I get a lot of questions from clients on the pros and cons of whether or not to set up a “first look” before the ceremony. From a photography standpoint, there are usually many more pros to seeing each other beforehand than cons, but what it comes down to is your personal decision. I will try to give you all the information from a photographer’s standpoint, so you can make an informed choice. Usually, the biggest hesitation for most couples in seeing each other before the ceremony is in the thought of breaking tradition or not having that “moment” of seeing each other for the first time walking down the aisle. The trend in weddings lately has been moving more and more into breaking traditions or making new ones that fit today’s savvy couples. Also, one of the reasons to set up a “first look” is to still have that moment captured of when you first see each other – although instead of it being in front of all your family and friends, you get to have a more private moment with just the two of you.
One of the reasons I’m writing this article is because we have found that weddings where couples see each other before the ceremony usually have a far less stressful timeline. We also get to have plenty more natural light to shoot in and time with the couple for more creative portraits. For weddings during the winter months, I usually push to have the “first look” just so we’re not running out of light by the end of the ceremony.

Here are two examples of normal wedding timelines – one with seeing each other beforehand and a more traditional timeline.

Traditional Timeline:
- Getting ready shots of bride and groom
- Groom and Groomsmen shots – making sure bride is hidden or in a different location
- Bride and Bridesmaids shots – making sure groom is hidden or in a different location
- Ceremony
- Family Formals – during cocktail hour
- Bridal Party together – during cocktail hour
- Romantics – during cocktail hour
- Reception

First Look Timeline
- Getting ready shots of bride and groom
- First Look – few romantics
- Family Formals
- Whole Bridal Party plus Bride with Bridesmaids/Groom with Groomsmen
- Ceremony
- Romantics – during the first half of cocktail hour (hopefully within the last hour before sunset for the best light!)
- Bride and Groom entrance during last half of cocktail hour/spend a few minutes by themselves/or keep on shooting romantics and more creative bridal party pics till reception time.
- Reception

So, from looking at both timelines, here are the pros to the First Look
- More time for romantics! This is a big advantage because the more time I have with the bride and groom, the more creative we can get with the location, poses, etc.
- Family members get to enjoy cocktail hour since all family formals are taken beforehand
- The bride and groom get to enjoy cocktail hour a bit (with the traditional timeline, you are shooting the whole cocktail hour)
- We don’t have to try to squeeze family formals, all the bridal party together, and all the romantics into cocktail hour. With a traditional timeline, this usually causes a feeling of being rushed and usually results in less time for pictures of the bride and groom together. It may even result in missing the chance to shoot during the golden hour (the last hour before sunset and best light/most “romantic light”
- Once the ceremony is over, the bride and groom just have to worry about getting more shots of the two of them and then party time! There is definitely more “flow” in this sort of timeline.
- Make-up and hair look “fresher” in the images shot before the ceremony (this is especially true in the hot summer months)

Hopefully, this article has answered some of your questions and helped in planning out your wedding day. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me!