First Look or Wait until you walk down the aisle?

I originally was completely against first looks. Until my fiancé saw his best friend do one, now he is all about first looks for the efficiency. I told him our wedding is about us not efficiency. However late he told me in private that he really wants that alone time to be emotional with me. In the end I caved because I could see how a not so emotional man would want that private moment with the love of his life.

View Quoted Comment Where did you have your first look??? This looks like Europe! Gorgeous balcony photos for such a touching moment.

View Quoted Comment We got married in New Orleans at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. Most beautiful city in the United States (IMO)

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WOW! gorgeous pictures! I see that you also got married in October. May I ask what date just for an FYI? Might just have to do a first look lol!

We did not do a first look and if i had to redo it I still wouldn't. I thought about if picture sake but decided against it as I wanted the first time we saw each other to down the aisle. My husband got emotional when he first saw he which was super cute as he is not the emotional type. I asked he a few days later if he thought he would have been emotional if we did a first look he said probably not. If raw emotion is what you want do without the first line look.

We got married on Friday, October 5th.

View Quoted Comment Good to know! Did you like the hotel? I've been, hubby never has so it's on our To Visit list.

We did a first look and We absolutely loved it!! It was the best thing we could have done! We were against it at first but It was great! A moment I will Never forget or regret!

We're doing a first look just because our reception is short, it will only be 4 hours so we want to use as much time as possible actually spending time with our guests and enjoying the reception as possible. I also like the idea of a special moment just to be together right before the ceremony, I am actually super excited to share that moment together!

My awesome FH said he doesn't care, either way is fine. He wants me to do whatever I want. Originally, I thought I didn't want to do a first look. But after reading opinions on this site, I am rethinking it. It may be the only part of the whole day where the two of us have a few quiet moments to ourselves. Also, we can get a lot more pictures done before the ceremony if we include a first look. Then we'll have more time to spend with our guests! So, although I wanted my walk down the aisle to be the first time he saw me that day, I'm leaning more towards a first look now.

Neither one of us has anxiety issues, but he did say he was going to cry when first seeing me in my dress. Maybe that's better done away from everyone.

Hey girl!

We didn't do a first look. I think its sweeter to wait until you're walking down the aisle, and your guest will get to see his face the first time he sees you.

I hope this helps!

Your timeline is the same as mine! I kinda want to do a first look but FH doesn’t. He wants to see me for the first time walking down the aisle

I don’t like the concept of “first look” at all, so we won’t be doing one. I think part of the magic of the wedding will be that first look at each other when I start down the aisle. ☺️

I don’t want to ruin that with taking photos together before we are husband and wife.

We aren't doing a first look. I love the pics people get from them but my FH is not an emotional guy but I feel like me walking down the isle and him seeing me walking towards him may get to him a bit more without the first look

I have also been conflicted, but have settled on not doing first look. He doesn't want to see me in my dress until I walk down the aisle. Our ceremony time is at 6:30, and since the ceremony and reception are at the same place, reception starts at 7, to end at 10. We aren't doing cocktail hour, and since we aren't doing a sit down dinner, have opted for people to get their food and eat/play some games/use the photo booth while we do our photos. That way they have something to do while we are getting photos done.

Would you be able to move the times sooner? My husband and I did not do a first look.. his first time seeing me that day was when I walked down the aisle. We got married on December 20, 2018 so I completely understand you worried about time for everything with how early the sun goes down! Our ceremony began at 3:00PM and that left us plenty of time for pictures with everyone after the ceremony!

This has been tough for me planning wise as well! I’ve dreamed about walking down, and FH is adamant about no first look so that was kind of a done deal. I can see how nice and time effective a first look is and others say it doesn’t take away! It’s a tough decision for sure!

Do all bridal party photos, grooms party photos, each side of the family photos first. Do every possible picture set ahead of time that doesn't require you being together and save only the large group photos and photos of the two of you for after.

We aren’t doing one but we are doing individual family and bridal party pictures for an hr and 15 min before the ceremony. So a lot of pictures will be done before and just all the group pictures with both of us will be after. And then our portraits. My photographer scheduled about 40 min 20 at the ceremony site and 20 at the reception site. But our cocktail hr is an hr and 15 min with a 25 min drive between the sites, so about an hr between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of cocktail hr.

We are doing the first look because it is more intimate, it will be just the two of us and 2 photographers. It gives us the just us time before the ceremony. Plus, it saves a lot of time after ceremony for the photos to be shorter and spending more time with your guests.