Greenville, SC Wedding Photographer | Erin O'Neil Photography Blog

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently shot a wedding where the bride and groom opted for a first look and I have been dying to share their photos.  In addition to sharing their photos, I really wanted the opportunity to talk about the benefits of choosing to do a first look.

1 Year and 53 days ago I was a bride. Fast forward to today and I’m still a bride.  Now, when I talk to my brides, I talk to them as a bride first and a photographer second. I speak from personal experience and always recommend that a couple at least consider seeing each other before the ceremony.  Jason and I saw each other for the first time on our wedding day on a bridge in the middle of a beautiful marsh.  Completely alone (except for our photographers although we never noticed they were there) and completely free to express our emotions however we wanted which of course involved me crying.  When I first chose my wedding photographer, I was not a wedding photographer myself so seeing each other before the ceremony was a completely new concept to me.  When I tried to picture how our day would go differently depending on whether or not we saw each other before the ceremony, I immediately knew my decision.  When I imagined myself seeing Jason for the first time during the ceremony, the only thing I could envision myself doing was running up to him and kissing him and balling my eyes out before the ceremony even started.  Since making out and having a private conversation at the beginning of the ceremony might have been a little awkward for our guests, we thought it best to opt for a first look. In addition to sharing that moment alone, we were able to do all of our family pictures and some bridal party pictures before the ceremony which allowed us to arrive at our reception shortly after our guests.  We got married on Fripp Island, SC so every single one of our guests traveled to spend that day with us and we really valued having the extra time to celebrate with them.

For most brides getting married in the South, they are very aware of wedding traditions including not seeing each other on the wedding day until the Bride is walking down the aisle.  I hear from a lot of brides that they feel like they are going to miss out on their future husband’s reaction to seeing his Bride walking down the aisle.  From my personal experience it was just as special seeing Jason’s reaction and actually being able to hear his words as well during our first look.  I was so nervous all day and those nerves just melted away when he was able to hold me in his arms and tell me how much he loved me.  I was so calm the rest of the day and was able to slow down and take everything in.   We both still had huge smiles when I walked down the aisle towards him and I was able to exhibit some self control and not grab and kiss him as soon as he was within arms reach.

When one of my couples chooses to do a first look I also encourage them to plan for family pictures and bridal party pictures before the ceremony.  Good communication before the wedding day usually makes it pretty easy to organize and ensure that family members arrive on time for pictures.  From being a bridesmaid in several weddings I know how anxious the bridal party and family are to get to the cocktail hour or reception and I want to make them happy too!

Overall, I do prefer my couples to see each other before the ceremony but, in all honesty, it doesn’t really matter to me what they choose.  My biggest concern is for my couples to be happy and make the choices that makes their day special to them.  I just wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the benefits of a first look so my couples can make an informed decision.

Here are a few pictures from Abby & Nate’s first look that I just absolutely love.