‘First look’ photographs are gaining popularity with couples

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

A special moment arises when a bride walks down that long church aisle and a groom is waiting to see her for the first time before they exchange their marriage vows. Usually, attendees see big smiles and even a couple of tears.

Over the past decade, the actual “first look” tradition has morphed into a before-the-ceremony event that includes photos with family members and the remaining bridal party.

“When I got married 10 years ago, maybe 25% did it,” Megan Crawford of The Crawfords Photography and Film said. “Now about 75% of couples do it.”

Crawford listed several reasons why couples opt to spend 90 minutes or so before the ceremony to have “first look” photos.

“You get more time together on your wedding day and get to relax and get the nerves out,” she said. “There is a lot of hustle and bustle once the wedding starts, and if you don’t see each other before, you are really seeing each other for the first time in the church. While it is such a wonderful and special experience, you really don’t have time to talk to each other; you have to hurry and go to your formal photos and hurry to go to the reception, and before you know it, the wedding is over.

“Couples can see each other’s families because everybody’s together. … It relieves some of the stress by getting all these photos out of the way. And, it’s more relaxing after the ceremony doing fewer photos, and couples can get to the reception earlier.”

Get daytime photos
Crawford believes it’s popular in New Orleans because many couples celebrate evening church weddings, whereas in the north, couples marry earlier during daylight hours. Depending on the time of the year in New Orleans, it could be dark before the bride and groom see each other for the first time outdoors after the wedding.

“The ‘first look’ is a benefit to have time for daytime portraits,” she said.

Since heat and humidity make the pre-wedding photos less popular in the summer in New Orleans, couples instead might choose the lobby of the hotel where the bridal party may be getting dressed.

The Crawfords, like other photographers, can recommend unique ways that couples can achieve the “first look” photos, but they also take cues from couples.

In setting up the shot, the photographer usually asks the groom not to look at the bride. The bride might tap him on shoulder or tell him to turn around or the bride might be behind double doors or the groom comes around a corner.

“It’s more than just walking up to see each other – it’s little things that make it special and unique,” Crawford said. “You just don’t walk up and say, ‘Hey, there you are.’ It’s like a reveal. They do that so they have that same feeling as when they are walking down the aisle.”

And, it’s no longer considered “bad luck” to see the bride before the ceremony

“Now that it’s becoming more popular, parents know about it, and brides have seen their other friends do it and are more comfortable with it,” Crawford said. “So it’s not as much of a concern.”

Crawford said even grooms, who had always imagined seeing their bride coming down the aisle, change their minds when they realize they can relax more during the wedding ceremony.

Other trends
Crawford said other wedding photo trends include couples honoring relatives who have passed – not just by lighting candles but also by setting up a photo table, placing flowers on the chair and even naming a signature drink after deceased parents or grandparents.

Clothing colors also have shifted from dark and traditional warm tones to more bright and artistic styles with brighter and softer colors, leaning toward pastels.

In New Orleans, a trusted professional photographer could range in cost between $4,000-$6,000 for wedding photos for full-day coverage. Several packages are also available. Videography is an added option.

Most photographers present couples with the majority of digital photos they take during the wedding day, which could be over seven to 10 hours.

“I actually love (first looks),” said Cheryl Welliver of Welliver Productions, a company she started with her husband Ray in 1982, which is now owned by her son Bill. “It gives the bride and groom a more private moment than when she’s walking down the long aisle. There is such a big difference between them there. The closeness is when he sees her close up. Their eyes meet, the tears come, and there’s nothing like it. It’s one of the highlights of the wedding as far as I am concerned.”

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