Why We Did a First Look

There was something about me when I met Brandon that changed very quickly. I grew up thinking that some things just were the way they were. You live the same place you grew up for example… You have rice and beans with your thanksgiving dinner… You wear pjs Christmas morning… A bride never sees her groom before her wedding… You go to a beachy place for a vacation etc. “It’s what everybody does.” I’d say in frustration. I couldn’t figure out why he didn’t feel the same. I was so used to the norms, never considering other circumstances. When Brandon met me I’d like to believe that he admired my whimsy, but he also knew that if somebody would have to burst my reality bubble it’d most likely have to be him. Now that sounds awful, but trust me, it was for the best. He opened my eyes to new possibilities I’d never considered.

One day while we were wedding planning he mentioned “Why don’t we take the pictures before the wedding? My parents did it.” he said “Everything will be fresh and then we won’t have people waiting forever to eat after the wedding.” I immediately shook my head no. I couldn’t imagine it. The bride seeing the groom before the wedding!? No way. But then one morning I was flipping through a magazine and I saw a picture of a First Look. The idea was that you see each other before the wedding to have an intimate moment where it’s just the two of you. Offering photographers a chance to catch every second of your reactions from every angle. Then of course, you could take all of the pictures you want before the wedding. What a great way to get all of the wedding jitters out I thought. The pictures I found were so sweet for the people brave enough to do something a little bit different.

I wanted nothing more than to share that special moment with Brandon. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn’t want him to see me for the first time as his bride with a bunch of people staring at us. I wanted it to be just us. Whispering excitement to one another of what was to come. I can happily say that I was so pleased we did it.