With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants
One of the many awesome things about having a civil wedding ceremony is how much you can personalise your ceremony to reflect you as a couple. Couples are increasingly shifting away from the traditional wedding and creating their own unique special day making it even more enjoyable.
The first look is an increasingly popular wedding ceremony trend amongst our couples and we love the idea!
The First Look also sometimes referred to as the ‘reveal’ steps away from the tradition of the groom seeing his bride for the first time as she walks down the aisle and instead, the groom see’s the bride for the very first time in the presence of just the photographer (or perhaps with the bridal party present too). The photographer then captures the grooms genuine reaction and expression when he sees his beautiful bride for the very first time.
Benefits of the first look:
- As the groom is in a relaxed environment and not nervously waiting for the ceremony to commence whilst surrounded by a hundred or so guests, he is more likely to really express his genuine emotion filled reaction. This reaction is usually one of ‘WOW’ or he may even shed a tear or two of joy, all perfectly captured by the ‘at the ready’ photographer.
- Traditionally at weddings, the location shoot takes place after the wedding ceremony and group photos have finished and the photographer whisks the couple and perhaps their bridal party away for photos. However with the first look, the couples location shoot usually continues from the moment of the reveal. The benefit of this schedule is that the couple are not separated from their guests after the ceremony and can continue on with the guests to the reception and enjoy the celebrations.
- The first look shoot adds another dimension and captures a truly special moment for your wedding album.
- As the location shoot has already taken place, the ceremony usually leads straight on to the reception, this generally allows you to have your ceremony a little later than normal, most of our ‘first look’ couples opt for a 4pm or 5pm ceremony (instead of the traditional 2pm or 3pm ceremony time), or if you time it right, a sunset wedding ceremony- Divine!
- The later ceremony time works great for the guests as they aren’t waiting while you are on your shoot and also great for the couple as it detracts the need to organise and provide food, drinks and entertainment during this ‘in between’ time.
- As Celebrants, we really notice how much the ‘first look’ shoot really calms the nerves of our ‘expecting to be super nervous’ brides and grooms. As they have already shared special moments, and fun on their photo shoot together it allows them to really relax and enjoy their own special connection throughout the ceremony, we just love witnessing that beautiful connection as they become husband and wife.
If you enjoyed hearing about wedding first looks and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.