To First Look or Not to First Look From a Frasr Valley Wedding Photographer/ Videographer

Every wedding is utterly unique to each individual couple. Tradiontions are changing, being altered, or thrown out the window completely. When Planning a wedding there are so many options and decisions one might feel overwhelmed by the amount of choices and outwardly opinions being thrown your way. The greatest advice that I give all of my couples is at the end of the day it is YOUR.. Wedding and its about YOUR.. love and commitment. If its something that doesn't make you and your partner happy then don't be bothered.

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One of the biggest questions we hear in the wedding industry is whether a first look is better than the traditional seeing each other for the first time walking down the aisle. I will repeat myself here that your wedding day is about you and your partner committing and declaring your love to spending the rest of your lives together in front of witnesses. This is what your wedding should revolve around and not some cookie cutter guideline written in a magazine. Some couples adore the idea of the traditional moment walking down the aisle and seeing each other for the first time but this isn't true for all.

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Some reasons why we love a first look:

Timeline, Wedding days are so jam packed full of events and emotional highs and lows its hard to fit everything in. A first look can be a great assist with this especially when you are chasing the daylight. When you have a first look it gives you the opportunity to get the wedding party photos done and your couples's portraits which frees up the post ceremony time. If you are worried about guests getting drunk during th cocktail hour this is a great way to limit this.

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Daylight, As mentioned above daylight can be a problem that needs to be solved. As summer turns into fall and fall into winter our days get a fair amount shorter a first look can be a real problem solver if you don't want to have a earlier ceremony.

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Some alone time, Weddings are a full day even if you are just having a intimate wedding. A big complaint we hear is the wedding couple hasn't had a chance to even really see each other. A first look can give you that special time with just you and your partner. If its planned right you might even have a chance to share a drink together or even a meal.

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Wedding jitters, Some people get overwhelmed with anxiety or jitters. A first look can help alleviate this feeling so your ceremony can be more enjoyable or feel more relaxed. Some people already have stage fright let alone all the extra emotions of a wedding can just be too much for some.

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Now with every list of pros we must of course include some cons.

Feels too forced: Sometimes a first look because it is super intimate meanwhile you have someone there with a camera it can make the moment feel too forced rather than organic.

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Less time with your wedding party: The moments leading up to a wedding can also provide great moments and memories with the chosen group of people you have joining you. A first look does cut down on that time with this group.

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Less emotion at the ceremony, There is that classic moment of the groom/ partner's face seeing the lovely bride/ partner walking down the aisle. Tears or a beaming smile watching your significant other walking towards you. You can still achieve this in a first look but it won't be at the physical ceremony.

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Some tips to make your first look successful:

Pick a location ahead of time pre plan a spot or have your photographer pick a spot that's close by. Try and find a spot that has a limited amount of people including the wedding party. Make sure you give your photographer a few minutes to set up and be ready so we can fade into the background and not be impeding on your moment. Lastly Make sure you schedule this into your timeline. There is nothing worse than having to rush a beautiful moment because things are running behind and you need to get to the ceremony.

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At the end of the day we personally do not have a preference to what you choose. It is your wedding story and we are just along for the ride to preserve your memories for years to come.

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