Should You Have a “First Look” at your wedding?
There are some couples that want to have a first look and others that want that first look to be at the wedding ceremony. Today, Carole and I are going to give you the pros and cons of having that first look before the wedding ceremony.
What is a ‘First Look’ anyway?
Good question. A first look is where you typically arrange a time and place at the venue or church to first see each other.
Sometimes, it’s the bride and groom and sometimes it’s the bride and father of the bride, but in either case, it’s a moment shared by the two people and usually the wedding photographers and videographers.
How many couples do a First Look?
So, we did a couple of surveys on four Facebook Groups asking that question.
“Will you have a First Look?”
89 couples gave an answer and surprisingly more couples chose not to have a first look than those that did. Just 29% of couples said they are planning a first look of some kind, while almost 8% said they were not sure about having one yet.
63% of couples said they were not planning to do one.
Have a First Look?
What are benefits of having a First Look?
First, it’s a private moment most times, so your guests don’t get to see your reactions. To some that’s great and they want it private, to others, they want everyone to enjoy that true first, “wow” moment when you walk down the aisle.
Second, it’s sometimes staged for the photos and video. Having the time to readjust things for the video or photos can help make them look great, but the downfall is that you know it’s staged rather than true.
Now, that’s not a bad thing, in fact it can be a good thing, being able to have great photos from the wedding and that brings me to the next great point, timing.
Specifically, getting them out of the way before the wedding ceremony can help provide you more time at the wedding reception and that’s something to think about when planning the wedding day.
First look’s generally do not take up much time, 5-10 minutes tops so it’s a minor event when planning out the wedding timeline.
One of the things you need to consider is is having the first look worth the added time to the day?
What are some cons of Having the First Look?
On the flipside, you have some negative reasons why you should skip a first look, let’s take a look at a few of them.
First and most to consider is the public vs. private reaction.
Some couples love everyone to see the grooms look on his face when first seeing you come down the aisle. Opening yourself up in front of everyone is something to consider when planning the wedding day.
For most guys, it’s an extremely powerful moment, many tears will be shed, being overcome with joy and emotion, all your guests, friends and family will get to see that.
If you decide to skip the first look, there will be a short window of opportunity for photo and video professionals to capture both of you and your reactions.
Being further apart and having to get those shots around guests can be difficult at times, so it’s something to consider when thinking about that.
If we have a First Look, what should we do?
If you decide having one if important to you, make sure that you talk with both the photographer and videographer ahead of time.
Make sure that there is an area picked out beforehand if possible, so you, the professionals and your soon-to-be spouse will know where to be at and the time it’s going to happen.
Plan on 15 minutes max for this, although it will only take 5-10 minutes for it to happen.
You’ll want him to be facing the opposite direction, so when you come into the room, he will not see you just yet. At this point everyone stops for photos and video clip reactions. The photographer and or videographer may have you walk slowly to each other and they may have you walk behind him to wait for the reveal.
Having the groom turn around is usually the key moment to see his reaction to you and the professionals will typically have you stand there for roughly 15-30 seconds as they grab those moments.
Tears will fly, your nose may become runny, everyone smiles and there is love filling up the room.
Once done, you’ll be instructed to give each other a kiss and hug and that’s usually the best moment of the First Look with your soon-to-be.
If you are still on the fence about it, talk with the wedding photographer, they can help guide you with the decision making process and should be able to help out.