What is a First Look and how you can Include it in your Wedding

Hello, welcome everyone. Welcome to something that I have been wanting to do for a while. I have always wanted to create a space where I am able to speak on a one on one basis for anyone who needs help or has any questions with topics like how to plan your wedding, different tips to implement into your wedding day or anything that has to do with the wedding industry in general. I understand that the planning process can be stressful but I am here to help in any way I can.

I want to start off by introducing myself. My name is Armin Avila and I am a wedding photographer and filmmaker residing in the California Bay Area. I have been in the wedding space for the past 4-5 years and with this new format I hope to answer some of the questions you might have regarding your wedding day and for fellow creatives I hope to give you more of an insight of how I go about doing things and the different ins and outs of the wedding industry.

Since this is the first episode I wanted to use this more as an introduction so we wont be going into depth on specific details but I did want to start of with a couple of topics regarding to questions that I receive from many different brides relating to their wedding timeline. Specifically with the question of; should I implement a pre ceremony first look into my wedding day?

So first, what are the differences between a pre ceremony first look and a traditional first look. A traditional first look typically involves the groom and wedding guests seeing the bride for the first time during the ceremony. This involves no contact between the bride and groom until it is time for the ceremony. This is what is used across most weddings and it is still a beautiful way to create an amazing memory for you and your family. But, I do want to introduce a new way to go about doing your first look. One that builds more of an intimate connection with your partner and why I love and recommend doing a pre ceremony first look.

A pre ceremony first look allows you and your partner to see each other for the first time before the wedding ceremony. This allows for more of an intimate connection and can release the stress and nerves before going into your ceremony. As a wedding photographer and filmmaker I appreciate this since I am able to capture more of a raw emotion and that is shown through the pictures. A ceremony first look can build up stress and nerves since there is a larger amount of people taking a look at the bride going down the altar but by doing a pre ceremony first look it is just you two and that small moment is usually one of the most beautiful throughout the whole wedding day. It truly shows the love between you two and it makes you feel more comfortable around the fact that people like myself are there to capture those beautiful memories. 

You can also have a first look with other family members. I have had brides do a first look with both of their parents or even close siblings. From what I have seen, a one on one connection builds a different kind of memory that is unique and just as or sometimes more beautiful than that of a traditional ceremony first look. In my opinion, it all depends on the feeling you are trying to portray throughout your wedding day.

Other more technical aspects is that your wedding timeline will go smoother when it comes to the photos and video side of the schedule. I am able to capture most of the couple photos and close family photos before the ceremony even begins. This allows more time for you and your partner to enjoy cocktail hour with both of your families. Typically, family photos are the most time consuming and are done after the wedding ceremony when all of the family has gathered into one location. Instead of 20 minutes, the family portraits might only take 10 minutes just because most of the close family has been covered during your first look time of the day. Also, couple photos are done during sunset time. This is done because lighting is at its perfect peak for taking photos. This is known as golden hour which people like myself take advantage of to take most of the couple portraits. You are able to create two different scenes for your couple photos. One done before the ceremony during your first look where the nerves are still building up and by law, you are still not married. After you are able to get a second set of couple photos during sunset where you are now officially married and together. I love telling a story that shows many different types of emotions and this helps depict the story that I like to tell in more detail and in a more cohesive manner.

At the end of the day this is your wedding. You want this to be customized to your vision and these are just tips and different aspects to implement into your wedding day to make that little bit more unique and memorable. The traditional way of a first look is still a beautiful route to go about and continues to be the most popular across most weddings for that reason but hopefully I was able to introduce a new idea and it is completely fine if this is not how you envision your wedding day. 

I do want to continue implementing more tips and giving information like this for anyone who needs it. I hope to continue delivering tips like this since this is a very unique way to get my recommendations and opinions across and hopefully they help you when planning out your wedding day. On the next episode we will be going over wedding vendors, specifically wedding venues and the different aspects you should be looking for and the questions you should be asking when searching for the perfect venue.

I just want to thank you guys so much for watching or listening in case your hearing this through podcast format and hopefully I see you on the next episode. Ill see you guys soon, goodbye.