Pictures before or after ceremony?

I did mine before ceremony too and had a first look. however there are a lot of people who don't want a first look. so there are some options available. for instance you can take a lot of photos before the ceremony that are for you and your bridesmaids, him and his groomsmen, family photos, etc.and then after the ceremony you can do photos together and with groups altogether.

but personally i think photos before the ceremony just give you more time logistically.

Many people opt for a “first look” set of photos before the ceremony because it just creates a more intimate setting for that to happen rather than in front of everyone during the ceremony. Then once the first look photos are done you can do group photos with your bridal party and family all before the ceremony so you can rest or have appetizers, etc, during the cocktail hour instead of potentially making your guests wait for you to take photos during that hour. My photographer highly recommended doing first look photos and spending an hour and a half to two hours taking photos before the ceremony. If you want to be a little more traditional and not see each other until the ceremony you could alternatively do “first touch” photos where you and your partner hold hands around a corner or a door where the photographer can take photos of you two together but you can’t actually see each other, and then just do photos with your bridal party and family and do photos with your partner and the whole group during cocktail hour.

View Quoted Comment I agree with this completely! We did a first look and it didn’t make walking down the aisle any less special or emotional but it’s definitely a personal preference. But at least do bridal party pictures beforehand.

We did all our pictures after so my husband wouldn’t see me. It was perfect. I loved his face when I walked down the aisle and it was one of the few times I’ve ever seen him cry. Plus my family was crying too because they hadn’t seen me yet either, only my parents. there was plenty of time after for wedding party photos, couples photos, and family photos even with my complicated divorced family and all the groupings we had to do. If you think you’ll have a more emotional first look go for it, but if you’d rather have the anticipation don’t do a first look only for logistics.

I would suggest before otherwise your guests are waiting around at the reception. My friends little sister did that and we waited a while before her and her husband arrived at the reception venue.

At some point I was being told the same but I will not do it because the moment I am most looking foward to during my wedding is looking at my FH as I walk down the aisle. Do what you feel is best and plan time accordingly. I'll be taking my pictures during the cocktail hour of course

This is where it’s your call on how you want to do things. I want to comfort of having a first look with my husband and moment together before we get married. But I also see the greatness behind waiting till you walk down the aisle. Just plan for more snacks and drinks if you do photos after the ceremony as your guests will be waiting around. We are planning to have photos before the ceremony then under an hour after.

View Quoted Comment Yeah we are doing before too! I like that we won’t be making our guests wait around long. And since my FH is the one person who calms me I would love to have the time to see him before I walk down the aisle to him. I know it’d put any of my anxiety at ease.

Many people do "first looks" these days. It's entirely up to you. I would talk with your photographer and, if you have them, your event planner or day of coordinator to see what they recommend and how the different timelines will impact your day.

We're planning on splitting ours! We wanted to be cognizant of time, but also don't want to see each other until the wedding so the groom & groomsmen will get theirs taken before, my bridesmaids & I will take ours separately before. Then those are out of the way and we can just do the combined parties afterwards.

View Quoted Comment That's what I did and I was really happy with this solution. If my husband and I had done a "first look", we would have done all the photos ahead to spend more time with the guests after the ceremony, but I wanted him to see me for the first time when I was walking down the aisle, so splitting the photos made more sense.