First Look

 

That moment when the doors open, the guests stand, and out walks the bride for everyone to see. It’s a huge moment with tons of build-up and anticipation. While we all look at her dress, her hair and adore the beautiful bouquet she is carrying, photographers will agree that capturing the look of the groom seeing his bride for the first time is priceless. There are tears and smiles and nervous sweat. Every women in the crowd in thinking, “awww, isn’t he sweet?” And every man is thinking, “he’s going to cry, hang in there buddy.”

Sometimes the idea of this moment stresses out the bride and groom so much that emotions get lost and their faces show complete panic. There are no smiles from the bride and the groom can hardly  breathe.

A creative way to get the nerves out is to prepare for a ‘First Look’. What is a first look you ask? It’s a moment before the wedding where the groom is taken somewhere alone, away from the groomsman, family and guests to meet his bride, privately, for the first time. In most situations, the groom will have his back turned toward the photographer, as the    photographer escorts the bride toward the groom. The photographer gets the camera ready and then has the groom turn around. It’s an intimate moment with the bride and groom and is very emotional and absolutely beautiful! You will have chills watching both of their faces seeing each other for the first time. The first hug, the first kiss and the first embrace. But this beautiful moment will take the edge off both the bride and groom.

There are a few reasons why the First Look is a Good Idea. Like I mentioned before, it takes the stress off of the bride and groom. But here are some ideas to think about:

• Time. Weddings are full of timelines and to-do lists. Photography takes a big part of the night. You want to capture all the big moments like the first dance, the father-daughter dance and of course the famous cake cutting! But family and wedding photos are so important. As soon as the ‘I Do’ happens, the bride and groom are so anxious to eat and have fun with their guests, that they tend to get impatient with photographers after the wedding. By doing the first look, you have already eliminated bride and groom photos which can take up a bit of time!   That’s about 30 minutes to an hour  you have gained!
• Controlled and Sought Out Area. You never know how the weather will be the day of your wedding. A good photographer will visit the venue ahead of time to find a private location with good lighting. You have the ability to capture amazing photos before the elements (heat, rain, snow) hits you or the dress gets a smudge on it from walking down the isle at your outdoor venue. Also, guests have a hard time staying away for the ‘photo hour’. They want to hug you both, they want selfies and to talk as soon as they see you. The first look allows a safe area where there are no guests or family for the bride and groom to get amazing photos!
• Providing comfort. It’s a known fact that our significant other is the one that has the ability to calm each other down in time of worry or in the time of freak out. The bride and groom can provide a sense of comfort for each other before all eyes are on them. There has been months, and for some years, leading up to this moment. All the planning and discussing has come down to these few hours. Its stressful and it’s typical for a freak out to happen. Because the first look is a private moment and intimate, nerves tend to ease and smiles reappear.

Whatever it is you decide, don’t over think it! Do what feel bests to you! If you are a very traditional soul, the first-look may not be for you. But, if the reception is very important to you and you want more time dancing with your friends, a first-look could save you time!