the first look

Oooooh, tradition schmadition! ;) If you follow my blog, you know I love it when couples do what we call a first look. I don't know where I got that phrase . . . probably another photographer's blog and it just stuck, but it is when the couple getting married chooses to see one another before the ceremony for the purpose of getting all the traditional photos out of the way. And oh my, do I love a first look! Let me tell you why . . .

1. As much respect as I have for a traditional wedding, I also love to educate people on what these traditions mean, and if they should be a part of your wedding or not considering these meanings. The standard traditions are: don't see each other before the ceremony, toasts, cutting a cake, first dances, and a bouquet and garter toss. While some have no room for changing (who wants to give up being toasted on their wedding day?), I think there is room for a little bit of change these days, and doing so adds a unique element to your wedding and makes it just a bit more special.

2. Not seeing each other before the ceremony comes from the day when you didn't meet your husband or wife-to-be until the day of the wedding. Hence the lifting of the veil to display the bride! I do believe in to each to their own . . . but I sure do hope that you have spent a good chunk of meaningful time together to truly believe that who you are pledging to be with for better or for worse is someone you know fairly well. ;)

3. The biggest reason I love a first look is for the raw emotion I get to photograph for you that you can't experience the same way as you do when presented to each other at the start of your wedding ceremony. Of course there is wonderful emotion there, and I love just as much capturing a teary-eyed bride walking down the aisle, or a groom overcome with emotion seeing his almost-wife coming to him to speak her vows. The first look is simply a way to allow a whole new set of emotions and reactions to be photographed and incorporated into your wedding story. And doing so means you go from your wedding ceremony to your reception with ease and no interruptions.

This is simply a personal thought towards this idea . . . I am actually quite a traditional girl at heart. The way the day unfolds when the posed photos are out of the way, though, has never gone unnoticed as a wonderful element to such an important day. Happy planning to all of you!