NOVEMBER 1, 2022
Should I Do A First Look?
Whether or not to do a first look is one topic that I know every couple questions. There are so many thoughts and feelings (and emotions) surrounding the decision to do a first look or not. Here’s the truth - doing a first look is truly just a personal choice. There’s no right or wrong decision, but there are pros and cons to both.
Over the last few years, I have felt the wedding industry really pressuring couples to do a first look, and while there are definitely benefits, I always stress to my couples that doing a first look is NOT a necessity. It’s all personal preference, but there are a few specific scenarios in which I would encourage you to do a first look just to make the rest of your wedding day go smoother - so let’s start with those.
3 Big Reasons to Consider a First Look:
Now that we have gone over the bigger considerations to doing a first look, let's move into more of the fun reasons why you and your partner should consider having one! Here, we're going beyond the logistics and just thinking about how you want your wedding day to feel & what you want the experience to be like.
1. You get to spend most of the day TOGETHER.
Many people don’t realize that on your wedding day, the couple actually spends the majority of the day apart if you don’t do a first look. Think about it - if you have a 5PM ceremony, and you don’t do a first look, you are spending most of your wedding day apart from your partner. Of course some people do value that aisle moment and want to save the butterflies and build up, but other couples are really happy to swap that moment for a lot of other smaller moments together on the big day.
2. Calm the nerves!
First looks also really help to calm down the wedding day jitters. If you are nervous about walking down the aisle or getting emotional in front of all of your guests (To be clear, big emotions are beautiful & I celebrate them. But not all couples love being emotional in public settings - even on their wedding day, and that’s okay!)
3. A private, special moment for just you two.
If you’re having a larger traditional wedding with a full sized wedding party, you’ll be spending a lot of your wedding day with a lot of people. First looks are a great moment to have for just you and your partner. They give you time to share a private, more intimate moment together on the big day before everything starts moving quickly and can be a really grounding reminder on the day-of that this wedding is truly just about the two of you.
I hope that this blog post has helped you think about all the different factors in deciding whether or not to do a first look! Regardless of your decision, your wedding day will be wonderful and full of special moments, big and small. For more wedding advice, check out other posts on The Blog!
