First Look or No First Look: What to Consider

The decision of whether or not to have a first look can have an impact on how you feel throughout your wedding day.  Almost every wedding vendor I know or follow insists that everyone should have a first look, but I think a lot needs to go into making that decision.

What is a first look?

A first look is when you and your almost-spouse have your pictures taken together before the wedding instead of not seeing each other until ceremony.  Traditionally, couples have their wedding pictures taken after the ceremony, which is often attributed to the idea that seeing each other beforehand is bad luck.  Here are a few things to consider when deciding whether this is a good fit for you and your wedding day.

What’s the timing for the day?

If your ceremony is close to when it gets dark, you might want to consider a first look so you can have natural light for your pictures.  If your ceremony and reception are at different venues, there may be a big gap between when you finish the ceremony and when the reception starts, so you might as well make use of that time!  If your ceremony is early in the day, having a first look means you’ll have to have your hair and makeup done earlier (and therefore wake up earlier).

Where do you want to go?

If you really want your pictures to be somewhere that’s not close to the venue, having a first look will give you more time to get there and back without missing your reception and time with your guests.  If you want to stick around the venue for your photos, your guests will still be nearby.

Are you already seeing each other that day?

Some couples see each other the day of the wedding, but they don’t want to see each other dressed up until the ceremony.  If you know you’ll wake up next to each other that day, is it worth it to be apart for so much of the day?  You decide!

How will you feel?

The moment you see each other across the aisle is one that you’ve probably waited for your whole life.  Many married couples say that having a first look did not change that moment for them.  If you think you might cry, think about whether you want that moment to be while everyone’s watching or while you two are alone.  A lot of people who think they’ll be nervous on their wedding day choose to do a first look so they can find comfort in each other and be more relaxed before the ceremony.  If you don’t do a first look, you’ll take your wedding pictures in those exciting and relieving first few minutes of finally being married!

What could happen before the ceremony?

Are you worried about getting your dress dirty before you walk down the aisle? Do you want to stay hidden from all your guests until they see you at the ceremony? Would you rather not risk being late to your own ceremony? It’s all up to you!

I hope this helps you make the decision that’s right for your wedding day! As always, I’m happy to help you decide—send me an email to tell me your thoughts so far!

Disney World Engagement Session: Amethyst and Matt

Matt and Amethyst are not just a couple who likes Disney enough to have their engagement session in Disney World.  They are a couple who have such a significant part of their story in Disney World, so of course their engagement session would be at “the happiest place on Earth.”  

Amethyst and Matt first met while working at the same Disney World resort.  This past February, Matt got all of Amethyst’s friends in on his plan to propose at the top of the Orlando Eye, a giant Ferris wheel. When the ride was delayed due to a fire alarm going off, the group decided to take some pictures in front of the Ferris wheel while they were waiting. When it was Matt and Amethyst’s turn to have their picture taken, Matt popped the question.  Fast forward to the day of the engagement session: seeing the Winnie the Pooh characters react to a couple saying they’re engaged is the cutest thing ever.

We started the session on the beaches by some of their favorite resorts.   Yes, we had a beach and Cinderella’s Castle in the same shots!  That Winnie the Pooh song that says “and the rain rain rain came down down down” is a perfect description of what happened partway through.  Amethyst and Matt pulled out their Mickey and Minnie umbrellas, which was not only adorable, they looked especially gorgeous when a little patch of golden hour sun peeked out for a few minutes. To top it off, we saw a rainbow for a minute!  Luckily, there were lots of gazebos in the area, so Matt and Amethyst could stay dry while dancing to Disney songs.  Keep an eye out for a hidden Mickey in one of the gazebos!

I don’t normally shoot after the sun goes down, but we were in Disney.  We headed to Main Street and watched the fireworks and light show at the castle.  I asked Matt and Amethyst if they wanted some pictures with it.  They said to wait until the grand finale, when there would be the most fireworks.  There may have been a ton of people around, but the rush of catching the right moment was incredible.

I knew as soon as Matt and Amethyst told me where they wanted their engagement photos that this would be so much fun.  Hope you love looking through these photos from the most magical location!

“People do crazy things when they’re in love.” –Hercules

Downtown Greenville Christmas Engagement Session: Noel and Graham

Graham proposed to Noel last December.  Between that and having a name like Noel, how could we not have an engagement session in December in front of a Christmas tree?

We didn't know until that day that we had scheduled the session on the day of the Christmas parade, so after spending a while looking around for parking and wondering whether we'd be able to get to the tree, we found a parking garage (where we were given candy canes), and we discovered that the tree wasn't blocked off after all! There was a crowd of people near the tree.  When we asked if they were waiting to take pictures there, they said they just wanted to watch, and then they left when we were finished.

We were offered hot chocolate, we heard Christmas music playing, and we saw Christmas lights turning on.  Only the weather could have made the day more festive, but we couldn't complain about it being 60 degrees and sunny.  As we walked through Falls Park, it started to seem more like a fall engagement session.  There were still a few trees with red, orange, and yellow leaves left, which also complemented the outfits they'd picked out to go with the Christmas tree.

Noel and Graham have been together since high school! I heard them say "I love you" so many times during the session.  Things like that are what make engagement sessions so much fun!

Eva's Senior Portraits--Keswick Vineyards

I don’t normally take a weekend trip for portraits, but this was a little different.  First of all, it was in my hometown, where I could stay with my parents.  Second, despite being from the Monticello Wine Trail area, I’d never actually done a portrait session in one of the gorgeous vineyards that surround the city.  Third, it was for Eva.

Not only did I used to babysit Eva, her mom babysat me.  I think I was actually a baby when Cindy and I first met, so we go way back.  Cindy had asked me around December about doing Eva’s senior pictures.  We decided on doing them in September in a vineyard.  We eventually chose Keswick Vineyards, where I actually had my own senior portrait session.  Eva and I explored the vines and the pond while our moms caught up on the porch over a glass of wine.

Before Eva and Cindy arrived, my mom and I took a walk through the vines and marked the numbers of the ones that looked like they had the most grapes so I could come back to those with Eva.  What I wasn’t expecting was for a whole section of one row to turn red in mid-September. 

Eva had a whole bag of outfits that fit a fall color scheme, so we had fun looking through that to pick out which ones to use.  I loved the burgundy against the blue and green of the landscape!

Not pictured: me straddling the fence like a horse.  She's much taller than me so standing on the ground wasn't really an option.

I had so much fun with Eva's session and I hope to come back to Virginia for more vineyard sessions!

If you're interested in a portrait or headshot session in the Greenville, SC or Charlottesville, VA area, click here to get in touch.