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Should We Do a First Look? | Wedding Planning Tips | Colorado Mountain Wedding Photographer | Kathryn Kim Photography | Colorado Wedding Photographer | Denver Wedding Photographer | Advice for Brides | Colorado Engagement Photographer

 

Ahhh the all too familiar question of, “should we do a first look?” First of all, maybe I should start with explaining what a first look is! It has become popular in weddings these days for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony, and have that sweet moment photographed. You will then do the majority of your bride and groom portraits. Some couples struggle with whether or not to forego the old tradition of first seeing each other when walking down the aisle. I am here to give you some pros and cons, and hopefully give you an answer to your question of “should we do a first look?”

1. It takes less pressure off the groom to have the picture perfect reaction.

You may have noticed that these days all eyes are on the groom as the bride starts walking down the aisle. Everyone is hoping for a bold reaction, whether it be tears or a massive smile. When you do a first look, it’s an intimate moment shared between the two of you. And you can feel absolutely free to express your genuine reactions without everyone staring at you. This also means you get to hug each other and voice how incredible the other person looks. Otherwise you have to wait 30 minutes until the ceremony is over, and then try to express those initial emotions after!

2. More time for bride and groom photos!

In my opinion, the most important photos of the day are the bride and groom portraits. After all we are here to celebrate the two of you and your passionate love and commitment, right?! When you do a first look you get to add on a couple of hours at the beginning of the day. Then you can dedicate as much time as you want to the bride and groom portraits. This ensures that you guys will be relaxed and not feeling rushed. Then we can really get the best portraits possible of the two of you. You might not realize it, but when you don’t do a first look, the bride and groom portraits are the last thing to squeeze in before the reception starts. And if the ceremony started late, or family formals take longer than expected, guess what gets cut short? You guessed it, bride and groom portraits!

3. The amount of time that you two get to spend together on your wedding day is extended by several hours.

When you do a first look you get more hours to spend with each other and your entire bridal party! And after all like I mentioned before, this day is about the two of you. And it does go by SO fast. So getting to spend those extra few hours together is so valuable, and not to mention extra fun!

4. Ease the nerves.

Most people are super nervous towards the end of the getting ready portion. The reality of the day starts to settle in. And as the ceremony draws closer, those nerves only get stronger. Every one of my couples that have done a first look have said that seeing their significant other makes them feel so much more calm! It eliminates nerves, and then they feel mostly excited instead of nervous. It takes the pressure off and helps you just enjoy the day more!

5. Your groom can still get emotional when seeing you walk down the aisle, even if you have done a first look!

I know this is one reason why some brides don’t want to do a first look. They want that sweet reaction because this is the moment that they have dreamed of for many years. And I totally get that! But I’ve had so many grooms get emotional during the first look, and then get just as emotional if not more during the ceremony. Because it’s the moment of actually seeing their bride coming toward them, and getting ready to make that forever commitment and start their lives together. It just stirs up all the emotions once again. And he can embrace the moment fully since he is no longer in shock and the nerves have been eased! Also a lot of brides will save their veil for just the ceremony so it’s a new special look for the groom to see!

Obviously I have a ton of reasons why I think first looks are so beneficial for your wedding day. Honestly I don’t really have any cons to doing them, but with that being said. If you still think that you want to go the traditional route and not see each other until you’re walking on the aisle… I am in support of you and your decision! This day is all about you two, and I want to do whatever’s going to make you guys the happiest! And we will still get beautiful bride and groom portraits no matter what! I just hope this blog post helps answer the question of, “should we do a first look?” Thanks for reading!

If you are a looking for a Colorado mountain wedding photographer, your girl is here! Reach out and let’s chat!

I know this is one reason why some brides don’t want to do a first look. They want that sweet reaction because this is the moment that they have dreamed of for many years. And I totally get that! But I’ve had so many grooms get emotional during the first look, and then get just as emotional if not more during the ceremony. Because it’s the moment of actually seeing their bride coming toward them, and getting ready to make that forever commitment and start their lives together. It just stirs up all the emotions once again. Also a lot of brides will save their veil for just the ceremony so it’s a new special look for the groom to see!

Obviously I have a ton of reasons why I think first looks are so beneficial for your wedding day. Honestly I don’t really have any cons to doing them, but with that being said. If you still think that you want to go the traditional route and not see each other until you’re walking on the aisle… I am in support of you and your decision! This day is all about you two, and I want to do whatever’s going to make you guys the happiest! And we will still get beautiful bride and groom portraits no matter what! I just hope this blog post helps answer the question of, “should we do a first look?” Thanks for reading!

If you are a looking for a Colorado mountain wedding photographer, your girl is here! Reach out and let’s chat!

How to Create a Wedding Budget | Wedding Planning Tips | Kathryn Kim Photography | Colorado Mountain Wedding Photographer | Advice for Planning Your Wedding | How to Plan a Wedding | Colorado Wedding Photographers

Congratulations, you have gained a fiance! Hooray! Now to start the insane process of planning a wedding! There are waaay more details involved than you would ever dream, and the first place to start is the good ole budget. Now you have likely never done this before, so you find yourself googling, “How to create a wedding budget?!” And rightfully so! As a Colorado mountain wedding photographer, I have taken it upon myself to create a lil post outlining the logistics for you, and to hopefully make it easier!

1. Figure out your grand total that you have to spend. This is the first step in how to create a wedding budget, because you gotta know what you’re workin with!

2. Write out all the different categories/vendors you will need to spend money on. Such as photographer, venue, catering, flowers, etc.

3. Prioritize all categories starting with ones that are most important all the way down to least important. Start with your top 5, and your bottom 5, and you can fill in the middle from there. Really think about what is important to the two of you, not just what is “typical” at a wedding.

4. Research typical costs for each category/vendor within the area that you’re having the wedding, and fill in accordingly. You may be surprised at what some actually cost! But this will give you an idea of what to start with.

This is a great place to start. You may find as you go that you need to adjust cost based on reality vs. your initial projection, and this is normal. Just be sure to as you’re adjusting to always remain in budget. If you increase an expense in one category, you have to decrease in another. If you find yourself over budget, think of creative ways to cut costs. Pull on your resources/connections, and think of possible DIY projects, or ways to save/make more money and add to the budget. Feeling a little more confident on how to create a wedding budget? I sure hope so!