We had a meeting with the wedding planner tonight and I have a daunting task: to decide whether or not we will meet just before the ceremony and have a "reveal." This will give us 15 minutes to be alone before the ceremony, to see each other, and to relieve all of the jitters we may be feeling. Justin will be standing with his back to me, I would walk up to him and then he would turn around and the photographer would capture our expressions. To see each other or not to see? Take my poll and please help me make a decision.
Justin wants to do this!
I took this next part from Lauren Clark Photography and she explains her "First Sight" method to the bride and groom seeing each other before the ceremony.
Here are some good reasons why to see each other before:
- the bride is not stressed out after she sees her groom.
- we don't have to play hide and seek with the groom before the ceremony.
- we take all the photographs before the ceremony so the couple, family and guests all get to the reception at the same time.
- we have natural light to make stellar images of the bride and groom together unlike when they get married at 6 and the sun has already set after the wedding. we normally get 1 flash picture of the standing in front of the church and then they have to be rushed off to the reception. I believe that people hire me for my ability to capture the bride and groom on the wedding day and if we don't have the time or natural light I am not able to do this. The couple is normally disappointed in the 1 "traditional" picture they have of each other and so are we. Our creative flow is stopped when this happens.
- the couple gets to see each other alone for the first time, instead of in front of hundreds of people. they can say things to each other and hug like they wouldn't be able to if they saw each other for the first time at the altar. The groom will say things to the bride that she will never forget because it was a no pressure situation. They wouldn't be able to speak if they were just seeing each other for the first time at the altar.
- the groom normally has a more genuine and breathtaking "look" on his face when he doesn't have three hundred guests staring at him as you walk down the aisle.
- there is 99% less stress on everyone involved in the wedding day.
10 comments:
NO!!! Just my 2 cents ;) I will NEVER forgot the look of seeing John when the doors opened and him seeing me walking down the isle. It is very emotional, no doubt, but such a WONDERFUL feeling!!! And I honestly don't think that seeing him before would make you any less nervous... you're going to be nervous no matter what. But I know you will make the decision that is best for YOU :)
Oh... and about the pictures. We did all of the bridemaid/groomsmen pictures seperately with the bride/groom before (I'm sure you remember that). So that takes a TON of time off of pictures that you would have to do after the ceremony. Just want you to consider different aspects ;)
And another thing... LOL... the sun will not have set after your wedding even though you're getting married at 6... it will be summer (almost) and it doesn't even begin to get dark until at least 8 :) So you will still have amazing natural light photographs!
Ohh tough decision. I've always been opposed to seeing the groom before, but your photographer makes some good points. I think it could be a really special moment, and his face will still be a huge surprise so I say go for it!
My fiance and I have been debating this for several months. I want to get light in our pictures and his family thinks it will spoil the moment if he sees me before the ceremony. So I understand exactly what you're going through. My vote is see each other before and his is after. Sadly, my vote is mainly due to the photographs I want to have taken. Good luck!
noooo! please keep tradition alive! that's part of the fun having to keep him from seeing you all day!!
After my experience, I sort of wish we had seen each other before! But only sort of! I was very on edge those last few minutes before walking into the church. If I had seen him before, my nerves would have been calmer! On the other hand, I loved that feeling of walking through the doors and seeing him for the first time with all our friends and family there. We have some very special pictures of this! It's a tough choice! Do what feels right for YOU TWO!
Also, to answer your question on my blog...I round the photos using www.picnik.com, it's a free photo editing website. I love it!
Ok, just talked to my husband and asked him his thoughts, and he brought up some other good points!
He said he liked doing it before, because our group pictures with our wedding party, are so relaxed and fun! We have pictures of the whole wedding doing silly things, and they're all very candid. I think we all would've been a little more uptight if we had taken these before the wedding. Doing it afterwords, we had finished the hardest part and it was onto the party :)
I say NO! I am a wedding planner, myself, and I never push one way or another on this - it's a very personal decision. I think the "hide and seek" thing is fun! It adds an element of playfulness to the day, in my opinion.
I've heard all the reasons why it makes sense to see each other before the wedding a million times. It makes sense if you want your wedding day to be about logistics and practicality.
That being said - I wouldn't do it. You get to walk down the aisle once. Until you've done it, it's impossible to explain the joy and excitement you share with your soon to be spouse when you make that eye contact on your wedding day for the first time. It's the magic of entire day. It's what makes your husband tear up and your guests pull out their tissues. It's the way you envisioned walking down the aisle your entire life.
To me, gaining some logistical benefits for the photographer and maybe calming my own nerves just a bit wasn't worth losing the magic of walking down the aisle.
Just my opinion. Whatever you decide, it will be perfect for the two of you! :)
One thing about light though - for June, the light after your ceremony is going to be better than the light before. Late afternoon / early evening light is much softer than the harsh afternoon light of a Virginia summer afternoon.
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