I knew from the beginning that we would be doing a first look, for a number of reasons...but here are the things we considered beforehand.
1. Logistics. The least romantic reason, but one of the truest! Logistically, for us it seemed to make wayyy more sense to do a first look. It meant that we could take all of our formal portraits with the bridal party and family before the ceremony....leaving us to enjoy cocktail hour! Besides wanting to enjoy it ourselves, we loved that we could let our bridal party loose to enjoy the rest of the evening with out any more "responsibilities." The only portraits left to take would be the golden hours ones of Ant and I around dinner time. Yes, it meant an earlier day for everyone - instead of the 5:30 ceremony start time, the bridesmaids had to be ready by 1:30 and the groomsmen by 3...but rather than cramming in a million portraits during the short cocktail hour, we could spread them out over the course of the afternoon.
Trust me, specific timelines are something I will go into wayyyyy more detail about for you in the future, but I promise - a first look logistically seemed like the way to go!
2. "Us." Specific, I know right? To us, the first look was a chance to have a good, solid "us" moment before the wedding. We were not following many other wedding traditions, like the bouquet or garter toss, and I was having both of my parents walk me down the aisle....so the straight fact that it was traditional to not see each other until I walked down the aisle didn't hold much bearing. Also, we are not superstitious, so there was no fear of bad luck! Mostly, I just knew that in the middle of a crazy busy day, nothing would calm me down and make me more excited than a couple of quiet minutes with my favorite guy....and for us, the first look was one of those moments. We figured it would help take away some of the nervous energy at the ceremony - and I hoped it would help us keep from crying during our vows! All of these thoughts came into play in a MAJOR way when it came to making this decision.
Were we right? Would I do it again? Do I recommend you do a first look?
Yes. Yes. Yes.
The first look was one of my favorite parts of the day - along with our evening portraits and our vows. They were the most personal "US" parts of the day...and ultimately, that's what your wedding day is all about.
For us, it worked out perfectly - our first look took place on the patio on the side of the Branford House. It allowed us to have a private moment {minus photographers and videographers, of course} - but our family and friends could still watch!! They peeked through the windows {and apparently cheered pretty loudly} - and were able to share in the moment without taking away from the privacy we felt. Talk about a win-win!!
After our first look, we spent a couple of hours taking portraits with our friends and family, and relaxing in the bridal suite before the ceremony started. We could laugh and joke and catch up on how the morning had gone, while we had been with our respective groups. I could tell him how handsome he looked in his suit, and he could finally take in the dress I'd been giddy about for months. I was able to kiss Ant and tell him I'd see him in a few minutes, at the end of the aisle.
Did it take away from the special moment of walking down the aisle? No. Ant cried, I cried....our ceremony was still deeply emotional. But instead of being emotional AND nerve wracking - we could focus on being excited instead!
After the ceremony, Ant and I were able to spend cocktail hour saying hi to everyone who had come to celebrate with us. To me - this was even more valuable than I could have imagined. I'll say it over and over again - the truest thing a married person says is that the day of your wedding flies by. Ours was no different! Cocktail hour felt like it passed in a matter of minutes - but we were able to "make the rounds" and see so many of our guests in that time. That allowed us to spend more time dancing and enjoying the reception, once the party got started!
When my girlfriend who is getting married in a couple of weeks came to me looking for an opinion on the topic, this is exactly what I told her! But I know everyone has their own opinions...are you planning on doing a first look? If you did one, did you love it as much as I did??
xoxo
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