We know how the old myth goes; it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. However, modern brides and grooms are getting more comfortable with ditching the old myths in favour of newer traditions. So why not enjoy each other’s company for a few minutes before the ceremony and bask in a ‘first look’ photoshoot?

1/ Calm Your Nerves

Megan Saul Photography

There can be a lot of pressure on the aisle walk. The groom is standing at the top with his back to the aisle, wondering how long he has to wait before he’s allowed to turn. The bride is faced with every eye on her hoping she doesn’t trip. Aisle walk aside, you can be very nervous heading to your ceremony without your partner by your side. Doing a private, first look with just the two of you and your photographer without all eyes on you can take a lot of the pressure off you – and having already seen one another, it’ll make that dreaded aisle walk a hell of a lot easier.

2/ Time Alone Together

Paige Jones

Your wedding goes by so fast and a lot is going on at any one time. Not to mention your 150 guests will pretty much be there with you every step of the way, so time alone together on your wedding day won’t be very common. A first look shoot will give you extra time together away from your guests, family and bridal party. As nice as it is to get some time alone together after the ceremony when getting your photos taken, it’s also nice to spend some important last few moments together before you do get married, that’s an entirely different buzz.

3/ Beautiful Photos

Shari + Mike Photographers

Your first look isn’t just there to take the edge off your nerves or to give you extra time alone together. Your photographer is also there to catch the beautiful, special moment on camera. This will be a unique set of photos where your photographer has the freedom to get stunning shots of you as you lay eyes on each other for the first time on your wedding day without restrictive ceremony chairs, other guests with iPhones and distant shots of the bride walking up the aisle. These will be gorgeous portraits of you as bride and groom in addition to your ceremony shots.

4/ Time With Your Guests

Priscila Valentina Photography

Taking first look photos before the ceremony also means there you won’t need as much time after the ceremony to take bride and groom portraits. While the photo session is usually lots of fun and one of the few times you’ll get to spend on your own with your new husband. Most couples don’t want to spend too much time essentially missing their party to spend hours trying to take the perfect photos. When you’ve already had a short session that morning, you won’t need to spend as long taking photos during your reception drinks and you can spend more time with your loved ones instead.

5/ Flexibility

Shari + Mike Photographers

A first look photoshoot won’t just take the time pressure off you post-ceremony shots, it will also take the other pressure off too. For example, if rain is forecast for the afternoon (this is Ireland, after all) or if your winter ceremony means you’re in danger of losing the light for your perfect bride and groom shots having some of your photos taken care of that morning will take care of that. You can still get your photos done after your ceremony, but splitting your portraits means you have a variety of shots, and you also have the flexibility to have a mini-emergency later in the day.

 

- Jenny Darmody