5 Reasons You Should Share A First Look

I surprised Josiah with a First Look on our wedding day! At first I did not want a First Look because I wanted him to see me for the first time when I was walking down the aisle. I didn’t want a First Look to change his reaction when he saw me come down the aisle, but he really wanted to do a First Look. So… I changed my mind! 🙂 Below are a few reasons why I decided to do a First Look!

1. Investment

You are investing so much in your photography and you will receive nearly 45% more portraits with a first look! We just got our wedding photos back and those are the photos we are going to be decorating our home with!

2. Intimate Time

You get to share in an intimate moment with your man! When the bride walks down the aisle and see’s her very soon-to-be husband and completely shocks him with your b-e-autiful-ness (Anyone else channel their inner Jim Carrey when they spell beautiful?)…he can’t even talk to you or tell you how great you look. You can’t hug him or have a moment with just the two of you because there are 150+ people watching! You have to wait 30+ minutes before you can talk to him and hear him say how great you look and his reaction will be totally different by that point… which leads me to my next point.

3. Alone Time

The First Look is the only part of your day where you and your husband get to be alone together (sorry for the oxymoron) on your wedding day! Every other part of your day will include your bridal party, parents and friends, but this is the only time you’ll be alone. Normally, romantic portraits are rushed in between family formals and the reception. You are on a time crunch and it can be really hard to get back into the “lovey-dovey” & “cutesy” mood. BUT when you have just shared a First Look, you’re already in the mood to love on each other. It’s hard not to be cute with each other when you both can’t wait to be married within a few hours!

4. It Extends the Wedding Day

Without sharing a First Look, you’ll spend half the wedding day without your best friend and the person you love most! Your wedding day would start at the ceremony when you finally get to be together, but with a First Look, you can be together longer on your wedding day. It adds 2-3 more hours that you get to share your wedding day with each other. You get to hang out with all of your friends together, too! Bridal party portraits are no longer rushed and you get to share some laughs and fun with everyone together!

5. Gets Rid of the Nerves

This may be the biggest one! Josiah says that he was feeling a little nervous and that there is a lot of pressure on the guy to react emotionally at the ceremony. A First Look takes away the nerves from your man. We know that a lot of guys may not be open to breaking the tradition but because they have never experienced their wedding day before, they don’t know how nerve-wracking it can be! Seeing Josiah as I walked down the aisle was one of the best parts of our entire day! It’s magical!! But when I walked down the aisle… he wasn’t a nervous wreck…he had spent the morning with me and my best friends and the pressure was OFF. By the time our ceremony rolled around, he was ready to enjoy our beautiful day! The nerves were gone and when the nerves are gone, true emotions can be expressed! And OH were they expressed! Seriously, Josiah bawled!

We would highly recommend a First Look for our brides! It will give you more time intimate time together and you’ll get more bang for your buck! It’s such a sweet moment and we love seeing the smiles and authentic interactions that the bride & grooms share! We would love to answer any questions you have about First Looks!