Business

What Is A First Look & Why Should We Do One?

 

Here is the breakdown.

Traditionally, on your wedding day the first time you see each other will be walking down that aisle. Whether it be a church with pews, a fancy rooftop, mom and dad’s backyard or a barn wedding with hay bales—that’s been the most anticipated moment in history. “Been” being the key word. The wedding industry had changed a lot over the past few years and a lot of traditions that were once well known are being tossed.

Out with the old, in with the new!

A first look, now,  is when the couple sees each other before the ceremony! This is a time set aside, in private, to see each other for the first time! If my couples choose to do a first look, I scope out the perfect spot for them to have this moment captured! Setting up for a first look and seeing each other takes about 15 minutes. After you two see each other, we celebrate! Yay! Then, we go straight into bridal portraits, which is typically about 30 minutes of fun, intimate, lots of smiles and a whole bunch of kisses. Sometimes, i’ll throw in a few dips and kisses and lots of dress twirls! That is 45 minutes of private time spent with your new husband! Can I get a heck yessss!?!

 

 

So why, more than ever, are couples choosing to do this?

This tradition has grown in popularity within the past year, tremendously! Here are the Top 5 Reasons you SHOULD do a First Look——

Reason #1: Imagine seeing you husband/wife for the first time, after you’ve just walked down the aisle and you can’t hug them, kiss them or even say how wonderful they look because you have to go directly into the ceremony in front of all your family and friends. With a FL -all that built up emotions and excitement can be shared with each other all while being captured on camera!

Reason #2: If you are a bride that has social anxiety or you just know you will be like “throw up” nervous walking down the aisle—— a FL is for you! This helps ease your nerves and puts you in party mode for the rest of the night!

Reason #3: You get more photos in your final delivery! More things to photograph—-you do the math. Plain and simple.

Reason #4: You get to attend cocktail hour! This is HUGE for a lot of my couples. Doing a FL allows us to get all the bride and groom and bridal party photos out of they way BEFORE the ceremony, leaving only family formals to do after the ceremony (which typically only takes 15 min.) and then you & your new hubby are off to tasting those delicious hor d’oeuvre’s and open bar that you payed for and also getting more time to spend with family! (remember this night goes by fast!) If you don’t do a FL— we are taking pictures for the hour that cocktail hour is going on.

Reason #5: If you are planning a September – December wedding, you have to keep in mind day light savings! It begins to get darker earlier, leaving less time to photograph after the ceremony before we are all left in the dark (of course this all depends on the start time of ceremony and if there is a full mass if you are doing a church wedding) So, getting the photos done before hand allows a better environment to take pictures in!

I have found one common thing in a lot of the weddings that I have photographed. After the ceremony—- everyone (including the wedding party and my couple) gets into party mode! Rightfully so. However, if you did not do a first look we still have family formals, bride and groom photos, and bridal party photos to fit into the ONE hour during cocktail hour. That is A LOT of photos, and very little time. And I don’t know about you but when I get hungry, I get hangry. #guilty SO, did my husband and I do a first look? YES. Without question!

If you are in between doing a first look or having trouble imagining the timeline of your day, I really hope this helped clarify some questions you may have had!

Want to know other traditions that have been tossed?

Here’s a few that I have noticed in my experience—-

  1. Bouquet & Garter Toss. Why? Because it’s weird if children catch it.

  2. A Slow First Dance Song. Why? Because couples like to get groovyyy and have fun with it!

  3. A Three Tiered Wedding Cake. Why? A lot of venues offer so many different dessert options now, it’s a way to incorporate more options for your guests, especially those with allergies. Also, don’t lie—- they want the smaller cake all to themselves!

  4. A White Dress! Why? Brides want to show off there personality in their own unique way!

  5. No Veil. Why? Just personal preference.

Thank you for stopping by!

Xoxo,

Danielle Dziedzic

 

What Is A First Look & Why Should We Do One?