To have a first look or not!

Every wedding I have attended in the last 10/15 years has included a first look. It helps get the couple over the nerves. Plus you get to take all pictures before to be able to spend time with guests at the reception. A close friend who got married recently was anti first look but a bundle of nerves so photographer suggested first look. She and husband said her walk down the aisle didn't lose any magic and they got to spend more time with guests. So she recommends it to all now.

I think that is a personal decision but based on what you said I think you would favor the first look. I did not do it because I am traditional in some senses and I wanted his first look to be me walking down the aisle. It made it more special and this dorky picture seeing him for the first time and him smiling seeing me for the first time made it special. I personally feel first looks take that away but many brides like it for scheduling or getting rid of nerves.

I am planning to do a first look! We saw a couple benefits that helped us make this decision: like you mentioned, a few minutes alone with my fiance on our wedding day, almost all pictures done prior to the ceremony, helps with nervousness (mainly for me), and we also wanted to attend cocktail hour (actually, my fiance is super excited about the appetizers being served during cocktail hour, so he really wants to be there for those 😆). I think it's really just personal preference though! Some people are completely against a first look, others are all about it. Talk with your fiance, and decide what works best for you both!

I was dead set on not doing a first look until I spoke with my photographer. The first reason is the one you noted - getting private time with your FH and seeing his reaction alone. My FH is 100% not going to show much of a reaction standing in front of everyone. She then explained that when you do the first look and get the pictures out of the way, you can actually enjoy more of the cocktail hour that YOU are paying for. I still plan to take a few pictures as an officially married couple, but this way, your guests can say their hellos and congratulations during cocktail hour and aren't bugging or rushing you too much during/after dinner. So it's safe to say she completely changed my mind and I'm so happy she did!

No, not into the first look. I feel it cannot be candid when the nuptials know that there is a camera in front of them.

It’s so hard! I have been back and forth.I feel pretty traditional too but I just really don’t want to regret not waiting until I’m walking down the aisle. But I know I’ll be so nervous until that time comes so I will keep thinking.

We don't have it set in stone yet, but I am also leaning towards doing a first look. I love the idea of seeing my fiance's face when I walk down the aisle, too! But when he was a groomsmen in his best friend's wedding, he was trying so hard not to get emotional that he ended up looking angry like he was ready to punch someone! I would be so disappointed if he doesn't show any emotion when I walk down the aisle, and I definitely think he would be able to show his actual emotion if it was just us and our photographer.

My husband and I did the traditional way and will also do that for our big celebration. We didn't even consider a first look

I go back and fourth in this. I feel like I might be tooooo nervous to hold it together walking down the aisle but then family tradition it to stay unseen for several days until you walk down and I like that idea as well.


I'm leaning more towards traditional but who knows as the wedding gets closer

There are a lot of pros and cons to each. We are by no means a “traditional” sort of couple, and our wedding will most certainly not be traditional either. However, FH & I both immediately said we did not want to do a first look. We both love the idea of the first time seeing each other being at the aisle. But when speaking with our videographer about our specifics, he highly suggested a first look in order to capture what we are going for, and to more easily coordinate with our photographer. His points were all very valid, and would definitely ensure we got the photos and video that we wanted. Plus, despite being a loud chatter box in social settings, my FH suffers from anxiety when it comes to standing/speaking in front of crowds, and I thought doing a first look could possibly help calm his nerves. I brought up all these points to him, and he agreed that a first look seemed logical... but he still insisted he didn’t want to do it. He said seeing me for the first time in my dress, walking down the aisle to become his wife, was the most exciting and emotional thing for him, and no amount of hors d’oeuvres or liquor at a cocktail hour, or nerves waiting in front of people could ever begin to compare to the importance of that moment. ❤️ Obviously my mind was made up the moment I heard that! I made sure he knew that meant we may not be able to get exactly what we had been wanting with our photos and video, but he insisted that he would rather have photos that capture the authenticity of our experience, than a list of certain poses, etc. And he agreed that having a first look would not feel authentic; rather, it would feel awkward and contrived knowing there was a photographer there for the express purpose of capturing his expression when he saw me. Which I totally get. I liken it to a room full of people watching you open their presents, and feeling like you have to put on the perfect fake expression when you see it. It’s so uncomfortable. Needless to say, we have decided not to do a first look.

I asked my husband if he wanted to see me before. He said no. So no first look. We still took as many pictures before the ceremony as possible. Our ceremony and reception were in Different places, so we had. 30 min car ride to spend alone time together. We still finished with a little time to get to cocktail hr.
It’s all personal preference I think. I think photographers push them because 1) they’re trendy 2) it probably is a little less stressful for them to fit everything in.

I did a first look and I don’t regret it because logistically it worked better for me that way

Doing a first look was the ultimate lifesaver for us in terms of both timing and our photos! There is no way we would have been able to fit the photos we wanted into cocktail hour. Not to mention, I needed to spend a good 20 minutes of cocktail hour getting my dress bustled, carefully removing my veil, freshening up, getting help going to the bathroom in my giant ballgown, etc. Additionally, our venue was a ballroom and the room-flip occurred during cocktail hour. Taking photos during the room-flip would not have been possible. There are other reasons too, but doing a first look and getting the photos out of the way before the ceremony was a must for us

We did a first look and the pictures from it were some of the best from our wedding day It! It was very nerve calming and it felt amazing to have the fresh hair/makeup look. As others have mentioned it saved a lot of time on the pictures as well because we got all of the bridal party pictures out of the way before the ceremony. Wouldn't have it any different because the day goes by fast enough. Think it comes down to how do you want to spend your time- taking a ton of pics after the ceremony or getting it over with before and spending time with family and guests?

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I'm with Yasmine.

Neither of us like the concept, and we didn't do it at all.

Granted, we're both actors, so we do love an audience, but that also means we're superstitious as all get out.

I actually freaked out when I had to text him after midnight the night before!

We did a first look and we loved it. Helped ease our nerves and I really cherished that private reaction of his when he saw me for the first time, I didn't want to share that with others

We got married in a catholic church but we still had a 1st look. We both agreed upon it and having our 1st look be down the aisle wasn't something we necessarily needed from each other. (We did save our 1st kiss that day for the church). We loved it because it did bring our nerves down a little and throughout the whole wedding day (at least for us), it was the only time we had alone with one another.

I didn't like the idea (and H was adamantly opposed), so we did not do a first look. Looking back I'm 100% glad we didn't do one - it made that moment when I walked in that much more special for both of us

I absolutely loved first look! Our favorite photos, nice to connect just the two of us before the high-energy of the wedding, and we got to spend more time with guests during cocktail hour.