To see each other before the ceremony or not to see each other before the ceremony is a question often raised by today’s couples, when planning their wedding day.
I have been photographing weddings in one capacity or other for over twenty years. One of the biggest changes I have seen in recent years is the softening attitude many bride and grooms have taken on, when it comes to seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day.
In the early nineties, the first look rarely ever occurred before the bride made her much ballyhooed walk down the isle. However, for practical reasons, more and more couples today are bucking tradition and choosing to have this moment planned, orchestrated and photographed by their wedding photographer, before their ceremony. This trend is catching in varying degrees throughout the United States. It seems to be becoming especially popular here, in Tucson, Arizona, where I have had my headquarters since 2004. It is almost the total opposite in New England, where I photographed between two and three hundred weddings. There, the notion of the bride and groom seeing each other before the ceremony is hardly ever heard. (I would be cautious to even mention it there!)
The main reason wedding couples elect to see each other before the ceremony is scheduling. One example is that many couples plan to have their wedding ceremony at sunset, which is wonderful. However, in so doing, many couples do not realize until it is too late, there will be little to no daylight left to do the traditional groups and bride and groom photos, after the wedding. In other cases, the window between the end of ceremony and begin of reception festivities is simply too tight. Hence, the bride and groom elect to have most or all of them done beforehand. Of course, that means the soon-to-be bride and groom must see each other beforehand.
With regards to photography, it can work out even better, because the photographer now has more control over the setting.
The Waiting… is the hardest part.
The Opening Door
Here Comes The Bride
The First Look
The Reaction
The LOVE
^ The Happily Ever After
The traditional First Look, when the bridegroom is standing at the ceremony place and sees his bride walking down the isle, is still the most preferred choice among couples getting married. About twenty-five percent of the couples, whose weddings I have photographed in the past two years, have opted to do the First Look beforehand. However, that number does seem to be on the increase. That said, whenever I have had to orchestrate these moments prior to the ceremony, I found them to be just as special and sometimes even more so.
The above photos are from Dai and Jamison’s wedding, earlier this month. Do they look wonderful or what! May God bless them each day, as they live their lives together as one.