Here is a new blog post segment that I would like to start, to give potential clients some wedding tips that they can possibly use for their own wedding. These tips will be based on the many weddings I’ve worked and are drawn from my own experiences.

For the inaugural Wedding Tip Wednesday (WTW), it’s a doozy, and sometimes a hotly debated topic; Should you see each other before the ceremony?

Let me tell you my recommendation and why.

Conventional tradition says no, you shouldn’t see each other before the ceremony. The groom is supposed to see his bride for the first time while he is standing at the alter and she is walking down the aisle. Now let me tell you why my recommendation is to not do this.

Who says you have to follow the traditions of old. By seeing each other before the actual ceremony, it opens up the timeline, allows you to spend more time with your guests, makes the photography much more relaxed, and yields some fantastic pictures. This is all accomplished by doing a “first look”.

A first look allows you and your partner to see each other, for the first time on you wedding day, in a private setting. I like to do the first look away from family, friends, and even the bridal party. This way you two can fully be yourselves without 20 pairs of eyeballs staring at you. This time can produce some truly fantastic and emotional images.

Now since we don’t have to keep the bride and the groom separated, we can do ALL of the formal wedding photography: bridal party, bride and groom, AND family portraits. This means after the ceremony, you get to immediately greet and tend to your guests during cocktail hour without having to leave them to go take more pictures. Everybody wins!