His reaction as he sees you approaching him, your first embrace of a day that will be filled with many. Big smiles and quiet whispers…all of this….captured. Before the tears fall and the nonstop action begins…a moment of intimacya chance to take a deep breath. Just the two of you, in your final moments before “I Do” [Kristen Booth Photography]
The first look is becoming more and more popular these days and something that is highly recommended by many photographers. When I got married in November 2009, I didn't do the first look because I wanted to surprise my "then fiance". But if I could go back, I would so do it because of that intimate moment you share with your fiance right before you walk down the aisle and because you're not cramming all the photos that need to be taken in the short amount of time you have between your ceremony and reception.
Over the next few weeks, I will starting a new series that will be titled, "The First Look" (I know, original, right? hehe). I will be featuring first looks from photographers I love and admire and hope that these posts will help you make your decision on whether or not you should do the first look.
The first post of this series is from my amazingly talented friend, Kristen Booth:
From the bride, Erika:
We originally decided to do a First Look strictly from a practical standpoint and in the interest of time -we knew we would be eager to join the reception as soon as possible! In retrospect though, the First Look was one of our favorite parts of the day and we are so glad we did it! I can vividly recall him standing at the end of the tunnel, with his back to me, and the anticipation of seeing his face for the first time on what was destined to be the best day of our lives! Words cannot even begin to express how amazing those first few moments together were!
Why Kristen recommends doing the first look:
There
are a whole load of opinions out there about “First Look” or “First Glance” weddings.
First Look, meaning the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony to
take their portraits and spend a moment alone. There are many brides who still choose
to hold fast to tradition and save the first glance for the moment she walks
down the aisle. However, as wedding photography continues to evolve, many
brides are now opting for First Look. Neither of these options is the BEST one
and both have their pros and cons. It varies by couple which is the best option
for them.
The most
obvious advantage of a First Look wedding is the more flexible timeframe for
portraits. This is extremely important if there is not enough time in between
the ceremony and reception to do family formals, bridal party AND portraits of
just the two of you. Ideally, I like to have a minimum of an hour and a half to
get all three of these, with about half of the time being used for just the
bride and groom. If the majority of bride and groom portraits are done prior to
the ceremony, this cuts down the time needed in between the ceremony and
reception immensely, and ultimately takes a lot of stress off of the couple.
Another photography related advantage is getting to take the photos before
tears are shed at the ceremony because sometimes leaky eyes can have an effect
on mascara! ;)
Kristen, thank you for sharing this beautiful first look with us!
You can stay up to date with Kristen Booth's work by following her on Facebook.
You can stay up to date with Kristen Booth's work by following her on Facebook.
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