The Pros of a First Look on Your Wedding Day

When it comes to the wedding day most often grooms want to have their first reaction, to their bride, be when they come down the aisle. More recently however brides and grooms have been opting to do an alternative to this called the "first look." It is a preplanned meeting of the bride and groom at a location where just the two of them and the photographer meet. Typically we hide the bride and position the groom for her approach, then at the moment of their choosing allow him to have his first look... just the two of them. (I am typically hiding in the bushes or some "unseen" place, allowing it to truly be their moment) There are multiple pros to the first look, below are my top three:

1) A More Intimate Experience

Because it is just the two of you, you are able to embrace, say how much you love each other, how beautiful she looks; knowing that you are the only ones witnessing and cherishing this moment... together. When she approaches down the aisle you have to wait until her dad or whomever she has chosen, gives her away to you to even embrace. If you do a traditional first look down the aisle, you will only be able to whisper during prayer or mouth your feelings as the ceremony is taking place. By having a first look before the ceremony, you can let all your emotions out, in the comfort of the two of you and let each other know how much you really feel. It is such an awesome moment to witness as a photographer because you capture true, raw emotion and those are some of the bride and grooms most cherished pictures. In addition, I will go right into shooting some of the couple’s pictures (right after the first look) which leads to amazing emotion filled moments between them that are candid and real.

To see more of their wedding day click here.

2) Less Stress Leading Up to Walking Down the Aisle

Most brides and grooms are worried about holding themselves together during the ceremony, by having the first look it alleviates the stress that will have built up prior to walking down the aisle and him seeing you for the first time. I know with my own wedding that I did it traditional and not being an emotional or nervous person, I got butterflies in my stomach the moment I started to walk down the aisle. All these thoughts rush through your head, and I remember thinking... this is it... oh... my... goodness! And don't recall at all what happened after that, not the look my husband gave me, what else was going on, I just remember my nerves. Had I opted for the first look I would have been able to let all that stress out in the beautiful embrace that every couple gives each other right after the first look and all my worries would have gone away. Then not only would I have been able to remember that moment, but I also would have been able to enjoy walking down the aisle and seeing his reaction to me that much more.

To see more of their wedding day click here.

3) More Pictures

The most important pictures of the whole day, the ones you will frame on your wall, put in your album, make your thank you notes with, or put on your Christmas card... are the ones of you! So by having the first look before the ceremony, allows us time to get more pictures of the two of you. Because we are able to get pictures right after the first look, during cocktail hour, and a couple more randomly through the evening; you will have a variety of great pictures to choose from after the wedding is over.

To see more of their wedding day click here.

The Pros of a First Look on Your Wedding Day

When it comes to the wedding day most often grooms want to have their first reaction, to their bride, be when they come down the aisle. More recently however brides and grooms have been opting to do an alternative to this called the "first look." It is a preplanned meeting of the bride and groom at a location where just the two of them and the photographer meet. Typically we hide the bride and position the groom for her approach, then at the moment of their choosing allow him to have his first look... just the two of them. (I am typically hiding in the bushes or some "unseen" place, allowing it to truly be their moment) There are multiple pros to the first look, below are my top three:

1) A More Intimate Experience

Because it is just the two of you, you are able to embrace, say how much you love each other, how beautiful she looks; knowing that you are the only ones witnessing and cherishing this moment... together. When she approaches down the aisle you have to wait until her dad or whomever she has chosen, gives her away to you to even embrace. If you do a traditional first look down the aisle, you will only be able to whisper during prayer or mouth your feelings as the ceremony is taking place. By having a first look before the ceremony, you can let all your emotions out, in the comfort of the two of you and let each other know how much you really feel. It is such an awesome moment to witness as a photographer because you capture true, raw emotion and those are some of the bride and grooms most cherished pictures. In addition, I will go right into shooting some of the couple’s pictures (right after the first look) which leads to amazing emotion filled moments between them that are candid and real.

