You know the tradition of waiting to see the bride until she walks down the aisle? It’s super sweet and traditional, right? But did you know that tradition originated in the time of arranged marriages? It’s true. The reason grooms weren’t allowed to see their brides until the ceremony was so they couldn’t back out of the marriage if he didn’t like his bride. Once the ceremony began, he had to marry her.

Not so sweet huh?

Of course, traditions don’t always hold onto their original intensions – that’s clear with weddings today. However, if a couple chooses not see his or her bride or groom solely for tradition’s sake, it’s important to know where that tradition came from.

Many couples are electing to do what we in the industry call a “first look.” And it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. A couple takes a private moment to see each other for their first time before their ceremony.

But why would a couple choose to do a first look? Because there are several benefits to doing a first look.

1. You have a private moment with your spouse without several eyes staring at you.
2. You can take a moment to breathe, hug, kiss, and talk before going into the “have to’s” of a ceremony.
3. You can have fun with it and be silly!
4. You get on average 50% more photos because all of your portraits can be taken before your ceremony (couple photos, wedding party photos, and family photos).
5. You and your photographer aren’t pressed for time and can schedule as much time as you need/want for your portraits (which is why you end up getting more photos).
6. If you want golden hour photos, you’ll have time for them. Bonus: your couple photos will have two different and dramatic looks to them.
7. Couples having winter weddings won’t have to worry about loosing daylight after their ceremony because their portraits will have been taken before it. Pro Tip: The sun sets around 4:00 p.m. in the winter and so unless you have an early ceremony, you will loose light if you wait to take portraits after your ceremony.
8. Nerves vanish! 100% of my couples tell me their nerves go away as soon as they saw their spouse at their first look.

I always encourage my couples to consider doing a first look. The photos my team and I capture at a first look are usually some of my favorites of the entire wedding day because they show so much love and excitement for what’s to come! That and I just love capturing raw emotions and delivering more photos to my couples. 🙂

However, if a couple is set on waiting until their ceremony to see each other, I will always respect those wishes. At the end of the day, your wedding is all about you and your spouse and what you two want!

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