First look or no?

We are doing a first look for scheduling reasons, so that once our wedding begins, we can just be with our guests and not trying to do more photos.

Fiance doesn't actually love first look photos because he feels like a lot of it is staged -- because it IS -- and wasn't too keen on the moment itself but is vehemently going with it because of schedule. SO, my idea still gives us the grandeur of the walking-down-the-aisle moment: we are getting married in a hotel and they have a really pretty staircase, so he'll stand on the first flight while I'll turn a corner and walk down the stairs to him with him watching, just like I'd walk down the aisle, so there's no waiting for the "surprise" look.
P.S. Also getting married this December! Fun!

Totally worth it. Our wedding was at 4 pm in March (it light rained alllll day then harder during ceremony but we were under a covered patio). Photos in mid afternoon lighting were beautiful! I say go for it.

I would LOVE to do the first look - I know that I am going to be a nervous wreck and I would like the time before to relax, calm down, and just spend some time alone before the chaos begins.

However, FH is very old school and traditional and he wants to forego the first look and just have that special moment when I am walking down the aisle. Since I have pretty much gotten every single thing that I have wished for this wedding; I am respecting his wishes on this one.

Not doing one...only because that's extra time with the photographer which ,with the package I chose, will mean more money for the extra hour.

There's a lot of good things about a first look and I think it would've calmed our nerves a bit but no can do.

We are not doing a first look, mainly because my mom is absolutely against it (we aren't seeing each other from midnight until the ceremony) and some juice just isn't worth the squeeze since neither of us really care that much. Getting all the pictures done during cocktail hour did present as a bit of a challenge even with our relatively small families. We got lucky and got an extra 30 minutes due to a scheduling conflict at the venue that we are using to elongate cocktail hour to help. If everything goes as planned we will do all of our separate shots with family (immediate) and bridal parties before the wedding and only have our together w family /party and together alone shots to tackle during cocktail hour. That should still leave us with enough time to sneak up to the bridal suite at the end and grub down and spend a moment just together before the reception.