Wedding Week: Our First Look

Ian and I decided to do a first look, where we saw each other before the wedding ceremony.  It's a little untraditional, and a lot of people do it for practicality so they can take a lot of the family pictures before the ceremony even starts, reducing the time they are delayed from joining the reception.

It was important for me to do it for a different reason.

To me, the opportunity to have a first look with my soon-to-be-husband was a thousand times more intimate and special.  To have this private moment to ourselves, without the pressure of having 150 onlookers staring into our faces to try to see certain expected (or unexpected) emotions ... it made it more real.  This is just my opinion, and I have plenty of friends that want to go or have gone the traditional route.

But for us ... this was perfection.  Ian, me, and our photographer.  Silence, some tears, whispered words, a lot of nervous giggling, and tender moments.  Perfection.

Ian waits up front.  The photographer later had him turn his back to the aisle.

As Ian's back was turned, I walked into the room and stood at the back of the aisle, the very one I'd walk down to him during our actual wedding ceremony.

 

Right before I went up for the first look, I invited my mother and MIL to sneak upstairs and watch through the window.  This moment was very special for them.

At the back of the aisle, with Ian's back still turned, I got myself ready for him to see me...

...and I took a deep breath and then asked my soon to be husband to turn around.

I was so nervous for him to see me.

Tearing up, I made my way down the aisle toward my fiance.

His reaction was one I'll never forget.

He loved every single bit of my dress and the way I looked.

And of course I thought he was just as handsome as could be.

After our first look, I wanted to find my Dad.  He was set to be arriving at the wedding venue around that same time.  I was trying to arrange the way that Dad would see me for the first time with my photographer and a few of my wedding coordidnator's interns (pictured) when, all of the sudden, the elevator doors opened and out walked Dad.  My photographer quickly sprang to action and captured his reaction to seeing me for the first time.

In retrospect, even though I wish we'd had a little more special way for him to first see me, the look of shock and surprise on his face was totally worth it.

And then, for practicality's sake (ha!), we took a few pictures with family. 

Last picture of the engaged couple before the ceremony!

My parents and sisters

Ian's sister, brother, mother, and paternal grandparents

And when I did walk down the aisle to Ian, it was a completely different moment for us.  Him seeing me on my father's arm, being presented to him, and surrounded by all of our loved ones gave us an even more emotional and special experience.  Tomorrow, pictures from our wedding ceremony!