To see more of their wedding day click here.

2) Less Stress Leading Up to Walking Down the Aisle

Most brides and grooms are worried about holding themselves together during the ceremony, by having the first look it alleviates the stress that will have built up prior to walking down the aisle and him seeing you for the first time. I know with my own wedding that I did it traditional and not being an emotional or nervous person, I got butterflies in my stomach the moment I started to walk down the aisle. All these thoughts rush through your head, and I remember thinking... this is it... oh... my... goodness! And don't recall at all what happened after that, not the look my husband gave me, what else was going on, I just remember my nerves. Had I opted for the first look I would have been able to let all that stress out in the beautiful embrace that every couple gives each other right after the first look and all my worries would have gone away. Then not only would I have been able to remember that moment, but I also would have been able to enjoy walking down the aisle and seeing his reaction to me that much more.

To see more of their wedding day click here.

3) More Pictures

The most important pictures of the whole day, the ones you will frame on your wall, put in your album, make your thank you notes with, or put on your Christmas card... are the ones of you! So by having the first look before the ceremony, allows us time to get more pictures of the two of you. Because we are able to get pictures right after the first look, during cocktail hour, and a couple more randomly through the evening; you will have a variety of great pictures to choose from after the wedding is over.

To see more of their wedding day click here.

Snow Day Across the Carolina's | yah Photography

As most of the world knows, we had a crazy storm sweep through the south which caused a large accumulation of snow. This has been the most snow we have seen in our almost seven years of living out here. We got to drive in it, play in it, sled in it, and most importantly photograph in it! There were also so many stages to this snow that I have now maxed out my iCloud storage on my phone with the amount of pictures and video I took, plus all the images I shot on my cameras. Below is just a small taste of what it was like over the past couple days with the snow!

Snow Day Across the Carolina's | yah Photography

As most of the world knows, we had a crazy storm sweep through the south which caused a large accumulation of snow. This has been the most snow we have seen in our almost seven years of living out here. We got to drive in it, play in it, sled in it, and most importantly photograph in it! There were also so many stages to this snow that I have now maxed out my iCloud storage on my phone with the amount of pictures and video I took, plus all the images I shot on my cameras. Below is just a small taste of what it was like over the past couple days with the snow!

Should My Wedding Have a Grand Exit and if so, When?

You have probably heard the words grand exit, and if not know that it refers to the bride and groom exiting their wedding with all their guests sending them off in one form or another. Grand exits can be a ton of fun and allow the bride and groom to be creative and incorporate their theme into another part of the wedding day. There is a long list of the different types of things couples use for their grand exits, i.e. sparklers, bird seed, bubbles, glow sticks, etc. and each bride gets more and more creative. Although the sendoff of the bride and groom is a huge part of the wedding day, most couples do not realize that we can actually work to incorporate the grand exit at any time of the day. We actually prefer that they be sometime earlier in the day, in order to provide you with better images, and get your guests out of their seats and involved in this big part of your day.    Below are three examples of different times in the day that you could possibly have your grand exit.   

1) Right after the Ceremony

This works really well if you have a separate ceremony and reception venue. The couple can exit into a getaway vehicle and drive around the block while the guests head to the reception and you family and bridal party get ready for the formal pictures.

2) During the Reception

This works as a great segway into a group dance. For example, the DJ announces for everyone to get up and help to perform a "fake" grand exit for the bride and groom. Everyone will want to be a part of it, and it allows for the couple to take their time and play around while walking through the line of all their guests. Then the DJ will put on a song like We are Family, or the Cupid Shuffle to get everyone to move from the grand exit line to the dance floor. It works every time!

3)  At the End of the Night

This one works well for weddings that are shorter and a majority of your guests are still in attendance. Sometimes when the party last a little longer and the bar has been open the whole night, it tends to be a little harder to get all the guests to cooperate; but either way we end up with great memories to end the beautiful night.