should we do a first look?
i get this question all of the time and as a wedding photographer, i definitely have a biased answer, and it is - YES!!!!! and here is why:
your first look is basically designed to help you enjoy your reception to its fullest! the formal portrait section of the day includes 3 items:
your couples portraits
your wedding party portraits
your family portraits
if you choose to wait until after your ceremony to see each other, ALL THREE portions cannot be fully complete until after your ceremony and during cocktail hour. we can also try and schedule some sunset couples portraits too, which i do recommend, but again this is only about 15 minutes of your time pulled away from your party.
ideal scheduling times for portraits looks like this:
45 minutes for couple, including first look. an additional 15 minutes for sunset photos as well.
30 minutes for wedding party. sometimes less, if your wedding parry is very small.
30 minutes for family. 45 minutes if your family is large.
add that up, up there and you will see why you’ve been to so many weddings where the couple and family were late to their own event!
another advantage of the first look is the intimacy factor. the first look will just be the two of you, and your photographer and videographer. it can be one of the sweetest moments of the day! PLUS you will have time to get your make-up refreshed before your ceremony and guest arrival.
after the first look is complete, we go right into couples portraits. after that we can complete the wedding party. we can even complete the family portraits too and then give you a 15-30 minute break before your ceremony while guests arrive. other options are to do the family portraits directly after the signing of your paperwork, during cocktail hour.
now, if your heart is ABSOLUTELY set upon waiting to see your partner during the ceremony we will oblige! but just know you will very busy post ceremony and what often suffers is your couples portrait time being cut very short unless you have an extended break between ceremony and reception or an extended cocktail hour of 90-120 minutes. .
i hope this answers any questions you have as you plan your amazing wedding day!!!!