There are a lot of different aspects that make up a wedding day. Some are huge like your ceremony and reception, some are smaller like your first dance together, and all of them are SO important in creating the full experience of your wedding. One of my favorite moments though that is becoming more and more popular for my weddings in Hawaii is the first look! What do I love about first looks though, and why should you consider having one for your wedding day? That’s what we’re here to find out in this article, so let’s get into it.

What is a First Look

First and foremost, before we can fully get into why I absolutely adore first looks for my Hawaii weddings, let’s quickly go over what a first look actually is. A first look, like the name suggests, is a moment between the bride and groom where they are both dressed for their wedding and see one another for the first time. It’s a private moment shared between the two prior to their ceremony. Traditionally the bride and groom would not see one another until their ceremony, this has changed recently though as first looks have become more and more popular in recent years.

For reasons we’ll cover later I am ALL for this change in tradition! Of course couples can and still do wait to see one another until their ceremony, but having the option to choose whether to do that or have a first look is huge in creating the wedding day you envision!

Are There Alternatives to a First Look?

Speaking of options, is there anything out there couples are doing that want to create that sweet and intimate moment of a first look without seeing one another before their Hawaii wedding? There is! A first look is a more recent trend where a couple will stand back to back, or around the corner from one another and hold hands without seeing one another. It keeps that tension and excitement of not seeing one another prior to your ceremony intact, while also letting you have a moment alone with one another. Some couples read private vows to one another during their first touch, and some just use the moment to take everything in before the craziness of the rest of the wedding day kicks off.

7 Reasons Why I Love First Looks

1. An Intimate Moment

The first reason that I love first looks for my Hawaii weddings is how they create a private, special, and intimate moment for the soon to be newlyweds. Wedding days are filled with a LOT of emotions, so having some time with the love of your life to work through these emotions together can be invaluable on your wedding day! It’s a chance to be present with one another, to take in and internalize the joy, excitement, and love you feel and carry those feelings with you throughout the day.

The moment you two do see one another for the first time is also one of the most magical moments of the wedding day. It’s why first look photos are SO fun and some of my favorites, it’s hard to top the pure happiness and just overwhelming emotion that a lot of couples feel during this moment! I mean, just take a look at Samantha and Montana’s wedding day!

2. Let’s You Take Care of Portraits Early

One of the more overlooked benefits of having a first look for your wedding day in Hawaii is that it allows you to take care of the majority of your portrait photos early! Since the couple has already seen one another at this point there’s no need to wait to take portraits until after the ceremony. Couples portraits, wedding party portraits, and some family portraits can now be taken prior to the ceremony which can make your day run a lot smoother.

You’ll likely still need to take family portraits after the ceremony since a majority of your family members probably won’t be there prior to the ceremony. This is much simpler and easier on your timeline though than trying to fit in ALL your portrait photos after the ceremony. Speaking of your timeline, one of the best benefits of having a first look is how flexible it allows your timeline to be.

3. Gives Your Timeline Flexibility

Your wedding day timeline is your roadmap to making sure your day runs smoothly and includes everything you envision for your day. With how many moving parts there are to a traditional wedding day, there often isn’t much breathing room for you to work with for your day. That’s where having a first look for your Hawaii wedding day can help! Having a first look, and in turn having a majority of your portraits taken care of early gives you so much extra time to work with. Whether you need that time to travel to different locations for your day, you want to have a longer or earlier reception, or you want to be more present throughout other moments of your day, having a first look is a great way to make this time available on your day.

4. Allows You to Enjoy Cocktail Hour

One way that a lot of couples will use the extra flexibility of their wedding timeline to be more present with their guests throughout their day is to be at their cocktail hour for the full duration. This is SUCH a fun way for couples to spend some time with their guests and have time to actually talk with them for more than the quick hello, good to see you, and congratulations. Having this time to actually be present and talk with all of your friends and family who’ve come all this way to celebrate your love and marriage is a highlight for any couple that makes this a priority. By having a first look at your Hawaii wedding this vision can easily become a reality.

5. Ease The Pre-Ceremony Jitters

While people often call their wedding one of the best days of their lives, it’s no secret that they can cause a bit of anxiety for the couple, especially the day of the wedding! Pre-ceremony jitters are something every couple experiences, at least to some degree. Without a first look on your Hawaii wedding day these pre-ceremony jitters are magnified since not only do you have the general anticipation that comes with the ceremony, but also the anticipation of seeing one another for the first time. Now some couples may enjoy this anticipation, and even thrive in it, but on average most couples will feel more at ease with a first look in their day.

Tamara and Logan’s wedding is a great example of this. You’ll have seen one another and also have a chance to talk with each other and help keep yourselves grounded before the rest of the day’s festivities begin.

6. A Chance to Say Private Vows

Going along with the idea of calming your nerves throughout your wedding day, one area of anxiety for some couples is saying their vows in front of all of their guests. For some couples, it can feel strange to say their vows to one another in front of everyone in attendance at their wedding. Your vows are meant to be personal which is where that anxiety of saying them in front of a large crowd can feel very uncomfortable to some. With a first look as part of your Hawaii wedding, you then have the option of saying your vows in private to one another like with Baylee and Tanner’s wedding.

It’s a great way to make them more personal and more meaningful without the added pressure of hundreds of eyes watching you. Of course you can still say your vows at your ceremony if you need to keep with tradition, in that case many couples do simple vows during their ceremony while saying their more personal vows during their first look.

7. Gives You Time Together

The final reason why I love first looks for my weddings in Hawaii is an important one, maybe the most important, and that’s how it gives you some time together on your wedding day. Now you might be thinking “but we’re going to be together all day, how much time do we need?” While yes, after your ceremony you’ll be together for the rest of the day, almost all of that time will be spent either with guests or taking part in the other activities of your wedding day.

There really isn’t much time on a wedding day where you’re able to just be present with one another and take it all in. Your first look is your way to do just that. It’s a time for you two to be with one another, to talk through your feelings as you head into this day, and to feel the love you share as you prepare to begin this journey through life together as a married couple.

Now that we’ve reached the end of the article you’re probably strongly considering having a first look for your wedding day in Hawaii, and I don’t blame you! It’s such a great moment and always a highlight to any wedding day that I’ll almost always recommend having one to my couples. For more wedding planning tips be sure to check out my blog page. If you’re wanting to see more of my work check out my Instagram. Finally if you’re ready to book Olson Productions for your wedding day be sure to send us an inquiry!