Meeting prior to the ceremony........

skibunnyk

Hey ladies,

Our wedding planner asked us the other night whether or not we want to see each other prior to the ceremony. She said that it's becoming more common and is such a beautiful moment for the two of us to share. I'm sort of torn between that and the suprise effect when he sees me for the first time walking down the aisle. Thoughts?

vegasgroom

I've seen it a lot more in recent years, they typically call it a "first look" and it's often used as photography time with the wedding party if you want to avoid a cocktail hour between wedding and reception.  My FI and I aren't doing it, we want to have the big moment when I'm at the alter and I see her for the first time in her dress as she's coming down the aisle.

[Deleted User]

It is becoming more and more popular. Call us old fashioned or whatever, we didn't want to see each other before the ceremony. We didn't see each other from after the RD was over to when my Dad walked me down the aisle and presented me. It was a very special moment for me, seeing the look of "awe" on my H face as I got to the end of the aisle. I think I got all my tears and jitters out at the RD and I was so ready to get married and excited to walk down that aisle.

twilight.rose

We did all of our photos prior to the ceremony, and I'm incredibly glad we did. Not only did we have enough time to take all the pictures we wanted to (and get to attend our entire CH and reception), but we were able to shoot the majority of our photos while everyone was directly out of hair and make-up and looking fabulous.

impslave

I asked DH what he wanted to do, since the surprise of how I would look was for his benefit.  He wanted the "walking down the aisle" moment, so that's what we did.

aerinpegadrak

We never considered NOT doing pre-ceremony pictures, since our ceremony wasn't until 7:30pm.  We spent most of the day together, separated to get ready, then had a lovely private first look moment and a really fun photo tour with the WP.  It would have been a giant pain in the ass for us to stay separate until I walked down the aisle, especially when there was absolutely no reason for us to do so.

hz80408

We're doing a first look.

At first I was totally against it and FI was indifferent...several of my vendors suggested it.  FI and I talked about it and logistically, it makes our day flow better.

Then more I thought about it for myself, I decided it would be really beneficial to do because I know I'm going to be a mess at the altar regardless.  Fi and I decided it would be more intimate to have the moment with just us and photog.  Walking down the aisle is going to be amazing regardless!

Hellokatie0517

While I was dead against it at first, I have reconsidered the "first look" photos.  Our wedding is a 6:30pm ceremony in November.  Here in MA, its fairly dark by 7pm, so we're going to have our outdoor pics taken earlier.  Plus, my FI has a very calming effect.  I'm an anxious person to begin with and the thought of being in front of 100 people is rather frightening, so I'll need him to help me calm down and focus.  He's good like that.

jmkes

We are doing all of our photos pre-ceremony mainly because the room has to be turned over for the reception and we don't want to delay that time.  I like the idea of just the two of us seeing each other and it being a private moment, and getting to catch it up close on film.  I have lots of friends who have done this and all the guys said it did not take away from the feeling of awe they got when seeing their bride walk down the aisle.

KyKel85

We are doing a first look. I want that moment to be intimate and captured. Rather than nervous and anxious to hug and touch. FI is comforting to me, and I want him by my side as much as possible on "our" day! Plus, we're spending all of this money on a day that we'd only be together in the evening. This way, we're together for most of the day!

Also, the "hiding" of the bride is an ancient custom. When women were married off by the choosing of their fathers. So bride and groom had never seen one another. For fear the groom would run if he found the bride to be ugly, they kept her hidden and under a veil until she reached the end of the aisle. Very old tradition! But each bride and couple is different!