Tips for planning your First Look on your wedding day
Here at The Ruby Manor, we are HUGE fans of having a first look between a bride and groom on their wedding day. Why do we love first looks so much?
First, it allows you and your partner quality time together before the ceremony. That small bit of time spent in just each other’s company before your marriage begins will help ground you as a couple on your big day. This is especially helpful if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressed within the buzz of your wedding day.
Secondly, you’ll be able to capture potentially one of the most emotional and intimate moments on your wedding day privately. There’s nothing quite like seeing the love of your life all dressed up on your wedding day. Seeing each other for the first time will be a precious moment you’ll want captured forever.
With all that said, it will take a bit of coordination and planning to make sure your first look goes just right. Follow our tips below to make sure you have the best first look on your wedding day!
1. Pick a prime location
We have a few tips for picking a good location for your first look. First off, it should be somewhere private for the two of you. Secondly, it should be a beautiful location, of course, to capture the moment. Make sure you connect with your photographer before the wedding to let them know you’d like to have a first look photographed, and ask where they think a great place would be at your wedding venue for a first look.
2. Schedule in time on your wedding day for a first look
The key to a successful wedding day is planning. This is why it’s so important to plan out a block of time for your first look with your partner. Brides at The Ruby Manor usually plan their first looks to take place right after the bride and groom have finished getting ready. That way, they’re the first to see each other all dressed up on the big day. Not carving out enough time for a first look can leave a couple scrambling and rushing through the moment, which is completely opposite to what you want! 20 minutes is enough time to get a first look set up, photographed, and also gives the couple time to soak in the moment with one another.
3. Setting up the first look and watching it unfold
To begin a first look, we usually have the groom facing away from where the bride will enter the room/area that the first look will take place. Once the bride is ready to come in, we’ll make sure the groom closes his eyes. We then allow the bride to take her time to walk up to her groom, tap his shoulder, and then we just watch the magic unfold. We have seen so many unique and heartwarming reactions to a couple seeing each other on their wedding day, and we absolutely love it every single time!
A little bonus tip from us is that a first look doesn’t have to be with just a bride and groom! Have a first look with your bridesmaids, your parents, siblings, or anyone special in your life. Capturing the first moment that your loved ones see you on your wedding day is a precious memory that you will cherish forever.
