Why I Recommend A First Look: Michael + Allie

Hey ya’ll! I hope everyone is having a fantastic week! I’m excited to share this wedding with you. I loved so, so many things about this sweet day at The Springs Lake Conroe. Michael and Allie are both volleyball players so they decided to have a fun ceremony ceremony exit! Adding personal touches to your day makes such sweet memories. Also – please take a look at the toast photos, Allie’s sister’s included some oversized photos of her face and they are hilarious!

I loved that they decided to do a first look and I want to explore the benefits of seeing each other before the wedding. The biggest benefit in from a photographers’ standpoint is the number of photos you receive of the two of you is double or triple what you would get if you didn’t see each other simply because there is more time. I photograph my couples during the first look and then also grab a few after the ceremony as well. Photos of the two of you are what you’ll cherish the most, adorn the walls of your house with and share with friends and family. They are THE most important photos. Also, because you have more time and you’re not thinking about your guest waiting or wanting to just be done with photos so you can get to the reception, the photos are more genuine and relaxed. The excitement of the day is fresh and seeing each other for the first time naturally provokes emotion in front of the camera.

Another reason I recommend doing a first look is connecting with your spouse on your wedding day. I know you’re thinking, well of course I’m going to connect with them, WE’RE GETTING MARRIED! The truth is, so often on wedding day there is little to no time for the two of you to just soak things in and be together. Having just a small amount of time to pray, take a deep breath, and soak each other in is precious. It gives you an opportunity to get some tears out privately and express your emotions to the person you’re spending the rest of your life with. (I like to do the gift/letter exchange during the first look so that can be special moment as well).

There are a few logistical things that make doing a first look advantageous and I’m just going to list this things here: A) you can take all or most of your portraits (wedding party & family) beforehand and have a shorter cocktail hour, therefore a longer reception B) after your formals and before the ceremony (and your tears) you have time to touch up your hair and makeup
C) it takes the pressure off after the ceremony and helps the day flow better

Here is what Allie had to say about doing a first look:
“There were two reasons why I wanted to do a first look. One, I didn’t want to feel rushed after the ceremony to get pictures done while guests are waiting, and I wanted Michael and I to have some time to ourselves before we were in front of everybody. I knew I’d be nervous and most likely cry, so I wanted to get all that out of the way during the first look instead of the ceremony! It also gave us time to go back inside and touch up any hair/makeup that needed to be done, which may not have happened if we did all pictures right after the ceremony. Oh and Michael was super sweaty after the ceremony and wouldn’t have been very happy standing outside for another hour taking photos.”

It’s not 100% necessary for you to do a first look, but I would atleast consider it. As you’ll see in these photos, the walk down the aisle just as special even though they saw each other before the wedding. And if your’e worried about it being bad luck … there is no such thing on the day you’re getting married to your forever partner, right!? Leave me a comment below and tell me what your thoughts are about a first look! Also – I hope you enjoy this beautiful wedding.