A question I have been asked more and more in recent years is “we’re thinking of seeing each other before the wedding, is this a good idea?”
Seeing one another pre-wedding, also known as a first look, has become hugely popular lately to the point that 6 of the first 12 weddings I’ve photographed have had one. In case you don’t live in a world of weddings I’ll briefly run through the premise – basically a couple of hours before the wedding the bride and groom will arrange to see one another have a quiet moment away from the prying eyes of a hundred guests, they will then have some photos together as a couple and with their wedding party and in exchange they get to just roll straight from their ceremony into their reception without an interruption for photos.
When first hearing about it people broadly fall into 2 categories, either “no way, I definitely don’t want to see my fiancee before the actual wedding” or “hells yeah, more time to party with all my guests!” In principle it’s a great idea, and sometimes it works really well, but there is a lot more to consider.
Here are some of the pros and cons of a first look, some are pretty obvious, others not so much.
PROS
- Weddings are all about people and relationships so maximising the time spent with guests is undeniably a great idea.
- It feels like one big party once the ceremony starts, the day isn’t split in 2 and there are no lengthy gaps in the afternoon.
- If you’re nervous about how you will respond when seeing your partner and would prefer to not have 100 pairs of eyes (and iPhones) staring at you during this moment then a first look will take a lot of pressure off.
- Having already seen one another and passed through the nerves of that you are able to relax and be more present during the ceremony.
- You decide where to have your first look. We can control the location and the lighting and ensure we get beautiful photos, we are usually not afforded that luxury for the ceremony.
- If you’re having a winter wedding we can take better advantage of the daylight hours.
CONS
- You need to be dressed and looking perfect around 2 hours earlier which means hair and makeup starts earlier and you’re in your wedding clothes for longer, any ideas of a lazy morning can be thrown out the window. This is a big one, particularly if you have a big wedding party.
- The photos of you, your partner and wedding party will likely be taken in mid afternoon light. During winter or on an overcast day this is no problem, but if you’re having a summer wedding it’s going to be tricky to get soft beautiful romantic photos in full sun beach at 2pm, particularly if there’s not much shade around (obviously I’ve got all sorts of tricks to find the best light and work around any situation, but as a rule photos taken in 5pm light will be more flattering, dramatic and magical than those taken at 2pm).
- If you plan on having photos at the same location as the ceremony (such as a winery) then we’ll need to be finished photos around 45 minutes before the ceremony starts to avoid any early guests sneaking a peek. You then have 45 minutes just sitting around waiting for things to start and guests to arrive (not to mention this 45 minutes needs to be factored into your start time that morning).
- For some people there’s something really nice about seeing your future husband or wife walking down the aisle, it’s also a beautiful moment for parents, family and guests.
If you’re considering having a first look then I’d highly recommend speaking with your photographer about it at your first meeting and before you’ve locked in your ceremony time, in order for it to be worthwhile the ceremony needs to start later than it otherwise would and there’s a bunch of stuff to consider when this happens (what time the sun sets is a big one).
