Grandhouse Wedding Photography & Videography<br> Sydney, Australia
The concept of the first look at a wedding has been an emerging trend among couples nowadays. It is all about the bride tiptoeing toward the groom to show him how amazing she looks in her wedding attire. Most of these moments are tear-jerking as the groom admires how his better half looks in the wedding gown, and it is a precious moment for both of them on their big day. It does not sound anything less than a fairytale, and everyone is demanding to have this moment in their wedding photography memories.
On one side, the wedding tradition is to see the bride only when she walks down the aisle and not before that. Even some couples insist on having a first look moment; some might prefer the traditional way to show the groom only when the bride walks to the altar. If you're having trouble deciding which path to take, you've come to the right place. As with everything else in the world, the concept of first looks also has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here we will walk you through the major pros and cons of first look photos, and then you can decide on which one you want for your wedding - the traditional aisle look or the emotional first look before the ceremony. Let’s get into it before further ado.
Before discussing the list of pros and cons, some might question how a first look works. This is a short session where the couple sees each other for the first time before the wedding ceremony takes place. For the exclusivity of this moment, a location a bit far away from the eyes of family and friends would be chosen for the moment. The groom is instructed to stand, turning away from the camera as the bride walks toward him to give a glimpse. As she taps on the groom's shoulder, he turns to witness his bride in all her glory and beauty. If this doesn't jerk your tears, then brace yourself. This turns out to be emotional because the couple has been anticipating this particular moment since the day they realized they were going to marry the love of their life; watching them in the wedding attire just gives them the reality check that it is finally happening. There are many ways to get creative with these moments as they allow a lot of creative freedom for the main event photographers to set them up and get the maximum results out of them.
Many folks prefer doing the first look away from their family and friends’ eyes because of the privacy it provides them. An emotional moment like this is supposed to be shared with your partner, and it is even more special that you two are the only ones present to witness it. The emotions will be unmasked and raw as there is no space for exaggerating the moment or overdoing it. It is better that way for the pictures to turn out great if the moments are candid and raw.
A first-look moment saves a lot of time for many reasons. Pictures can be taken in bulk as the bride and groom are presented in their most candid selves. So for the other ceremonies like wedding reception and the wedding ceremony, it would not take up a lot of time for the photography team to click as much as possible as they already got some good enough shots before the ceremony happened. This helps the couple keep it easy on their schedule and get to cocktail hours and the dance floor faster than they planned.
It is likely for the couple to feel a little stiff in the photos or in general because of the wedding stress and other things running through their minds. A first look session helps them calm their nerves before they get to the main wedding ceremony. Since it is a private space for both of them, they can loosen up a bit and let emotions take over and be as playful and candid as possible for the pictures. This gives an opportunity for the couple to bond with the wedding videographer while taking videos & pictures so that when the pictures are taken, the ceremony and reception will look much more relaxed and fun.
Another reason to have a first look at your wedding is all the fun moments you get to have with your partner in this particular session. You can come up with fun and creative ways to make the first look more exciting and relaxing, and capturing it with the lens is your photographer's job. Goofing around with your partner minutes before you become husband and wife will be a reassuring moment that you are choosing the perfect partner for a lifetime.
Another advantage of doing a first look on your wedding day is that you will get to spend a considerable amount of time with your partner before all the wedding day shenanigans and hurry burry starts. It is very likely for couples to get exhausted and to be engaged the whole day without being able to share calm and relaxed moments with their partner. So, doing a first look session will give an opportunity to both the couple to enjoy their alone time before the glamorous and engaging wedding ceremonies hijack it.
Now let’s talk about the cons of having a first look on your wedding day.
Just as seeing your partner before the wedding ceremony is exciting and unique, the experience of them walking down the aisle will always be very special. And if you are getting to see them for the first time at the altar, then the emotion would have no bounds, and it is considered to be the most traditional way to see your bride.
The wedding day would be planned from top to bottom without leaving any traces for loop times or wasting any time. So if you are holding a first look session before the wedding ceremony starts, you would have to start your day earlier than you have planned. This might give you a shortage of time for other tasks at your wedding, like doing your makeup regime or hairstyling. There will also be a lot of photoshoot sessions involved in the first look, so you can’t predict how much time the session will continue, so you might have to adjust everything else according to that.
While you are away enjoying a private first look moment with your partner, the guests who came for your wedding might not feel really comfortable sitting in the ceremony venue without seeing the bride and groom. This might be a little boring for the family and friends as the wedding ceremony is getting delayed because of the first look.
When you start the first look session, your whole look will be intact, and all the bouquets and boutonnieres will be fresh too. But as much time you spend in the sun doing the first look and taking pictures, the wedding dress might gather up some dust and dirt at the bottom, and also the flowers in the bouquet as well as the boutonnieres might start to wilt or get dry because of all the light.
Now, this pressure is a real thing and one of the major cons of doing first look photos. Once you have seen your bride in their attire for the first time, you have already had an overwhelming reaction and emotions expressed. But after that, in the ceremony, while she's walking down the aisle, you might feel peer pressure to react in a certain way so that there is no judgement from any side that the groom isn't emotionally involved or that he did not have any kind of reaction.
While the pros and cons of first-look photos have been discussed, many of you folks can decide on which one you would want to have at your wedding. But for those who do not want any cons involved in their choices, there are wedding first-look alternatives like the first touch or the first read.
Suppose you want to keep the traditions but still want to experience something different with your partner. These are the perfect choices you can make. The first touch allows you to hold your other half’s hand behind a wall, which itself is an emotional moment, and the uniqueness of this idea will be great for wedding photos. If not, you can opt for a first read session where you can read out your wedding vows to each other without peaking at how both of you look. Hearing the words from your partner might be just the thing that makes you overwhelmed with emotions on your big day.
