“Should I do a first look?” is one of those wedding questions where everyoneeeee has an opinion. And as a wedding photographer, I definitely have one too: there are some really good reasons to consider a first look, but I don’t think you should plan your wedding around what makes your photographer’s job easier.
The question I actually want you to ask is: what kinds of photos are most important to you?
If you want to get to cocktail hour, spend more of the day with your guests, and have a gallery full of photos of you actually enjoying the party you planned, a first look can help us get SO much done before the ceremony.
But if having more time for individual portraits, photos with your respective sides of the wedding party, and that big down-the-aisle reveal matters more? Waiting can give us more room for that instead.
Neither is better. They’re just different priorities, and my job is to build your photography around yours.
What are the benefits of doing a first look?
The biggest benefit, in my opinion, is what we can get done BEFORE the ceremony.
A first look opens up the timeline for couples portraits, your full wedding party, and potentially some family photos before your guests ever take their seats. After the ceremony, we may only need the larger family groupings we couldn’t photograph earlier and some sunset portraits later in the evening.
Which means you can actually get to cocktail hour.
Instead of spending that entire hour working through a photo list, we can shift into much more documentary-style coverage of you hugging your people, grabbing a drink, eating the cheese you paid for, and actually hanging out with everyone who came to celebrate you.
If photos WITH your people and being present for more of the party are high on your photography priority list, that’s a pretty compelling argument for a first look.
What are the benefits of waiting until the aisle?
Skipping a first look doesn’t mean we sit around doing nothing until the ceremony.
Since you two aren’t seeing each other, we can spend more of that pre-ceremony time photographing you individually. We can also photograph each of you with your respective side of the wedding party and create more intentional portraits without trying to fit everything else into that same window.
For some couples, especially if individual bridal portraits are a BIG priority, that extra time is worth it. Think more editorial portraits, details, movement, flash, film, playing with the veil, the dress actually getting its moment…we have room to focus on YOU.
Shay Sullivan’s wedding portraits are a great example of the kind of bridal portrait time I’m talking about.
The tradeoff is that once you’re married, we have more to accomplish together. Full wedding party photos, family photos, and couples portraits all need to happen after the ceremony because, ya know, we couldn’t exactly photograph the two of you together before you saw each other.
That can mean missing more of cocktail hour.
It’s not inherently a bad thing. It’s just a tradeoff I want you to understand before you choose.
Will a first look ruin the reaction down the aisle?
This is probably the fear I hear the most, especially from someone who’s hoping their partner sobs when they see them coming down the aisle.
Obviously I cannot guarantee another human’s tears. But in my experience? My criers cry twice.
I’ve also photographed people who didn’t have a huge reaction during their first look and then absolutely lost it at the ceremony.
Seeing each other privately and seeing your partner walk down the aisle toward you are two completely different moments. At the ceremony, the music is playing, your people are around you, and suddenly it’s very “holy shit, we’re actually getting MARRIED.”
Already knowing what their outfit looks like doesn’t take that away.
First look vs. walking down the aisle: what photos matter most to you?
| A first look might make more sense if… | Waiting for the aisle might make more sense if… |
|---|---|
| You want to attend more of cocktail hour | The aisle reveal is really important to you |
| You want more photos interacting with your guests | You want more time for individual portraits |
| You want most wedding party photos finished beforehand | You want more portraits with your respective wedding party sides |
| You want more of the post-ceremony coverage to be documentary | You don’t mind spending more of cocktail hour on formal portraits |
| You want more flexibility after the ceremony | You want to prioritize portraits before the ceremony separately |
So, should you do a first look?
It really comes down to what you want your photography to prioritize.
Want to knock out a bunch of portraits early so you can get married and immediately start shaking your married booty with your people? A first look can make a LOT of sense.
Want more time for individual portraits, your respective wedding parties, and the anticipation of seeing each other for the first time down the aisle? Don’t let somebody convince you that you’re doing your timeline “wrong.”
We’ll build the timeline and your coverage around the photos that matter most to YOU. I’ll tell you what each decision changes, where we may need more time, and what we can move around to make your priorities happen.
I’m not here to design the wedding that’s easiest for me to photograph. I’m here to photograph the wedding you actually want.
