Seeing each other before the ceremony

First off, love your wedding date--my birthday!

Lots of girls on here are doing a first look. My FH and I are going back and forth on whether to do one. FH is adamant on not doing one, he is rather traditional and wants the first time he sees me to be as I come down the aisle. I think that's so sweet and love that he wants that, but I am worried about our timeline. Our ceremony is at 630pm, and from 7-8pm will be a cocktail hour in the same area, and then a yacht will pull up and pick everyone up and then the ceremony is a 4 hour yacht cruise from 8-midnight. So really, after the ceremony, we only have an hour for pictures before the ceremony. So I think we may do our pictures with our respective parents/wedding parties before the ceremony, and then the joint pictures during the cocktail hour...maybe? I don't know. We are still deciding. But I have heard that the people who did a first look, loved it. It gave them that time, just them and their FH to be alone and share a moment before the ceremony started.

JoBu I am adamant about not doing a first look either haha. :-)

I'll still see my man the morning of the wedding and all, but I want the ceremony to be the first time he sees me in my dress. Doing pictures during cocktail hour is perfectly fine. There are also women who waited until the ceremony and they loved that too. There was a BAM post about it. I want everyone to see my guy's expression when I'm going down the aisle too - I guess I want to surprise all my guests!

I am not doing a first look. FH is really traditional and does not want to see me until I walk down the aisle.

Awe yay! My birthday is the 28th so it'll be a fun week of celebration

Yeah I've even thought about seeing him before without being dressed up so we can say a prayer together earlier before the ceremony... The ceremony isn't until 530 and I'll be stuffed in a little room all day after I get ready! Like I said I'm torn but I don't think he wants to do it until the ceremony

We are doing a first look. FH didn't care one way or the other, but here are my reasons why I want to do one:

I'm going to cry. I would rather do it in a more private setting and hope I don't do it again while saying our vows!

I want to be able to do our pictures before the ceremony so we aren't so rushed during cocktail hour.

Our ceremony is going to be simple and short. We chose not to do any unity ceremonies like sand or candles. The first look feels more meaningful and less awkward.

Neither of us is really looking forward to being in the spotlight haha. I think this might ease some nerves.

Our photographer got super excited when I mentioned the first look.

I am going the traditional route on this. I am not doing a first look, and we are staying in two different places the night before. I won't see him until I walk down the aisle. I think its romantic. And a tiny bit superstitious. hehe

But there are advantages to first looks too. A private moment, which won't likely happen much that day. I think it all depends on your personal views. But I think you both need to agree to do it. If he doesn't want to see you, you might want to be prepared to respect that.

I was all for the traditional "you can't see me until i'm walking down the aisle" thing, but then i started seeing a lot of first look photos and read a couple articles on why it's such a good idea and how it doesn't really take away from the tradition. and now i'm so all for a first look. not to mention, it's super convenient to a lot of photographers, because depending on the timing of your ceremony and stuff, it can help with getting a lot of photos done ahead of time.

i just think it's such a sweet idea. you get a private moment together, just you and the photographer (or your wedding party, whatever you want) to really take it all in and feel it rather than going through that moment with every guests eyes on you. the photos that come from first looks are usually always my favorite. i always tear up. in most weddings, even if the groom and bride did a first look i still see the emotion all over his face as she's walking down the aisle. i don't think it takes anything away from that moment...

I think some of the cutest pictures I have seen are of the bride and groom both dressed standing around a corner or a doorway so they cant see each other saying a prayer before the wedding. Maybe you can have the best of all worlds? Still say a prayer before hand and wait for him to see you til you walk down the aisle.

Personally, I want that traditional moment, but I understand the idea of wanting it to be more private/ having the opportunity to get better pictures.

I'm not one of those girls that shed just a few tears rolling down my cheek... when I lose it I cry so hard it's hard for me to catch my breath lol and then scared I'm going to look like this....

We're doing a first look for timing purposes. We want to enjoy the cocktail hour, and not miss it because we're taking pictures. I always thought the first look thing was really strange, but when you start planning your own wedding you understand it.

I will say though, from what I've noticed, a first look doesn't take away from the magical moment of seeing you walk down the aisle. I went to a wedding where the couple did a first look, and the pictures from the first look are OK. The groom is kind of giggling. But the pictures of when he saw his bride come into the church a priceless. He was tearing up, and it was emotional for everyone.

Do what works for you and your wedding.

We are doing a first look for the same reason as Kimberly R is...except I don't care who sees me cry...it's FH who hates to show emotion in front of anyone but me. Doing a first look will help him to be able to put the majority of his emotions back away, although we both know that we'll be crying all over again when I walk down the aisle & during the ceremony...LOL ;-)

ETA: Besides we are really looking forward to that private time before everything starts...it's going to be very romantic & intimate :-)

We are doing one to get a lot of the pictures done early so we can spend more time with guests. FH decision. I didn't care one way or the other.

We didn't do a first look, but the little bugger came into the venue while we were decorating. He was an hour early. Oh, well. We hung out and decorated together for an hour before I had to go get gorgeous.

We are definitely doing a first look. FH is a little crowd shy, as am I, so we just want to be able to give our true reactions seeing each other for the first time with just each other there.

We're doing first look, too. Our ceremony is at 5:30 and cocktail hour from 6-7 (yes, ceremony will be short and sweet!). We didn't want to be rushed during cocktail hour either, so we decided first look would be fine. Plus, we're doing it at an extremely romantic and picture-esque location. We're still be doing some post ceremony pictures, because duh lol

I always thought I wouldn't want to do first look pictures, but I read a thread on here once that stated that even if we see each other before hand, when I walk down the aisle and we make eye contact, it'll be just as emotional.

We're not officially doing a first look, but we might end up decorating together that morning if we can't get our venue Friday night.

I originally didn't want to do a first look, but I know I will do the Kim K cry if we don't, so we are leaning more towards it now.

We are doing a first look, this way we can do pictures before the ceremony without any gaps in between that and cocktail hour.

It works best if your doing the entire wedding in one place.

I see the benefits of a first look so it was a thought but when I mentioned it to FH he in no way shape or form wants to see me before I walk down that aisle...

Our Wedding is on a Saturday and the time FH will see me is Friday morning. He will be staying the night at his moms house and he gets no looksies for him. I am way big on the whole bad luck thing.

Edit because I wanted to say, alot of you worry about the photo's. Is there a way that your photographers can take pic of you and your bm and your family then fh his gm and his family then after the wedding you two and the rest of the photos. That is how we are doing it.