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First Looks - 6 Reasons Why I Love Them!



WOOO! Happy Friday Everyone! Can you believe that we are literally half way through March already?! Only 5 days left until the official start of Spring! As much as I do enjoy a good snow day, I am ready to pack my winter boots up for the season and not drag them out again! I’m also getting ready for my bachelorette party next weekend! I’m so ready for a few days away with my besties soaking up the sun on the beaches of Florida. For those of you that are first-time readers, I am a wedding planner but also a bride-to-be. I’ll be getting married next month and love using topics that I’m going through as blog posts to help other brides with their wedding plans! I’ll be taking next week off from writing so I can pack and enjoy time with my friends but the week after I plan to share all my bachelorette party details with you guys through the blog!

This week I decided to write a post on First Looks. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term – a First Look is essentially a time where the bride and groom see each other before the walk down the aisle. First looks are picking up in popularity and with good reason! Today I want to share my OPINION on why I love first looks and why I am choosing to do one at my own wedding. I hope you all enjoy it!

Reason 1: Logistically speaking, it just helps the overall flow of the day

Speaking as a planner and also as a wedding guest, there’s nothing I love more than a good itinerary and flow on a wedding day. In my opinion, a first look helps create this flow (I think most photographers will agree with me on this one!) It allows you to get all of your photos done before the ceremony even starts leaving you free for the rest of the evening to be fully present and enjoy time with your friends and family. I’m one of those people that loves to get the “work” done early and relax later. By seeing each other before the ceremony, you now have the option to do bridal portraits, family photos, full bridal party photos and photos of just the two of you leaving the rest of the day open to candid shots and more photos with the rest of your guests!

Reason 2: You get to enjoy your cocktail hour

I don’t know about you, but I fully intend on enjoying every minute of my cocktail hour. Having a First Look is allowing me to do so as I can get 95% of my photos done before the majority of my guests even arrive. I also feel that I worked really hard to plan this wedding and I don’t want to spend the first hour of it taking pictures. And, I LOVE to eat so you better believe I’m not missing any of my appetizers!

Reason 3: It helps calm your nerves and gives you all the feels

It’s normal to have nerves on your wedding day, in fact, the majority of couples do. Having a First Look before you walk down the aisle helps calm these nerves for both of you. It gives both of you a feeling of peace and confidence knowing you are both feeling nervous and are there to support each other in whatever emotions come over you.

For those of you thinking that a First Look isn’t as romantic as the groom seeing you for the first time walking down the aisle, let me tell you – it is just as romantic. You still get that “take your breath away” moment. The emotions are going to be there the first time you see each other whether it’s during a First Look or as you walk down the aisle. I think a First Look actually gives you the opportunity to feel even more emotion. You don’t have to worry that you have 150 sets of eyes watching you and waiting to see your expression. It allows you to be fully present in the moment knowing the only person looking at you is your significant other who doesn’t expect anything from you. All they want is to savor this moment with the love of their life.

Reason 4: These moments may be the only moments you get to spend alone for the entire day

Trust me, your wedding day will go by SO fast. I can’t tell you how many couples I’ve had tell me that the day just flew by and was over before they knew it. Once the ceremony starts and your guests have arrived, your opportunity for alone time with your new husband/wife is limited to say the least. The First Look gives you the chance to be alone and just revel in the fact you are about to get married! You also have the chance to say anything you want to say without anyone else around. My fiancée and I are actually planning on reading our personal vows to each other at our First Look and reciting more traditional vows during our ceremony.

Reason 5: The photos will probably be some of your favorites from the entire day

The groom’s reaction when he first sees you, no matter how you choose to do it, is always amazing. These are the photos that always melt my heart and reinforce why I love what I do. There’s no other way to describe it than love in it’s purest form being caught on film. If you choose to do a First Look, I love the fact that you are both captured in these photos together. The traditional route of walking down the aisle makes it very difficult to get the groom’s reaction and the bride’s reaction in the same frame just due to physical distance. Take a scroll through Pinterest or Instagram with the hash tag #firstlook if you don’t believe me that these images are breathtakingly beautiful and special.

Reason 6: For me, I wanted to share this moment with my fiancée ONLY

I truly want the first time John sees me to be just the two of us. I want to share that intimate moment with him and only him. I want both of us to be free to feel whatever emotions we want without anyone else around to watch (except of course our photographers!). After we’ve snapped the First Look photos, we’ve asked our photographers for 10-15 minutes of alone time for us to truly be present with only each other. This is when we are reading our personal vows as well. I didn’t feel comfortable sharing my most intimate feelings for John in front of 120 people and he didn’t either. We both felt that the only other person we wanted to hear these statements was each other and opting for a First Look is allowing us the time to do that.

I hope this post helped any of you who are on the fence about whether or not to do a First Look. Every wedding is different and there is no right way or wrong way to do it – there’s only what is right for you. After all, it is YOUR big day and you only get to experience it once!

Did you do a First Look? I love to hear your feedback and comments on your experience! Have a great weekend everyone and as always, Happy Planning!

Love,

Alyssa

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