Your wedding is the best day of your life, but it’s also pretty stressful. If you’re open to it, doing a first look gives you a chance to have a private moment with your love, away from all the eyes on you at the ceremony. You get a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle, and spend a little time together, to soak up the love and excitement. We typically allocate about 30 minutes for the first look and couples photos.

You want that teary, adorable reaction from your partner. But, when you’re up there in front of lots of people,  it can be hard to think about anything other than the faces starting at you.

What I’ve found, is that a first look provides a “safer” space for you to get emotional and soak in the moment. And with a first look, after you see each other you can hug, kiss, twirl, get a good look at each other without having to be on a time crunch and feeling like you need to move on with the ceremony to be done on time. Plus, it gives you a moment alone before the ceremony.

Needless to say, I love first looks. But this isn’t about me, so if you want to keep things traditional, that’s great! I’d never want my couples to feel like I’m pushing a first look on them, but I do want you to be informed!