There are a lot of traditions surrounding a wedding that have interesting beginnings. A bride and groom not seeing each other before the ceremony dates back to when most marriages were arranged and seeing each other before the ceremony gave the two a chance to change their minds. But just like a lot of wedding traditions, couples are choosing to carve their own path. Even today, with a lot of modern arranged marriages, the bride and groom spend time getting to know each other and their families before the big day. Still many couples are choosing to wait until they walk down the aisle to see each other on the wedding day, and that’s ok! There is something very romantic about tradition and the anticipation is so much fun. While we love both the traditional way and the new way, we are so excited that the trend for a “First Look” seems to be growing!

Bride Alli opted for a first look with her dad and it turned out to be one of our favorite wedding moments ever. It was such a sweet memory for this father and daughter to have together- one that we know they will both cherish forever. To see more of Alli’s wedding, check out our blog post all about her beautiful Woman’s Club of Portsmouth wedding.

And we have to be honest, the first look is one of our absolute favorite moments of the wedding. Seeing each other on your wedding day can be very emotional and intimate and having a special hour to yourselves to share that with each other can be so special.

A traditional wedding timeline calls for portraits in between the ceremony and the reception so that the bride and groom DON’T see each other beforehand. When you have a first look, you can get all of the portraits out of the way before the ceremony even starts! That means you don’t have to keep your guests waiting before the reception and you won’t feel rushed to get pictures done quickly. You can budget your time to really get all the photos you want and then use that in between time for some fun extras or family portraits.

Having a first look can also calm some of the ceremony jitters! If you’re worried about everyone looking at you and feeling anxious for the ceremony, a first look is a great way to calm some of those nerves. And don’t worry, having a first look doesn’t take away from the amazing feeling of walking down the aisle to your soon to be husband or wife. If anything, it only amplifies those feelings of pure love and excitement because all the nerves (or most of them, anyway) have been washed away.