Wedding Wednesday: First Look

In April, Teresa had the brilliant idea to do a post on reasons why doing the photos before the ceremony are a good idea from a photographers perspective. I wrote our most popular post to date: Seven Reasons to See the Bride Before the Ceremony. You should definitely check it out if you haven't already. 

I am still in awe of the response we got from it. It’s still spreading like wildfire on Pinterest, bringing us tons of new readers daily. (If that’s you, hello! Welcome!) I’ve gotten a plethora of comments and emails from grateful photographers who are passing it onto their clients. It’s even been translated into Portugese!

Thank you to everyone who commented and shared their own stories and views. I’ve read all the comments and I appreciate the different perspectives voiced.

Also, I want to share a few of my favorite comments. I love that you guys had reasons I hadn't even thought of yet. And thank you for sharing your the real life experiences that corroborate what I said in the post.  

"I just want that alone time with my groom before standing at the altar in front of everyone."

"My fiancé and I did pictures before, and I'm so glad we did. I felt nervous and sick up until the moment I saw my guy. Seeing him relaxed me and I was able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon leading up to the ceremony. We also got an amazing "first look" photo, and the kicker? I still cried walking down the isle. The Moment wasn't lost at all."

"Nothing about our relationship is traditional so not seeing each other until the ceremony wouldn't work for us either."-

"My favorite, most intimate part of my day was the 20 minutes I spent with my fiance before the ceremony. We were done with pictures, and got away from everyone for just a few minutes to sit and really soak up the moment. One of the most romantic moments of my life."

"By having our first look, I was able to get all of my emotions out early and privately with my husband, and during the ceremony I was able to relax and have fun."

"I opted to take photos after the ceremony... Looking back, there were other photos that I wished we had gotten and more time that I wish we had to visit with guests. From the end of the ceremony through to the end of the reception, I felt rushed all the way through. Weeks later when I saw the photos, they looked great, but I wish we had done photos before to make more time to do the rounds with the guests and there were key photos that I think wouldn't have been missed if we weren't so pressed for time."

"Another reason why I love this... your photographer is able to get all of the moments at the reception/cocktail hour that would have been missed otherwise."

Photos by JKoe Photography. See more of Caitlin & Shane’s wedding here.