Planning a Wedding Without a First Look

I’m photographing our friends’ wedding next June and they knew as soon as they got engaged that they did not want to do a first look on their wedding day. Even though I love first looks for many reasons (check out this blog post to see why), I also recognize that there is something magical about seeing each other for the first time when walking down the aisle!

Here are two important things to consider when planning a wedding without a first look: 

Timeline Planning

The bulk of your photos - family, wedding party, and portraits - will take place between the ceremony and reception, so don’t skimp on the time planned for cocktail hour! If you’re able to build a bit of a buffer into your timeline, you won’t need to rush or stress about getting great photos. 

Your photographer will keep things moving as best they can, but making sure your family members and wedding party know to stick around for photos is also hugely helpful. It’s much better than sending someone to find the three folks who wandered off in hopes that things don’t get too behind schedule. :) 

Two photographers

Selecting a photography package that includes a second shooter means multiple angles will be captured throughout the day and that your photographer can actually be in two places at once if needed! That second pair of eyes (and set of cameras) is a great way to also ensure you’ll have a nice selection of images in your gallery, especially if your timeline is a bit limited when it comes to available time prior to the reception.

Originally posted November 14, 2022