First Look Questions

You can do a first look however you like. We are doing ours an hour before the ceremony and taking some of our bridal party photos then as well. You can do a first look and then just photos with your SO without the bridal party if you'd like to keep it more intimate.

We are doing our photos in an area at our venue where guests won't be so we don't have to worry about them seeing us.

First look can include whomever you want. Groom alone is popular, Dad is second popular one. The first look is designed to get all the photos out of the way before the ceremony starts and most places will have you take all the photos with the bride first, have her go hide for the end finish photographing the groom and parents when guests start showing up. How soon before the ceremony will depend on your photographer and how many photos you need taken.

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Hey Michelle,

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense!! It's good that your venue has a space where guests won't be so that there won't be any interruptions. That's awesome! Thanks for your feedback!!

My wedding party was present to take pics with us after. I did mine hours before because we had to set up our ceremony ourselves anyway

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Hey Kelly,

Thanks for your feedback. That is really interesting because I assumed that the wedding party had to be present at the time of the first look, but I guess it's not so rigid as I thought. Great insight, thank you!!

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Hey Melle,

Oh wow, hours before? That is interesting but you also had to set up the ceremony, so that makes sense! The first look seems really enticing to do!

You can do it however you want. We did our first look with my Husband and I for the first 30 minutes then we asked my children and our parents to join us for 30 mins of pictures. We did not invite anyone else to join us. We also did it on another part of the hotel so nobody would see us.

We're not completely set on the schedule yet, but since we're going to do all the formal photographs beforehand, our photographer recommended budgeting 2 hours for photos as well as an hour to hide somewhere at the venue before people start showing up. We'll have the whole wedding party and immediate family there, but might do the first look alone, and then start pulling in everyone else. Starting three hours early sounds kind of crazy, but also guarantees we get lots of pictures and have time to relax and hide out before the ceremony - it sounds like 30 minutes early isn't remotely unreasonable for people to show up, but to also expect that at least someone might be there an hour early.

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Hey Cyndy,

That is a really good flow of pictures, I like that idea. Thank you so much

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Hey Sara,

Thanks for your insight! Yeah, having more hours to do pictures sounds great, but admittedly, a bit intense! During this relaxing period, was makeup reapplied or any time of fixing up done?

The beauty of the first look is that it can go however you and your FH want it to go, and you can include whoever you want to be there! For example, we decided that we want our first look to be just the two of us and our photographer. So we’re working with him to finalize the timeline. After first look photos we’ll reunite with our wedding party and go take pics. The limo will drop us off at the venue, and we’ll wait in the back while the limo shuttles guests from the hotel to the ceremony so there’s no chance guests will see us. I was in another wedding where both the girls group and guys groups arrived at the venue and their day of coordinator made sure the bride and groom didn’t see each other. Then when it was time for the first look someone came and got each of them. Talk to your FH about how you envision your special moment. It also may help to talk to your coordinator if you have one and your photographer about logistics and timeline. They’ll definitely be able to help with that!

We are taking all of our wedding parties and our first look before our ceremony. So around 115pm the girls and I will have our pictures taken. Then any pictures of just me. Then my FH and I will do our first look and just our pictures. Then we will get the rest of the wedding party photos. Then we head to the venue for our ceremony.

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Haven't done it yet - I'm getting married on October. I'll probably bring along some things for touchups (a little makeup, hair pins, etc), but since I'm going to a salon for hair and makeup, touchups will have to be done a little less professionally haha

This is basically how things went at the wedding I was in that had a first look:

All bridesmaids/groomsmen got ready together during the day. Once the bride was finished getting ready, the photographer pulled her and the groom aside to do their first look. During this time, the wedding party finished getting ready. They did the first look about two hours before the wedding, did all of their bride and groom photos, and then we all met them outside to do our wedding party photos. This gave us plenty of time to finish photos and then relax until the wedding time without any guests seeing us.

Hope that helps!

As others have said, you can set up the first look however works best for you and your photographer. Most people do a first look so they can get the majority of their pictures done before the ceremony so they can join their guests for cocktail hour. So you'll want your wedding party to be ready but they don't usually join you for the actual first look since that is meant to be a private time just between you and your partner. Our ceremony started at 3 p.m. so here was our morning timeline:

9-12 bridal party get ready in bridal suite; breakfast and lunch served; guys got ready in honeymoon suite

12:30-1 photographer arrives and begins taking detail shots and "getting ready" shots ("getting ready" shots are staged and you and the girls should have makeup and hair done - or at least makeup done)

1-1:30 first look photos (just bride and groom)

1:30-2:45 wedding party and VIPs photos

2:45-2:55 drive to church for ceremony

3 ceremony

There are really cute ideas on Pinterest. Like having a tie over his eyes and holding his hand and then best man taking the tie off to see you or hotel where your both hiding behind a door and then finally see each other or outside and hes just turned around and you sneak up behind him ...and time wise i would deff do hour to hour and half ahead depending how many people you want pics of etc . I was thinking about doing this but my photographer said the initial look walking down the isle is the best reaction she sees compared to the before look . So shes havingan assistant get him as soon as he sees me and me him walking down the isle so get the instant reaction of seeing each other...im doing pics with my girls and him pics with the guys first to dial down on how much time itll be till we can go into reception.. this way wont take as long to do all of them this way just us and group shotsand thats it ...hope that helps

First looks can be done in many ways! I’m going to do it at the White Tank Mountains by my fiancé’s house. We planned on taking pictures there with our parents and wedding party. We included our first look there since our venue isn’t very picture perfect.

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It does help a bunch, thank you Erin

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Hi Earias,

Great timeline, seems really good on timing too, like everything just seemed to have flowed perfectly. Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!

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Hey Alicia,

I'm definitely going to check on Pinterest. Thank you so much for your feedback