The First Look

Have you ever wondered where the tradition of the groom not seeing his bride on the wedding day came from? During the time period of the 18th century when arranged marriages were the custom, the betrothed couple were not permitted to see each other prior to the ceremony per the request of the bride’s father. Due to the fact that marriage was handled as a financial transaction, the father of the bride feared that if the groom saw the bride prior to the ceremony and found her to be unattractive, he would still have time to back out of the wedding. (Very interesting tradition, huh?)

Although arranged marriages are no longer a custom in America, some brides still prefer to have the groom waiting in anticipation and excitement to see his blushing bride. As the minutes pass, his anticipation continues to build until that moment where he is standing in front of all of his family and her family. He is full of emotion and excitement to see his fiancee walk down the aisle, his palms are sweaty and his heart is racing. The bride is standing in that bridal room waiting to walk down the aisle to her groom in just as much overwhelming excitement for her special day. As soon as the last bridesmaid takes her walk down the aisle, all of the guest’s eyes become fastened on the groom to see his reaction to his bride and all of her beauty. No pressure, right?

Well let me tell you about another option.. What if you could experience this intimate moment in privacy where your groom is standing thirty feet away and you walk behind him, tap him on the shoulder and he turns around in amazement at how beautiful you are? As he continues to look at you, kiss you, pick you up and twirl you as your dress is flowing in the breeze and your photographer takes beautiful shots of this moment without the pressure of hundreds of people watching. This could be the one moment for you and your future husband to share alone, with time unlimited. The First Look allows you to have that moment. It extends your day by nearly three hours allowing the photographer to start earlier in the day and getting nearly forty percent of the photographs taken in advance. Some of these shots could be pictures of The First Look of the bride and groom, bridal party and First Looks of the father with his daughter or the mother with her daughter, etc.

After this First Look of the bride and her groom, the nerves have surpassed and now the excitement has settled in that you both are about to make the most important step in your life, becoming husband and wife. After the ceremony is finished, the final photographs can be taken where the bridal party is able to have more fun! You can enjoy taking the photos and spending time with your best friends on your wedding day! And meanwhile guests are shocked to find that they don’t have to wait impatiently for over an hour for the bride and groom to be announced and the reception to begin because most of the photos were taken prior to the ceremony. The bride and groom gets to enjoy cocktail hour and dinner. It’s a win-win for everybody!

Lastly as a disclaimer, I would like to express to my clients that this is a choice and you are not required to do The First Look. I understand that some brides prefer the old tradition of seeing the anticipation of your handsome groom waiting to see you but I have seen the benefits of the First Look!