Whether you're a bride just starting out on the arduous journey of wedding planning or a bride who has the finish line in her sites, you may be wondering, "Should we do our formals before the wedding?" And if you ask me, the answer is a resounding, "YES!" Keep in mind that If you plan on doing your formals before the wedding, they will also take the place of your "first-look." Some of you may already be aware of the term but a first-look is when the photographer captures your groom seeing you for the first time in your wedding dress.
Traditionally, the first-look takes place at the ceremony as you're walking down the aisle but more and more brides are opting do their first look before the wedding day or just before the ceremony like these couples.
Now keep mind, doing your formals pre-wedding day isn’t a replacement to the walking down the aisle experience but is actually in addition to that moment. So in essence, you are adding to the day by getting a second special look instead of replacing it. I know of one bride who wore a wedding dress for her formals/first-look and then surprised her husband-to-be by wearing a completely different, and 10x more extravagant, dress the day of the wedding.
You may be wondering, "How does a first-look work?" The private moment between the couple starts with the groom getting into place while the bride is tucked away, somewhere close by, so she can’t be seen. The groom stands looking away – at the photographer – while the bride starts walking up towards him and taps him on the shoulder to which he will turn around and see his beautiful bride for the first time! Once we have that special moment documented and out of the way, we can then begin shooting the wedding formals.
Another great reason to do your formals before the wedding is the benefit of less time being needed for pictures between the ceremony and reception. After the ceremony, with less photos to take, couples can get to their cocktail hour or reception sooner and for the photographer, there’s less of a need to rush. We will still get some great shots of you and your newly betrothed but taking a bulk of the photos together before the ceremony saves a lot of time and from there we can focus on getting shots of the wedding party and portraits with family and friends.
When the couple does their formals alone before the wedding, I’ve found that not only does it save time later in the day, but couples are more comfortable because they’re only with their photographer (and videographer) for their bride and groom portraits rather than in front of their bridal party and possibly family. This makes for less pressure to not cry or to react a certain way with all of your guests watching. Couples tend to be more candid and comfortable when they’re alone.
Another great benefit to shooting your formals before the wedding day is the ability to decorate the venue with cute shots from the session. This will also give you the chance to order canvas prints which can be time-consuming to make and ship.
One thing most couples say about their wedding is that it went by faster than they ever expected. You do all this planning, spend all this money, only to have the moment pass you by in what seems like an instant! A pre-wedding formal session allows couples an extra day to be a bride and groom and more importantly, gives them a chance to connect and relish in this special time before the chaos of the actual day takes over.
Lastly, I would like to talk about the benefits of a pre-wedding formal session from a photography perspective. Often times, a bride chooses a venue based on the gallery of photos they see online, unaware that these photos looks so great because they were taken at a certain time of the day. Wedding pictures that were taken at noon are going to look much different that wedding pictures taken during the early evening hours when the light is at it's best. Unbeknownst to the bride, she starts her ceremony at noon, gets her wedding pictures back, and is shocked that they look terrible compared to what she saw online. If you do your formals before the wedding day, this will give you chance to do them when the lighting is at it's best which usually a 2 hour block of time just before sunset. And if you have a photographer knowledgeable in off-camera flash, you can keep shooting right until the sun sets.
Ultimately, it is up to you and your significant other if a formal session before the wedding is the right choice. After reading my blog post I hope that you are able to make an informed decision but remember there's no right or wrong here. All that matters is that your wedding experience is the way you want it to be.
Comments