I want to devote a blog post to a first look because I believe so fervidly in that doing a first look enhances not only the wedding day photos (and thus the wedding day memories), but the wedding day experience as a whole.

A first look is when a bride and groom opt to see each other before the wedding ceremony. Gasp, I know.

I would not be such a huge proponent for the first look had I not chosen to do a first look with James the day of our wedding. The wedding day was fast and furious and filled with all sorts of lovely people that I was so blessed to have with me on that day — but the first look was the one part of the wedding festivities that James and I got to spend alone. Before any of the pre-ceremony wedding party pictures the church sanctuary was cleared out (except for our wedding photographer and my dad, who watched from the back) and I walked down the aisle to James and for that moment we soaked up that we were about to become husband and wife. We expressed this with lots of excited grins and numerous hugs. And looking back at my wedding day pictures, those are the pictures I treasure most.

After we shared that moment we were free to take pictures together of just the two of us, as well as all of the wedding party pictures and family shots. So once the ceremony was finished we were able to head to the reception without having to take harried gotta-get-to-the-reception-people-are-waiting pictures snap!snap!snap!GO!

For these reasons, I prefer a first look when I’m trying to best photographically capture wedding day bliss and wanted to educate blog readers on first looks and share my personal experience. But honestly, I want the bride and groom to do what makes them happy — because that’s what matters more than pictures or wedding day traditions.

All that said, here are some shots I got of a first look from a wedding of a dear friend of mine that I second shot at with Stephanie Rose. Stephanie got the angle of the bride and I got the angle of the groom.

I just don’t think wedding pictures can be more emotionally charged and raw than a groom seeing his bride for the first time on their wedding day.

It’s pictures like these that make me a believer in first looks.