twirl a few times, cat walk the jumpsuit, tuxedo - whatever the attire - then get to ask what your partner thinks...the nerves start to diminish. After all, this is your person, the one who can make you feel the most comfortable anyway.

Because there isn’t a time crunch, they casually move into their romantic portraits. No one is around, the coordinator isn’t announcing “15 minutes left”, and there is no pressure. It’s just the two of them and their photographer...capturing the excitement and the joy of their wedding day.

This is their time to be TOGETHER...and to be ALONE. When does that happen on a wedding day? Without a First Look, it doesn’t often happen. After their romantic portraits are done, they meet up with their best friends. Their wedding party joins them and because they still have plenty of time to spare, any touch ups, bathroom breaks, drink cheers-ing, it can be done!

After a few minutes, the wedding party portraits can begin and they’re FUN. They’re fun, because there is time to make them fun. There aren’t any guests waiting impatiently at the cocktail hour and there isn’t a DJ coming to find the photographer to get a time check. It’s wonderful!

After portraits are done, the couples and their respective party people (In other words, wedding party) separate and prepare for the ceremony. The guests begin to arrive and the ushers are in place. Pretty soon it’s time for the processional music to begin and one by one, the party people will make their way down to the front of the ceremony. The partner in front eagerly awaiting their lover. The music builds, the parents of the couples stand and all of the guests follow their lead. The standing partner looks up, and here you come! Their best friend, their companion, their sweetheart…..you’re stunning…. ABSOLUTELY stunning. The closer you get, the bigger your partner smiles.

*DISCLAIMER*
Our Lucky Lovers with GLP are by no means required to do a First Look.

However, we’ve seen the benefits of a First Look over and over again, and even got to experience the benefit first hand at our own wedding. Therefore, we only share this because we want the absolute BEST for our couples! It’s totally ok if couples choose not to share a First Look! It’s just our preference to do one for many reasons. Keep reading to find out more of the benefits of sharing your First Look privately!

To Conclude

FIRST LOOK | WHY IT'S WORTH IT

40% MORE PORTRAITS

You’re investing a lot into your wedding photography. With a First Look, you’ll receive 40% MORE portraits of the two of you… and those are the images you will decorate your first home with! (Believe me, our house is PACKED full of our portraits!) With a First Look, you make the most out of this large investment and get the most for your money.

ENJOY THE SURPRISE FREELY

You actually get to have intimate time on your wedding day with your partner. Most couples don’t realize that when you come down the aisle and totally SHOCK your partner with your gorgeous-ness… they can’t even tell you how amazing you look. They can’t touch you, embrace you or even SPEAK to you. You have to wait until 30 (or more) minutes later when the ceremony is over for them to react and tell you how amazing you look. And after 30 minutes of the ceremony, the reaction isn’t the same as the initial first glance.

EXTEND YOUR DAY BY 3

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 that you’re not late for the introductions and then it’s reception time. With a First Look, your wedding day is extended by almost 3 hours! Instead of being rushed for your wedding party portraits… you actually get to enjoy them and have fun hanging out with your BEST friends on your wedding day. The WHOLE first half of our couple’s wedding albums are filled with images just from this time together before the ceremony.

YOUR ONLY ALONE TIME

First Looks allow you to be TOGETHER and alone on your wedding day. When you see each other, not only will it be intimate, it might be your only time to be alone the whole day! Normally portraits are a little rushed after the 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’re READY to love on each other, and we always capture some super sweet images during those moments!

DIMINISHES NERVES

You get rid of your nerves! We’d say, literally 50% of our couples who have decided to do a First Look, some partners were not fans of it at first. However, because they have never experienced their wedding day before, they didn’t know how nerve-racking it can be. We’ve heard from so many partners who initially weren’t a fan of the First Look… but afterward admitted to being SO much more relaxed and ready for the ceremony!

Have more questions? Reach out! We are always here for you! Our goal is to help your special day the absolute best it can be, since it is after all, one of the best days of your lives. ♥

Happy, happy wedding planning!