For those that are married...Pictures BEFORE ceremony...

JA2003 · April 2011

I have a question for those of you who DID your pictures BEFORE the ceremony...
(bc I am considering it!)
Do you have any advice for us? Things you'd wish you'd done or hadn't done? Was it still the same romantic experience before that traditional aisle walk?

almost-a-bride · April 2011

I've neve heard of a first look before reading posts on here. I didn't do it, because I wanted to see my FI as I walked down the aisle for the fist time. But I have to say..... A first look does make sense. We had our ceremony at 5:30, cocktail hour at 6-7 and dinner right after that. We didn't have much time for pictures, and missed most of the cocktail hour. And we had all day to do nothing! I don't regret my decision, but it would have been nice to get some great pictures around town before the wedding.

teachermegs · April 2011

I loved our first look picture time! We didn't do a lot of pictures before just first look and a thank you one.

Jenni83 · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-recap-withdrawal_those-marriedpictures-before-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:12Discussion:0af4037d-558f-48b3-818c-5beee84f9672Post:e12d28d8-3b69-421c-8c2f-c85538b271b0">Re: For those that are married...Pictures BEFORE ceremony...</a>:
[QUOTE]I loved our first look picture time! We didn't do a lot of pictures before just first look and a thank you one.
Posted by teachermegs[/QUOTE]

We did a first look and i am so glad we did taking pictures take up so much time that i would have missed most of my wedding if we hadent done a first look.

I dont think it makes the ceremony any less special,we did our first look and yet we both still cried like babies as i walked down the isle...

[Deleted User] · April 2011

We did not have a first look. H and I are pretty traditional and didn't want to see each other before I walked down the aisle.

However, our photographer did pics of all my H with all his guys and both of our Dads and the same with my BM's, Mom's and Grandma's before the ceremony.

twilight.rose · April 2011

We did the bulk of ours prior to the ceremony, and it was one of the best decisions we made on our wedding day. It gave us a chance to enjoy our cocktail hour and mingle with guests (particularly those from OOT), and really take in everything about our reception instead of rushing around and being crunched for time for photos in between.

Also, we shot at numerous sites, so it was nice to have the luxury of time prior to the ceremony to get all the photos we wanted. We did pictures from 11 AM-3PM, so there's no way we could have fit them all in during the cocktail hour.

I think, honestly, we gained something by having the chance to see one another before the ceremony, and share a few private moments instead of seeing each other for the first time with over 200 other people in the room.

JA2003 · April 2011

Thank you all for your feedback! I think this is what we are going to do, especially because we are havig an evening ceremony and the majority of our guests are all OOT. So I think it is going to be for the best! I think being able to be with each other for a few before the ceremony is romantic, too!

bellebride116 · April 2011

Our first look was the best part of our wedding! It was so much more intimate and romantic than just walking down the aisle. We loved it!

JessieR933 · April 2011

So Glad we did a first look, we were able to get the formals out of the way too. Still didn't get every shot I wanted, so YES the picture before the ceremony was a good Idea.

It did not take away from the ceremony at all.

louieblue · April 2011

We did ALL of our photos before the ceremony. It rocked because we got done with the ceremony, took a few shots of just us with our new wedding bands and then zoomed off to the reception to enjoy our night.

I wouldn't do anything differently because by having all formal pictures shot beforehand we had more time to relax and be with family before the ceremony.

I can't comment on whether a first look took away from the 'romantic' experience of a traditional walk down the aisle because I'll never know what that's like. But it's a wedding for heaven's sake, so everything's romantic! But I've never second-guessed our decision to have a first look.

kmmssg · April 2011

2 of my DD's did this and I think it was an excellent decision. Besides what everyone else has mentioned, they got about 15-10 minutes alone after the first look photos to just be together, calm each other down, and spend time without anyone else. If they hadn't made that choice, they would have never had those special moments.

Meg1979 · April 2011

We had more time than we bargained for because we skipped our cocktail hour (our wedding was all in one place) and got more pictures. I would not trade the look on his face when I came down the aisle for anything.

mattycam · April 2011

I did pre-ceremony pics and I amd glad I did them. Some were with me, the dress alone, me and the bridesmaids, me and the flower girls etc. I am glad we had those moments together because the day was so crazy that there weren't many private moments.

james110 · April 2011

Definitely glad we did pictures before the ceremony. That way we could get to the reception that much sooner to start partying with our guests! I think people get frustrated having to wait for more than an hour or so after the ceremony for the couple to come in. Also I am a total sap and was convinced I would cry during the ceremony. The first look completely calmed my nerves and although I cried a bit when I first saw my fiance I made it through the ceremony tear free and with a smile on my face!! So glad I broke tradition and we saw each other before hand.

Oh, not to scare you but I was at my best friends wedding over the summer and weather was an issue for them--after ceremony it started to rain. It turned into kind of a mess that they hadn't done any pictures before hand and my friend was really upset understandably. Luckily the skies parted but the guests ended up waiting an hour and 45 minutes before dinner was served :-( The benefit of planning to do a first look is you have flexibility if you do have any curve balls with the weather.

allanandjulie · April 2011

We were able to have the bride's and groom's side photos taken separately before the ceremony. While we did miss our cocktail hour, the look on his face, and the photo my cousin took of him when I walked down the aisle are priceless.

mm133123 · April 2011

Im going to do a first look too, so this was helpful to me as well. I think I'd be too nervous to walk down the aisle if I didn't have my fiance there for me earlier.

For those that are married...Pictures BEFORE ceremony...

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