Why have a First Look?


Being a U.K. based photographer and having shot quite a few weddings on these shores, I had never come across anyone who had even suggested that they have a first look before the ceremony, in fact at the time it seemed very few British couples had heard of the notion or had considered any deviation from the traditional values where the Groom doesn't see the Bride in her dress until she walks down the aisle, yet for years now I have admired these beautiful moments of calm and tenderness between soon to be newlyweds from my overseas counterparts.


Particularly popular in the U.S. and steadily making it's way across Europe to the U.K., especially with people who are moving away from church and registry office nuptials towards a more contemporary or eclectic setting for their vows, I find the first look a wonderful part of the day and here are a few reasons why you should consider adding one to your wedding day.


  1. You get to see each other before anyone else - Just the two of you in a moment of calm, before the madness of the day takes you on a whirlwind rollercoaster towards bedtime. Spend 15-20 minutes of peace and quiet with your husband or wife to be, really taking in just how beautiful they look before you say, "I do"
  2. More time for portraits - No one wants to be whisked away from their party for longer than necessary and during portrait time this can sometimes happen because we as photographers want to get the BEST photos of you together. By taking those 15-20 minutes mentioned above, we get to have a lovely, romantic portrait session to make some images with a much different feeling than what we will get later on.
  3. Authentic, beautiful emotion - The first time you see each other walking down the aisle is indeed a beautiful moment, but when you do that you're not stood next to each other the first time you lock eyes. By having a first look, we get to capture some wonderful, tender emotion between the two of you whilst you are truly together.


So there you go, a small handful of reasons for you to see each other before anyone else on your wedding day and let your photographer work with you to create some beautiful images together.