When you look at these photos, can you tell what the common thread is? If you look past the fact that they’re outdoor ceremony images all photographed in the Spring, you’ll see that they’re all photos of our past grooms who are thrilled to see their brides walking towards them down the aisle! Their sweet expressions melt my heart!

What I’m betting you CAN’T see when you look at the images is that they’re actually all grooms who also did a first look with their bride earlier in the day! Or, maybe you’re just really on top of things and you did see that one coming?

One of the things I hear pretty frequently from people who are considering doing a first look is that they’re scared it may take away from the special-ness of the walk down the aisle. They don’t want to feel like they’re missing out on that big, special moment that they’ve been dreaming about for years. And you know what, I can totally understand that. I was once a bride planning my own wedding who spent hours and hours envisioning how everything on the day would turn out. I get it!

It turned out on our wedding day that we really did not feel at all let down by the walk down the aisle even though we’d seen each other already. Just because John knew what I had on because we’d already done photos together didn’t make it any less special for him to see me, his bride, walking toward him about to marry him. And it didn’t make it any less special for me to hold my mom’s hand on the way to meet John at the altar either!  From my experiences both as a bride/wife and as a photographer who’s been shooting weddings for almost 6 years, I can honestly say that doing a first look doesn’t make the walk down the aisle any less special. It’s such an iconic, memorable moment that almost nothing can take away from it.

And while doing a first look doesn’t seem to take away from the ceremony, I’ve heard some people say that they feel like it actually enhances their experience at their ceremony! I believe that this is because most often when people do a first look, it helps to calm their nerves a bit to see their future spouse and spend some time together before that big moment. And once they’re a bit less nervous, they’re able to take it in a little more!

At the end of the day, whether or not you do a first look is a personal choice and we’d love to help you figure out what’s right for you!