M.E. Photography by Matt and Eileen: 'To First Glance' or 'Not'?

'The First Glance'

We were so excited when Nicole and Colby, our latest Bride and Groom, told us that they wanted to do a 'First Glance'! For those of you who are not familiar with 'The First Glance' we would love to tell you all about it (and hopefully persuade you to do 'The First Glance' :) for your Wedding ).

The traditional way a Groom first sees his beautiful Bride on the Wedding Day, is when she walks down the isle. Yes, it is a magical and loving moment for the Groom and all of the family and friends in attendance. I remember walking down the isle to meet Matt, my husband, at the altar - and it was a magical and loving moment; however, if I had the chance to do our Wedding Day all over again ~ I would definitely do a 'First Glance' before walking down the isle. When I met Matt at the altar, all we could do is look at each other for a moment and smile...no talking, no exchanging feelings of how handsome Matt looked or he telling me how beautiful I looked. The Wedding Ceremony begins immediately.

It's a tough decision to make, because so many of us want the traditional wedding. We dream of being the Bride and walking down the isle to meet the love of our life from the time we are just young girls. It is quite the experience as the doors of the church, or other venue, slowly open and you appear before all of your loved ones. You can still have that magical and loving moment ~ while adding a new modern twist to the traditional first glance.

Now, picture this...Your Groom is standing with his back to you. You walk a short distance toward him. His heart is beating fast, thoughts of what you will look like swirl through his mind. You, the Bride, are slowly walking towards your future husband. You tap him on the shoulder and he turns to see you ~ his beautiful wife to be! You smile, your hearts are connected as one, and it's as though you are in your own universe for a few moments! You can kiss, laugh, talk, dance, hug each other and enjoy the beauty of the moment! It is YOUR 'First Glance'! You can have your family in the distance watching, so they won't feel cheated on the 'first glance'. It really is a beautiful experience for all.

After a few moments of the Bride & Groom totally enjoying each other - we can begin the formals. We began with Nicole and Colby's pictures as a couple. They were both glowing and you could feel the love in the air. Then, we moved on to the family formals and the bridal party shots. All the hard work in done now, and we got ready for the ceremony!

It seemed like the Groom was calmer, since he had a little time with his Bride so the nerves were not too bad. I watched as Nicole walked down the isle to meet her future husband, Colby, and the look of love in their eyes was unbelievable! It was their 'First Glance' all over again! It was as if he was looking at his Bride for the first time. It was just beautiful!

The best part of doing the 'First Glance' before the ceremony is that the Bride & Groom get to enjoy their entire Wedding! They can attend their cocktail hour if they would like, and once the reception begins, we are not pulling them away to get all the formal shots. The Bride & Groom enjoy every second of their wedding!

We really enjoyed shooting Nicole & Colby's Wedding and we hope that more of our clients decide to do 'The First Glance' before the Ceremony!