Hold up – isn’t it “bad luck” for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony? My opinion? Not at all! This is an old wives’ tale. It is just the traditional thing to do. Traditions are beautiful and have their place on a wedding day, but I’m here to tell you three reasons why you should buck this one tradition in favor of doing a First Look with your spouse before the ceremony.

Three Reasons To Consider a First Look on Your Wedding Day

1. It allows for an intimate moment with your soon-to-be-spouse.

Ask any past bride just how fast her wedding day went and I can guarantee she will tell you that it is like the blink of an eye! The wedding day is go, go, go from waking up until after the party ends. Throughout the course of the day, there actually isn’t that much time you spend ALONE with your spouse. Your friends and family are all there to celebrate you two, and while of course you want to be with them, how special would it be to set aside a designated moment for you to just have a moment alone with your bride or groom?

What if that moment happened to be the first time you saw them as a bride or groom? Instead of seeing your groom at the end of the aisle while everyone’s eyes are on you walking, you could have him all to yourself. Grooms, instead of having to contain your reaction to something appropriate for everyone to witness, you could act however your heart felt like! You could pick her up and swing her around, you can cry, you can shout for joy – you could whisper in her ear, kiss her as hard as you want! You can’t exactly react like that in the church….in front of everyone. Seeing your bride or groom for the first time could be a special moment shared with just the two of you (well….and me, your photographer, but I’ll be sneaky and quiet of course).

2. A First Look makes better use of your timeline

Because you’re able to be together before the ceremony, this means we don’t have to keep you two in hiding for hours before everything starts. We can knock out bridal party portraits and maybe even some family portraits BEFORE you say your vows. In some cases, having a First Look essentially gives you back up to TWO HOURS to your timeline. We won’t be crunched for time trying to squeeze family portraits, bridal party portraits, AND romantic portraits all during cocktail hour. It spreads things out. This will not only give you MORE portraits of just the two of you but will also give you LESS things to stress about!

3. You’re able to be more present for the rest of the day

The whole reason for this wedding day is EACH OTHER. Instead of waiting around half the day to see each other, you’re able to celebrate together even sooner. Immediately your nerves will lessen, the pressure will dissipate, and you’ll be reminded to enjoy it. The timeline will be less crunched, which will also reduce stress. After the ceremony, you won’t have to worry about as many photos because we’ll have already taken care of them before the ceremony. This means you can allow your friends and family to enjoy cocktail hour much sooner! And, after a few more portraits with just each other, both of YOU will also be able to go enjoy your reception much quicker. The less you have to worry about a timeline, the more you can enjoy the day and the more present you’ll feel.

If you’re thinking about your wedding day timeline and wondering how in the world you’re going to make it all work, maybe adding a First Look before the ceremony is the answer!

Danielle is a luxury cinematographer and photographer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Contact her today to inquire about your wedding date!