The Cost of Skipping a First Look

Tradition has it that the groom should not see the bride before the wedding... but why?

Way back when arranged marriages were the norm, the couple wasn’t allowed to see each other before the wedding at all.

Times were harsher, and a wedding was an economic arrangement. Imagine a groom seeing his bride before the wedding and not liking her. Or worse, imagine them liking each other a lot, and expressing this feeling in the hay shed, before the ceremony. egad!

It became tradition that the bride and groom were only allowed to meet at the wedding ceremony, so that the groom did not have the opportunity to change his mind. "No test drive for you!"

And that veil the bride wears?

More of the same: keep the groom from finding out what the bride looked like until the last possible minute, when it was too late to back out of the transaction.

It's a quaint, but irrelevant tradition. Deciding to wear a veil is a personal (and fashionable) choice. Opting not to see each other before the ceremony is not just a personal choice, it’s also logistical.

Your wedding is a busy day and you have many things to do. Get ready, take pictures, get married, greet guests, eat dinner, dance, laugh, cry, hold hands, kiss, etc. By opting for a first look you will have more time to take pictures together, alone or with your wedding party and your family.

This makes a large difference in the flow of your day. Most couples, once their ceremony is over, want to mix and mingle with their guests. They want to laugh and catch up and hug the people who’ve agreed to celebrate their love. Most couples also have a photo shot list that will take more than an hour. By opting for a first look you have time to do those photos before your guests arrive, saving the time after your ceremony to entertain and engage.

Whichever way you choose to see each other, just be sure you focus on the reason why you’re even getting married, because you love one another! Be loving to one another, whatever your day’s format should be.

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