Ahhhhh the first look! I will be completely upfront and honest with you all. I. Love. First. Looks. 

As far as the wedding photography aspect goes, it really just stream lines the photo aspect of the day, making all of the more coordinated must haves like family formals and wedding party photos get done before the ceremony. It also gives us the option of 2 different bride and groom portrait times (my favorite thing to photograph!) on the wedding day. Once after the first look and then a sneak away 15 min bride and groom photos during sunset time. As an Iowa wedding photographer, I will always love the ability to get as many extra bride and groom portraits as I can! 

BUT…..the wedding day is NOT about me. 

So let me give you some points on how how to determine if a first look is the right thing for your wedding. 

1.  It allows you to spend more time together on your wedding day.  Unless you have a 1pm or 2 pm ceremony, you will be apart most of the day. 

2. It allows you to get to see each others reactions and actually talk tell each other how damn good you both look! (The traditional walk down the aisle look has great anticipation, but then you have to wait till after the ceremony and sometimes the initial first wow is done and over with by then.)

3. You can relax more after the ceremony when you do a first look because all the formal photos are done, and all you have to do now is enjoy time with friends and family because you had that time earlier in the morning together having fun with each other and your wedding party. 

4. It eases nerves.  If you are someone who gets really nervous in front of people, doing a first look might be a better option for you. 

5. Sometimes guys just dont cry.  The walking down the aisle has some pretty big expectations and thats just added pressure on your groom to show emotions. (In front of everyone he knows.)   Doing a first look allows him to tell you how beautiful you look and hug and kiss you, rather than just showing emotion. 

6. If your groom is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve and shows his emotions more, he will still probably tear up when you walk down the aisle regardless of him seeing you already. 

7. Doing a first look allows you to get more photos.  If  getting a beautiful variety of bride and groom portraits is a big must for your wedding day, 9/10 times doing a first look will allow you to schedule more time for portraits. 

8.  Its not actually a tradition that is built on a sweet foundation, not seeing the bride until she walks down the isle started back when there were arranged marriages. The father of the bride did not want the groom to see the bride before hand in fear that he would back out of the wedding.  YIKES!!!   

 

At the end of the day, this is your wedding. You have to decide on what you both want and what will work best for your day and timeline. Most couples I talk to think that the first look is just a trend and that it gives a feeling of not being genuine or traditional, and thats not the case.   Regardless if you do a walk down the aisle look or a first look, you can still create a wedding day timeline that incorporates all your special moments. <3