As wedding photographers and videographers, we have seen a large variety of different timelines. We love the ability to plan your wedding to be unique and about you and your honey and the timeline is just another thing that can reflect that. We are going to be sharing our insight as professional wedding photographers and videographers about why you should plan a first look for your wedding. We are answering brides and grooms top questions about first looks!

What is a “first look”?


A first look is getting to see your soon-to-be-spouse on your wedding day before the ceremony. Sounds pretty straight forward, right? It is! 

How much time does a first look take?


This one is up to you. Based on your timeline, consider how much time the two of you would like. Here are the two formats we typically see:


first look now, the rest later… 


Set aside about 15 minutes to do your first look. We will help you get set up so that you can have your reveal. These 15 minutes begin when you start walking towards your spouse-to-be. If you have to walk or drive to a new location, add in extra time so you don’t feel rushed.

Take a deep breath, tap on their shoulder or tell them, “It’s time! Turn around, baby!”

SOAK. IT. IN. This is the moment that you first see each other in all of your wedding day glory. This is the beginning of your forever! It is 100% okay (and maybe a little bit encouraged) to cry during your first look.

Now to the point of this format…. After your first look, you move on to the next part of the day, whether that’s the wedding party portraits, family portraits, or beginning the ceremony! The rest of your couple portraits happen at another point in the day.


first look and then some…


The first part of this, goes the same. Set aside 15ish minutes for the first look itself. Same vibes and everything. The difference is, plan your couple portraits right after your first look. This gives you a little extra time to soak in any emotions you may be feeling (many emotional men appreciate this..). You can still do more portraits of you and your new spouse after the ceremony, but gives a little more flexibility with portrait time.

Why should we do a first look?

First looks ultimately mean spending more time with the love of your life on your wedding day. They also offer greater flexibility with your timeline as you don’t have to worry about if you see each other before the ceremony. You can do a portion of posed portraits before the ceremony rather than all of them after it.

It’s your wedding. Plan it how you want it to be. You certainly won’t regret having a first look for your wedding!