Wedding Wednesday – The First Look

To do the first look or to not do the first look? So I was going back and forth up until the week of my wedding on whether or not I wanted to do a first look.  I considered myself somewhat of a traditional bride minus the church wedding so it was really a touch decision. My reasoning for doing the first look all came down to scheduling. I also wanted to be able to enjoy the reception that we spent months planning instead of taking photos during it. That being said my photographer put together a tight schedule of the days activities which included a first look and all of our family and wedding party photos which were taken before the ceremony.

Bridal prep took place at the Renaissance Pere Marquette so I walked over with my photographer, Luisa Manning, to The Roosevelt Hotel which was across the street. There, my future husband was waiting outside, with our other photographer, Douglas Manning, who happens to be Luisa’s husband. They are a great team by the way. 🙂 Randy was looking in the opposite direction as I walked up behind him, I remember feeling giddy and I was definitely excited. I am sure Randy (who hates to take photos especially in public) was just hoping I would walk faster to him so he could get it over with. He’s such a typical dude. Once I was just one step behind him, I tapped his shoulder and he turned around and told me how beautiful I looked. Since we made it a point not to talk all day until the moment we had lots of things to tell each other, including some very funny stories that had happened from the night before. I feel like the whole thing happened so fast, but after looking at the pictures I relive the moment over and over again.

What I think most brides don’t realize is how long it takes to actually organize people and take photos especially if you have large families or bridal parties. In our case we had both. So in the end I am very happy withy decision to do the first look. Did you do a first look? I would love to hear about your special moment!

Photography By: Luisa’s Secret

Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal 

Tuxedo: Jos. A. Bank