In the planning stages of your dream wedding, all the traditions and formalities that go with it will naturally cross your mind. And why not? That’s just what everyone does, isn’t it? Well, not really. There aren’t actually any guidelines with how your wedding should be, so if you’re on edges about forcing undesirable conventions into your big day, then don’t be.
If you really want to shake things up, you can consider adopting a ‘First Look’. While walking down the aisle in your gorgeous lace wedding dress is a wonderful moment, for some the uneasiness of having every eye on them can be overwhelming. So to calm yourself down, before you say ‘I do’, go for a ‘First Look’ ahead of your wedding ceremony. And here are a few things you can do for a First Look that you and your partner can look back on lovingly throughout the years to come.
Image Credit: Leah Marie Photography
Table of Contents
1. Leave your stuff with the girls
For those perfect First Look shots, you may want to keep your hands free for hugs and kisses. There’s absolutely nothing romantic about muddling around with your handbag, bouquet, a glass of champagne and mobile phone in a moment like this. What you can do instead is ask your mother or one of your bridesmaids to hold onto your belongings.
2. Don’t have scruples about cute props
There are a few props that you can incorporate in your First Look to make the shots more unique. You can experiment with blindfolds as they are a fun way to heighten the anticipation of catching sight of one another. Usually, your husband-to-be will wear the blind that he can only take off once you are within view. You can also consider DIY personalized crafts such as placards that say “I can’t wait to marry you” and playful “his and hers” crowns, to name a few.
3. Be OK with looking a little unkempt
Don’t let the qualms of potentially messing up your hair, makeup or wedding gown ruin this special moment. Plan for touch-ups only after you’ve seen each other. At the end of the day, allowing yourself to get thrilled for this moment far outweighs a little-smudged make-up.
Styles ( from left to right ): #1064, #LD3832 & #CWXT14061; Image Credits ( from left to right ): LR Photography, Breanne Bradshaw Photography & Kay Mitchell Photography
4. Get your significant other in position first
As a general rule, position your husband to be facing away from the direction you’ll be setting foot in the area. Stop a few feet from him and ask him to turn around. That instant he lays eyes on you from a distance will be out of this world. Not to mention, each step you walk toward each other until you meet will make for beautiful stills.
5. Don’t forget that excellent pictures take time
Look upon the first look as spending a fun, private moment with your better half and looking your best in your gorgeous wedding dress with sleeves, instead of simply ‘picture time’. What to take out of this? – Don’t cram your First Look within a certain time slot.
Style: #LD3906; Image Credit: MC Far Lane Photography
6. Bring in your parents in the frame
It’s a day your mum and pop have been equally quailing from and dreaming of—your walk down the aisle, your dance, your word of farewell. You can have them in your First Look photos too.
First Look is an excellent time for the soon-to-be-wed couple to see and be with each other on their big day. When you mark time to set eyes on each other until the ceremony, you can’t really be in the moment. You make it to the end of the aisle in your A-line wedding dress and the service starts immediately. But with a First Look, the moment is entirely your own. You have the possibility to react to the emotions, reach out, hug, kiss or whatever you are feeling. It is a very intimate break in your day to revel in the fact that you are soon going to be husband and wife.
