From my side of the debate, as a photographer I prefer the pre- executed first look. My reasons I think justify
this. On the wedding day time is a huge factor. It gets even tougher the bigger your wedding party Is. Coordinating people, flowers, gowns, makeup, hair, Limo’s, food, yes food. Who is going to feed all these people waiting and getting ready at the house or hotel rooms. There is just so much going on with so little time if one thing goes wrong or someone is late the whole timeline gets thrown out of sync. It’s like driving down hwy 78 in the fast lane only to come to a dead stop. Why you say, I can’t see anything up ahead to cause this. And after crawling for 5 miles it picks up and you’re on your way again. Most of the time it’s a simple thing like a deer crossing making the cars five miles in front of you slow down. The domino effect! That’s exactly what happens on the wedding day. So you thought you were getting married at 4:00 with cocktails at 5:00 and pictures from
4:30 to 5:30 and the first dance at 5:45. If just one thing in the timeline gets disrupted the domino effect happens and now your hour for pictures gets squeezed to 30 minutes. Oh wait…..it’s starting to rain, now what.
With enough time set aside before the ceremony for pictures, little things can happen and you’ll still have time to get some great shots. With a pre-executed first look you still have that same feeling of seeing each other for the first time only it’s better. You can stop, hug and embrace, kiss, relax. This is your time. You’re not having to go to the next step. The groom has time to tell his future wife just how beautiful she looks. Now you can shed some of those nervous feelings, cry and have time to share your thoughts.
We get time for some great pictures that wouldn’t of happened unless you choose the pre-executed first look.
I don’t think it’s being selfish as a photographer. I’m looking at it as trying to give you the most value for your time. After it’s all said and done, it’s the photo’s you look back on to relive your special day.
That’s what Jacki and Nick decided to do. I think they made the right decision. Jacki fit into plans time before for pictures and time after for family pictures, with some cushion in case things ran behind. As I watched Nick waiting for Jacki walking up the aisle you could see how much he adored her. He was getting a second look at the first look. Not a bad deal 😉
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