The First Look

One of the biggest decisions couples have to make when planning their schedule for their wedding day is whether or not they should see each other before the ceremony.  Couples weigh out the pros and cons, and decide what works best for them.  Things they may consider are how important it is to them to wait to see each other at the end of the aisle, or how important it is for them that their guests not have to wait around for hours between the ceremony and the reception.  Everyone has a different opinion on this matter, and we’re here to tell you ours.

We planned our own weddings both as brides and as photographers, so we feel like we can give you the inside scoop from both perspectives.  It just so happens that we both chose to do a ‘first look’ and see our soon to be husbands before the wedding.  By doing this we were able to take our time with photos, enjoy the experience, and not worry about how long we were taking while our guests (especially the ones that traveled from out of town) tried to find something to do.  A first look can be just as special, if not MORE special, as seeing each other from down the aisle.  If you are more private people, a first look gives you the chance to enjoy that big moment without 150 sets of eyes on you.  Sometimes the first look is the only moment the couple has completely alone on their whole wedding day.  When you see each other you can hug, you can tell your new spouse how awesome they look, you can tell them how excited you are for the day, you can tell them how much you love them.

Kristen and Ike chose to do a first look on their beautiful wedding day last June and these sweet photos give you a glimpse into their special moment.  Ike waited for Kristen in the middle of the street, Kristen quietly got out of the limo, walked up behind him and gently tapped him on the shoulder to let him know she was ready.  The moments to follow were so sweet and tender we almost had to reach for some Kleenex.  There was hugging, kissing, laughing and so many “I love you’s”.  Ike and Kristen had a moment to find out how each other’s mornings went, how they were feeling and all those nerves they were feeling earlier floated away when they comfortably stood hand in hand in the middle of that street.  Such a sweet and special moment they were able to share privately while we quietly worked our magic around them.  Once they had filled each other in on their respective mornings we took the chance to snap a few more formal pictures and then off we went, with just the two of them to a few photo locations that would be special for just the two of them.

You can see more of this wedding on our blog HERE.

And while you don't seem them in these photos of the first look, we still want to send a shout out to Bloom who did the gorgeous flowers for this wedding!