First look or wait?

Have you talked with your partner about this? I was also considering to do a first look for the exact same reason, but when I talked to my FH about it he said he does not want to do one and a did not really care, so now we are not doing one.

I think the whole thing with the first look is really just up to each individual bride. I know for me I don't want to do a first look. I want him to see me for the first time in my wedding dress when I walk down the aisle. Then again usually that's the good thing about cocktail hour and having some drinks and foods to eat is that the guests can socialize while you take pictures. Plus aren't you going to be taking pictures during the ceremony as well? Or the reception rather? I think if you're leaning more towards the sides of just getting pictures done then just go ahead and do it.

I agree with Fenja. You should ask your partner. I didn’t think my FH would care either way but when I asked him didn’t like the idea of the first look so we aren’t doing one.

I’m not doing a first look, I want that moment when I walk down the aisle. I think there is a magic in it and I don’t want that to be lost breaking the tradition.

Don’t do it only for logistics. There’s plenty of time for pictures during the cocktail hour and trust me they will be perfectly happy mingling and drinking.

Daughter and SIL did do first look, and they were VERY happy they did. Daughter was convinced she was going to "ugly cry" when they saw each other for the first time, and she didn't want that to happen at the altar. She also wanted the opportunity for them to have "that moment" alone, as she knew it would go along way toward helping her stay calm. And, they didn't mind getting a ton of photos done before the wedding so they could maximize their time and opportunity for the entire day/night, as they knew the time would go fast. Their first look accomplished everything they were hoping it would and more (and, daughter didn't ugly cry, but SIL did a little... ). For them, it didn't take away from the walk down the aisle...he cried again, and she did not. For them it was right, but they were always in agreement that they both wanted to do it. Practically, it did allow their photographer to get an incredibly large number of photos (they got back 1100+ edited photos from an eleven hour day), and they were very happy to have both the photos from before the ceremony and those taken after -- they got a huge variety of shots, in different lighting/locations, of them with and without the wedding party. Good luck!

We are going to. FH wanted a few days to think about it, and said yes. We want that first look to be shared between the two of us, and want to enjoy our reception more by getting a lot of pics taken during that first look

We are doing a first look for multiple reasons but as far as FOMO with the aisle excitement, it’s gonna make the walk down the aisle so much calmer and less anxiety provoking for me and him haha. Also I like having that first moment just the two of us without all the pressure and eyes on us, it is going to make the moment more genuine and memorable for us personally! And then the obvious timeline reasons

We decided to not do a first look. We'll get all of the individual family (me with my family, him with his family) and wedding party pictures done before the ceremony to cut down on time afterward. We do plan on doing a "first touch" around the staircase at our venue, but we plan on that first look to be when I walk down the aisle.

Definitely talk with your FH. We weren’t going to do one first but then decided to do a first look bc he wanted the first time we saw each other to be an intimate moment for just me and him. ❤️ Good luck!

We did a first look and absolutely loved it! It was such a special moment just between the 2 of us. And the photos and video are some of our favorites! Walking down the aisle was still very special because all of our friends and family were there to witness it, and it was a completely different feeling than the first look.
It’s a personal decision between you and your fiancé, but I would do it over again every single time ❤️!

My fiance say he don't want to see me into a walk thru the aisle, I think it's beautiful to see that reaction on front of all your loves ones. I will wait . But it's up to you and your fiance . Good luck girl

We did a first look and we both still bawled as I walked down the aisle. It didn’t take anything away from that moment.

I had a first look and don’t regret it because we needed to do photos before hand for logistics

Loved doing first look. Our favorite wedding pics. Great private moment to connect before our wedding celebration. Still amazing ceremony experience. More time with guests during cocktail hour.

We didn’t do one and I am SO glad. I didn’t want to risk anything detracting from the moment he sees me walking down the aisle (seriously, look at this face!!!) I know plenty of people who did first looks say that it didn’t detract from the emotion of walking down the aisle but really, no one can say that for sure because no one has ever done it BOTH ways lol, and possibly losing even a fraction of the amazingness of seeing this reaction at the ceremony was never something I was willing to risk!

Also, I was never able to get on board with the logic of “it’s nice to have a private moment together when you see each other dressed up before the ceremony” because really, if you wanted a “private” moment then you should’ve eloped lol. We WANTED our guests to share in this special moment with us... that’s why we invited them!

This is totally not to criticize anyone who does a first look, I mean to each their own and I do see the perks of getting more photos before the ceremony (though, we got more than enough photos anyway!) but this is just my opinion and why we decided not to 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also, another relevant factor is we had a 12pm wedding and actually part of the reason for that is so we didn’t have to do a first look 😂 if you’re having a late afternoon or evening wedding I understand wanting to get your photos done earlier in the day, but since I knew we didn’t want to do a first look I made sure our wedding was early so it wasn’t like we were missing too much of the day before seeing each other.

Annnd my photos didn’t attach to the other comment lol, here ya go

No first look until I walk down the aisle. I want him to be blown away and let everyone share in the emotion of our day!

We decided on a first look initially because I just really love the idea of it. Then our photographer also suggested it because it helps take stress off of the ceremony and it gives you a few minutes together alone before the hustle of the rest of the day. I think it’ll really help calm some of our nerves. Both of us are really shy so taking away that stress will help us keep our cool during the ceremony. I also don’t think it’ll take away anything from the moment of walking down the aisle, that will still be very special. I suggest you do a first look, but it’s really personal preference. 😊

We are having a first look because after the ceremony, we want to be able to celebrate and have fun with our guest. I don't want the obligation of pictures later in the day/night.