What is a first look?

First looks are becoming extremely popular these days! A first look is when the bride and the groom see each other before the ceremony. Some people enjoy the traditional way of seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony. Others, are starting to see an issue with their time frame on their wedding day that shift them to have a first look! There are many pros and cons about first looks. If you are struggling about making a decision, I wanted to talk about our pros and cons that might help you make a decision!

Pros

  • Way more intimate with your future spouse! Some people still love the traditional way (I personally love the traditional way! But, I would have benefited from having a first look on my wedding day!) Some feel that there is less pressure from having a first look instead of having what could be a hundred people in front of them watching his or hers every move!
  • Tight timeline! Are you planning your wedding out and unsure about how you're going to fit everything in when your venue is only allowing you to have your ceremony at 5pm? We run into this problem consistently! Depending on what venue you choose, they could have a set time of when your ceremony is and depending on the time of year this can be hard! At my own personal wedding I struggled with timing on everything! (fixed ceremony time, sunlight going quick, family members paying attention for group shots. This was the reason I would have benefitted from having a first look!) By having a first look, that question will be completely taken out of the picture so you can spend the night away dancing with all your family and friends!
  • More photos!! The bonus of having a first look, is you create more time to have photos in maybe different locations or different time of the day!
  • We can't miss a thing! Doing the traditional way, can move very fast! That being said, we have two photographers for a reason to make sure that we never miss anything in your ceremony. When having a first look, we are right there with you & by having two photographers we can get both reactions! It's honestly my favorite part to watch everyone's reactions!


Cons

  • Light..yes sadly light is a con. However, Tiffany & Nic's wedding they had an overcast day that worked out perfectly for their first look! If your wedding is from 3-5pm and you're planning on a first look, we would be shooting smack dab middle of the day. That sadly, is not our ideal timing to shoot. Sometimes we don't have a choice on what time of day or what conditions we shoot in. That's OK! We have experience on knowing how to work with those kinds of lighting conditions. And, you might be one of the lucky ones like Tiffany & Nic with an overcast day!
  • It's just not the traditional way. Like I said earlier, some people really care about having the traditional way of their wedding. I know I was a bit anal about it. Just know, that even though it won't be the traditional way, you will still get some really cool photographs from it!
  • You can still run behind. Most of the weddings that I have done, the girls have always been at least an hour late! There is a lot to do getting ready, with hair and makeup there always seems to be problems! That's ok, it happens! Sadly, that will shift your timeline again. That might means that we won't be able to get as many photographs that we had planned. Our priority is always making sure that the first look is done and we can get some photographs right after. You guys have a bright and happy way that you won't have as much towards the end of the day. Your faces will be tired from smiling or you'll be tired of having a camera in your face the whole time. It happens! We always try to make room for things running behind, and always find a way to get them done!


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There are many benefits on both ends that could help your day flow! At the end of the day, we will follow what ever decision you make for your wedding day to make sure that it runs smooth! We always like to talk to our clients or even potential clients about a first look to see if it will help their timeline! It might, or you might be like me where I was anal about having it the traditional way! But, just know that you always have options with us!


Check in with us on Thursday to learn more about us!