A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of photographing a couple’s wedding that naturally exuded excitement, love and joyfulness. Now, you might be thinking, isn’t that everything a wedding day is supposed to be about? And the quick answer is YES, of course! But the reality is that sometimes in the busyness and excitement of the wedding day, things can get a little stressful for the bride and groom.
Think about it. You’ve been planning for this day for what seems like forever. You want it to be perfect. You’ve thought of every detail from the color palette to the flowers in your bouquet to the details you incorporated in your table settings. Friends and family have come from all over to celebrate this day you’ve been dreaming of since you were a little girl.
But those experiences you’re dreaming about having, rarely occur naturally.
Think about that photo you’ve seen while scrolling on Pinterest or on your our Instagram feed of a groom pulling his bride in tightly while she perfectly looks off to the side with the most genuine smile and giggle! All the heart eyes possible right here, am I right!? Now ask yourself – did that bride and groom stop on their own during their wedding and just naturally fall into that pose or into that moment?
They sure didn’t! There was time carved out within their wedding day that allowed the photographer to capture the feelings they had in the moments that were created and
that is why we are firm believers in incorporating a First Look into your wedding day timeline.
What is a ‘First Look’
A First Look is exactly what is sounds like! It’s the first time you and your groom-to-be see each other on your wedding day! You’re beautifully dressed in your wedding gown with your hair, makeup and accessories all in place. He’s looking dapper in his fitted suit complimented with his leather brown shoes and bow tie.
Up to this point, the day has been full of excitement in the preparation and anticipation for what’s to come. But now is the opportunity to take time for just the two of you, before anyone else, to see and be with each other and take it all in.
It’s the big reveal, just for the two of you.
It’s the intimacy of the moment without sharing it with an audience.
It’s the knee-buckling surprise as you see each other for the last time before you are husband and wife.
Imagine walking up to your man, his back turned to you, and placing your hand on his shoulder. He turns around and you both smile and gasp with joy at the sight of each other. You’re both overcome with excitement and joy in the moment. That – is what a first look is all about. It’s the moment. It’s the breathing room and the space to just be a couple together.
Benefitting Your Timeline
Ok, so a First Look is incredibly romantic! But it’s also incredibly practical! Why? Well, we have two practical reasons why we believe in First Looks, aside from the romance that they bring!
First, having a First Look allows us, as photographers, to capture unforgettable and timeless images that show the true emotion in the moment. There is nothing like a groom’s eyes getting misty as he sees his beautiful bride for the very first time. Or the squeal of joy from an excited bride as her groom turns to see her! These moments of raw, unfiltered emotion are exactly what you hired us to capture for you. They are the real moments that, when you look back on them years from now, will bring you right back to that place and time to experience the same emotions you felt in that time. They are the emotions that your children and your grandchildren will feel from your photos years from now. They will become the example of a true love that they will hold as a standard in their search for their own future spouses.
Second, a First Look is the nicest gift you can give to your wedding day timeline – and your guests! Without a First Look, your bride and groom portraits, and full wedding party and family photos have to be taken after the ceremony is complete. No matter how great of a cocktail hour you have planned, that time almost always feels lengthy for your guests, and all too short for you! Having a First Look allows you to have plenty of un-rushed time together for bride and groom portraits, bridal party portraits and family photos before your ceremony. This leaves cocktail hour free for the dreamy golden light sunset photos of just the two of you!!
But Wait, It’s Not Traditional…
Ok, so it’s romantic and it’s practical. But we can hear some of you thinking, ‘It’s just not traditional!’ Well, all we can talk from on this is personal experience.
We got married before the age of Pinterest and Wedding Wire. Erica picked colors of Black and what turned out to be a shade of Lime Green for our wedding palate. Jon wore a pin striped tuxedo that fit him as well as a loose sheet. And despite us being in Arizona for the majority of our lives, we decided to have an outdoor wedding in the middle of July!! So many mistakes made there that we wish we could go back and redo! But we truly feel that one of our biggest wedding day regrets was opting not to have a First Look.
Our day was special and joyful and romantic – everything it should have been. But our photos, well… they felt rushed. We couldn’t really enjoy the moment. We felt like we were forcing it. We knew we had guests waiting and photos seemed to be going longer than we had planned. Grandma was nowhere to be found for family photos so we spent time trying to wrangle her up for the full family shot. Everything became stressful. The raw emotion and joy wasn’t quite as obvious if you’d have been there to look at our faces in that moment. It wasn’t that we weren’t still happy about our wedding day. It wasn’t that we didn’t have plenty of laughs and smiles to go around the rest of the evening. It was just that the situation combined with feeling pressed for time for all of those photos muted that slightly.
And if we’re honest, we probably made the decision to forego the first look because it wasn’t considered ‘traditional’. Jon for one was a ‘heck no!’ when we talked about the idea and Erica cringed at the idea of doing something nontraditional.
Man, time has changed a lot of things.
Now that we have experienced other couple’s weddings as their photographers, and seeing the joy and emotion in the moment of the First Look, we couldn’t be wishing we had made a decision any more different. The experience we could have had together would have been unforgettable and the pictures that would have come from it would have been priceless. We would have been able to show Brody and Paislee how we genuinely felt together on our wedding day, and to us, that would have been so special.
All that being said, doing a First Look is not the only way you’ll love and cherish your wedding. We get to share stories and memories with Brody and Paislee that are so special to us. They get to see pictures of the events throughout the day and get a full picture of what our wedding was like! But there’s something about being able to see a picture hanging on the wall or being able to hold a print in your hand, that allows the feeling to be felt by those looking at it that can only be captured in moments we are able to create on your wedding day.
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