Happy Wedding Wednesday friends! I am so excited to share the benefits of sharing a first look with your groom. This is a topic that I discuss with all of my brides when we discuss her wedding day plans. Sometimes couples see eye to eye on this decision. There are other times when the bride wants to have this experience and the groom is not sure. I have found that if there is one thing about the wedding that the groom truly cares about it is waiting to see his bride until she walks down the aisle. Some men truly love the tradition of this moment and do not want to even consider the first look. Let me preface this entire post by saying I would never expect a bride to pressure her groom to make a decision that contrasts with what he truly wants. This is his wedding day too and if there is something he truly wants to do I believe he should have it. However, if a groom or bride find themselves on the fence about the first look experience these are the benefits I like to share with them.
1. You’ll receive 40% more photos of just the two of you.
Look at your wedding photographer as an investment. It is the one vendor who is involved in helping you to remember every aspect of your day. There will be moments of the day that will forever be embedded into your mind and there will also be moments that you may never witness. Thanks to your photographer, you will be able to experience everythingabout your day. That’s a major investment! So isn’t it safe to say that you would like to get as much as possible back from that investment? By sharing a first look you can actually receive up to 40% more photos of you and your groom than you would if you chose to wait until the ceremony to see each other. Without a first look, you will be squeezing in 3 different areas of photography into a short window of time. You will have family portraits, bridal party portraits, and bride and groom portraits completed within a minimum of 1 hour: your cocktail hour. It is possible to complete all of these photos within an hour but it will also be rushed and may result in you losing out on more photos that you’ll wish you had later.
By sharing a first look you’ll have about 3 extra hours added to your wedding day experience. These are 3 hours where you can enjoy a more fun and relaxed time with your friends and groom. As a bonus, your portraits will all be completed prior to your reception and you can go straight from your wedding to your reception. Your guests will not get restless waiting on you and you can start celebrating with them a lot sooner.
2 You’ll get to share some intimate time.
The gift that a first look provides is the gift of time alone together. This will be the ONLY time that you and your groom will share in seclusion until you leave your reception. I had a couple that chose not to share a first look and saw each other for the first time as the bride came down the aisle. Later when we were preparing to start bridal party portraits the couple asked me if they could have a few moments alone before we got started. They had realized that they had not had any time to just be with each other on their wedding day! Most couples do not think of this aspect. There is a difference between being together and being alone together.
On a wedding day I believe it is important for a couple to have at least a few moments on their own to speak privately and express what they are feeling without being on display. I’ll explain how a photographer can be there to capture a first look while at the same time allowing a couple to have some alone time. When I capture a first look I will stand far enough away to allow the couple’s space to be uninterrupted. After capturing the couple’s reactions I will give them 5-10 minutes alone before we continue with their portraits. This is time where you can cry, talk, and laugh in privacy. After you share you first look you are ready to love on each other and this is the perfect time to capture some incredibly sweet images.
3. It will help to eliminate any nerves.
Your wedding day is one of the biggest and best days of your life. While it is incredibly exciting it can also bring on some strong nerves: the good kind. To most, being in front of others is a nerve-wracking thought. You are unsure of what to expect in this overwhelming moment. This is appropriate, as you have never experienced your wedding day before. Whether the groom realizes it or not there are a lot of expectations placed on him for the way he reacts on his wedding day. I know my favorite part of the day is the groom’s reaction when he sees his beautiful bride for the first time. Imagine the intensity of his emotions as he stands at the end of the aisle waiting for his bride and every eye is on him; just anticipating his reaction. It is overwhelming! Sharing a first look with your groom can help ease these nerves; especially for the groom. I would say that half of my couples have chosen to share a first look and 90% of those grooms were not keen on the idea at first. However, after they saw their bride in a private moment, they admitted that they felt completely at ease during the ceremony. They also said they were able to allow everything about the moment their bride walked down the aisle sink in while other grooms shared that the moment was a blur.
Some brides who are on the fence about sharing a first look have a worry about losing out on a moment. They have shared with me that they worry that their groom will not be emotional as she walks down the aisle if he has already spent the afternoon with her. As a bride who shared a first look with her husband I can tell you this is not the case. You will not “lose out” on an emotional moment because these moments are two different experiences. When you experience a first look you are sharing a private moment with your love to express everything you’re felling. As you, the bride, walk down the aisle you are experiencing the moment you both have been waiting for: your wedding. The wedding is it’s own experience and sharing a first look will not rob you of any part of your ceremony experience.
Something to Remember: If your groom is not usually one to show his emotions, then you cannot expect him to behave differently on his wedding day. Some men will embrace their bride without shedding a single tear…and that is OK! Just enjoy this day you have dreamt of for so long and try not to put any expectations on your man.
