Alternatives to a First Look

Good morning, and happy Wedding Wednesday guys!

One of the big decisions you have to make your wedding day is whether or not you’re going to have a First Look – which is where the wedding couple will see each other before the ceremony. Many wedding couples are opting to skip this modern twist on weddings, and keep it traditional and wait until the aisle to see each other.

Meaningful exchanges while still keeping it traditional

There are a couple of options for wedding couples who need a few minutes together before the ceremony, but don’t necessarily want to see each other. My personal favorite is what we call the “Reach and Pray,” which is where the groom will stand somewhere with his back turned to the bride, and she’ll come up and hold his hand and they will have a moment of “oh-my-gosh-is-this-really-happening-right-now?!” and often they’ll pray together.

The Reach-and-Pray can be done anywhere – around corners, through doorways, or even in open fields. It can be silly or serious, or a little mixture of both!

Another option for meaningful exchanges prior to the ceremony is to write each other a letter and have it delivered via best man/maid of honor. This is my personal favorite, because there’s no risk of accidentally seeing each other and the letters always make someone cry. Plus, those letters make great keepsakes for your grandchildren!

A cute idea we haven’t done yet (but I’ve seen it on Pinterest!) is to do a blind fold. Have the groomsmen put a nice blind fold on the groom, have the bridesmaids fetch him and bring him to the bride for some fun pre-ceremony photos.

Until next week! xoxo