I love when my couples decide to do a first look on their wedding day. It has been such a great experience for all my couples and not one has said they wish they had not done it. Seeing each other before you say I do doesn't mean bad luck anymore. It now means a romantic moment between the two of you and amazing images to go with it!

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Below are my 3 top reasons that seeing your love before the the ceremony is a time saver, stress reliever and most important super romantic! 

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It's a huge stress reliever. When you choose not to do a first look you normally only have an hour between ceremony and reception to get all the family, bridal party photos and Bride and Groom portraits done. While this can be done it can get stressful if you have a big family or bridal party. Cramming all the formal portraits in one hour has the potential of cutting into your Bride and Groom portraits and leave a couple feeling rushed. When we do a first look I come 2 to 3 hours before the ceremony to start with the getting ready shots, then onto the first look and then getting all the family and bridal party photos out of the way. That gives me a good chunk of time to photograph the Bride and Groom without the worry of running out of time. 

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As an added bonus to the first look you get to spend more time with your guests. Normally when we finish taking Bride and Groom portraits there is still time to join your guests at the cocktail hour. The guests and you will love having those extra moments together! 

It's so romantic! When I set up the first look I find a spot that is away from everyone and I only allow the Bride, Groom and myself to be in the area. I want this moment to be as real and intimate as possible for the couple. It allows you to be in the moment together without distractions. After the first look is over I walk away and tell the couple to spend some time together alone even without me. It is the only time of your wedding day that you will be alone and have a few minutes together. It's super romantic and sweet. 

You get more photos! Some of my favorite photos are the first look ones. The look on each others face, the laughs and the tears are not inhibited by the nerves of standing in front of everyone. It's a completely candid moment that makes for some of the best photos of the day.

I have never had a couple say they wish they hadn't done the first look. In fact they all love that we did it and agree that it was just as special and didn't feel like they missed something. Here is one of my Bride's and her testimony on her first look experience. 

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 We had a mix of traditional and modern aspects to our wedding ceremony and reception, so when it came down to whether or not we wanted to do first look it was something we thought a lot about. Ultimately, we decided to do a first look, and I am so happy we did. It was a special moment for just the two of us to see one another and spend time together before the ceremony. And let’s not forget about the sweet photos captured as well during that moment. :) Also, because we did our first look about 3 hours before guests started to arrive, we were able to get most of our wedding photos, including those with family and our wedding party done before the ceremony. Because of this, Austin and I were able to focus on spending time with our family and guests at our reception versus taking that time for photos. We found this aspect to be a great perk to doing a first look as well! If I could do it over again, I would still choose to do a first look as it added a wonderful touch to our wedding day! ~ Hannah and Austin

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