Unequivocally, YES! 

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That alone is a good enough reason to make us regret not having a first look at each of our own weddings, but we understand if our brides and grooms need more convincing… so here is why you should have a first look at your wedding!

1. YOU CAN HAVE MORE INTIMATE MOMENTS TOGETHER! 

If you have a first look, you will have a chance to see the reaction, in a safe and intimate setting. Your wedding day is going to FLY BY, it may quite possibly be a complete blur, and unfortunately you don’t get to spend a lot of alone time with the one person you love most in this world. In fact, you spend more time with your photographers on your wedding day than any other person at your wedding. So you SHOULD plan time into your timeline to spend as many moments as you can with your signifcant other. If you are hiding in closets or sneaking around corners to avoid each other, you aren’t going to have many intimate moments. The “First Look Timeline” gives you and your partner a chance to enjoy those intimate moments alone, without everyone watching (well except for your photographer!), and you invest in meaningful photography that captures your joy and your love with up to 40% more photographs of you both together. Your wedding day can be an emotional time and you want to share those emotions with the love of your life, that simple!

2. YOU HAVE MORE TIME TO CELEBRATE WITH YOUR LOVED ONES! 

Another bonus to this timeline is that it allows you to see each other before the ceremony which means you can start taking care of your portraits before your vows, and head straight to the celebration after you say “I do!” You will actually get to enjoy the cocktail hour and take a break with your bridal party at the beginning of your reception because you won’t be cramming in all of your photographs! Prior to the ceremony, you can knock out all of the “work” such as bridal party portraits, bride and groom portraits, and familiy portraits!

3. THERE IS TIME TO CAPTURE THE DETAILS OF YOUR WEDDING DAY! 

The “First Look Timeline” allows the photographer a chance to capture the many tiny details that create the style and help tell the story of your wedding day. These details were too important and too expensive to just gloss over. You want to be able to sit with your grand children, or other family members, years from now and relive your wedding day. Yes, it is absolutely about the love you and your partner share together, but that love and each of your personalities are what made your wedding day possible, and whether you did all the planning and fine tuning, or you entrusted that to a family member, friend, or wedding planner, it is a display of you and your love together. Capture those details so that they can forever be a part of your story.

4. YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO RELIEVE SOME OF THE PRESSURE AND LET GO OF YOUR NERVES!

Most of the grooms we work with aren’t always ready to jump head first into the “First Look Timeline”… they like the tradition, and the face they get to see their bride for the first time at the ceremony. However, because they have never experienced their wedding day before, they didn’t know how nerve racking it can be. We have grooms who initially weren’t fans of the first look, but decided to do it based on the benefits we shared with them, and they ALL admitted to being SO much more relaxed and ready for the ceremony! Some of them were even worried it would take away from the emotions during the actual ceremony, but the first look just made the day even more enjoyable, and they were even more excited to see their bride walk down that aisle.
Not only does the first look reduce nerves for the ceremony, but also with being in front of the camera. Most guys don’t love being in front of the camera, but having a chance to pose for bride and groom portraits before the ceremony, allowed for every groom we have ever worked with to get out the jitters and remember how comfortable it can be with us behind the cameras and their love wrapped up in their arms! By the time the sun sets and husband and wife portraits are underway, everything is a breeze.

5. YOU WILL ASSURE YOUR BRIDAL PARTY WILL ENJOY THEMSELVES

THE PEOPLE IN YOUR WEDDING are the people closest to you. Although they are there by your side for support, they are also there to witness your love and enjoy the celebration, just as much as you and your partner want to. So why would we make them work long hours and wait around for photographs after the ceremony when they could be finished beforehand?!

LET’S START WITH THIS… Bridesmaids love this timeline because their hair and makeup game is strong and no one is hangry when it is time to take portraits of the bridal party! The ladies are still fresh, it is early in the day. They don’t have to wait around in their dresses all day, suffer through portraits after their hair has already fallen or sweat has messed up their makeup! Let them enjoy their job as bridesmaids and maid of honor by getting the hard work finished early in the day!

The same goes for the groomsmen, but they may not worry quite as much about their hair and makeup! The guys love this timeline just as much because they are ready to relax and get to the party. Yes, guys are in your bridal party because they love you, but more often than not, they do it only because they love you, not because they love standing around having their picture taken as they apply their cuff links! Let them get straight to the party once their “work” for the day is complete!

6. YOU CAN EXTEND YOUR WEDDING DAY WITHOUT EXTENDING EXHAUSTION 

First Looks allow you to extend your wedding day by almost three hours! Normally the wedding day would start when you come down the aisle, then the ceremony would end and you would have to rush through portraits so that you’re not late for the introductions and then it’s reception time. Instead of being rushed for your bridal party portraits… you actually get to enjoy them and have fun hanging out with your BEST friends on your wedding day.

7. YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT THE REDUNDANT PHOTOGRAPHS THAT AREN’T WORTH YOUR INVESTMENT!

Download your free guide to why you should have a First Look on your Wedding Day!