The Pros & Cons of Having a First Look on Your Wedding Day | Dayton & Cincinnati Wedding Photographer
The debate about having a first look or not is always a big one among wedding couples. While we want you decide what’s best for you and your partner on your wedding day, we’ve complied a list of pros and cons of having a first look.
*Disclaimer: This is a decision you should be making as partners.
Don’t let your vendors (us included), don’t let your friends, and don’t let your Great Aunt Betty tell you any different. You know what’s best for you.*
PROS:
1. Eliminates Pre-Ceremony Jitters - If you’re an exceptionally emotional individual, you should already know that you may be anxious, the morning of your wedding day. If your partner brings you a sense of calm - having a first look may help eliminate those pre-ceremony jitters beforehand.
2. Blocks off Alone Time - As we mentioned in our Wedding Day Tips, we highly suggest blocking off some alone time on your wedding day to get away from the spotlight and rest. After all, your wedding day is meant to celebrate you and your partner, wouldn’t you want to spend the WHOLE day together? While you can also take some alone time for sunset portraits, having a first look allows for a more relaxed day and later allows more time to enjoy your reception.
3. Creates a Relaxed Timeline- Look, we know you love pictures, but we also know you like to party and you want to make memories with your guests. After your first look, we’re able to get wedding party and family formals done early, allowing for more party time.
4. Creates a more a Intimate Moment - In addition to creating alone time, doing a first look allows you to share a more intimate and romantic moment with your future spouse. Some partners feel more comfortable expressing their emotions privately than feeling the pressure of all eyes on you during the ceremony.
5. More Outdoor Portraits for End of Year Weddings - For late fall and winter weddings sunset occurs earlier in the day. Choosing to have a first look allows you to have more outdoor portraits with natural light, especially if you plan on having an afternoon or evening wedding.
CONS:
Getting Ready Earlier - Getting your beauty rest before the big day is definitely important. Having a first look may mean you would have to go to bed earlier on the eve of your wedding and start your day earlier for getting ready.
May Add Stress - Every once in a while hair, make-up, and getting ready may run behind schedule which could potentially cut into the time you set aside for the first look. Depending on how far behind and how far you have to travel in between sites, this could create more stress rather than relieving it. If this happens, no worries! We always create space later in the timeline that will allow us to capture all the images we need. Discuss your timeline with your hair & makeup professional team, they’ll know when you need to start to stay on time.
Although most of our couples tend to have non-traditional weddings and ceremonies, we still have quite a few couples decide not to have a first look. We respect your decision either way and will build a timeline to make sure your day runs smoothly.
Contact us if you have any questions and we’ll talk you through your options!