Here is the other side of the story! Funny, I never thought about the fact that guys might worry about getting all emotional in front of all those people. Hmmmm. Interesting!
From the Groom's Perspective:
Wow. Just the thought of the first look brings back all of those memories of feeling anxious, nervous and just an emotional ride. This advice is for the upcoming brides and grooms nearing the big day. I really do highly recommend a first look Before the wedding ceremony just so that you two can share that moment with each other in privacy, along with your photographers which will be hidden the entire time as to give the effect of being alone.
You have way too much to worry about the final days leading up to your marriage to worry about losing it down the aisle. A first look gives you the opportunity to calm each other down, releave some of the emotions that have been building up and to have some quality alone time just before the vows are exchanged. If you cry, no big deal. If anything, you want to cry that way you are with the person you love, and not in front of your entire family sobbing like a child. You have time to collect yourself, breathe and embrace with one another.
This is your day, you can do whatever you want. I know seeing each other goes against tradition, but who cares. Have fun, enjoy, and just hang on because it will be a ride, a loving emotional one.That was one of our best and easiest decisions to make on our day; because of the emotionality of the first look in the garden, anyone who would have been there would have cried - including our two photographers, myself, Audrey, and surprisingly Denna.
See each other before, you will never regret it after the fact.
Thanks Ethan for your comments, I really appreciate the view from the guy side!
1 comment:
Love the blog; I'm a MOH for a future Aberdeen bride, and we both love reading the posts and brainstorming about her reception. However, I just thought your recent string of pro-First Look posts might need a bit of balance.
The tradition of waiting until the ceremony to see one another might seem empty and antiquated, but it is actually rich with Christian theology and symbolism. Scripture associates the relationship of Christ and the church to the sacrament of marriage. Revelation 21:2 talks about the new Jerulsalem "prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." Read in the context of the book, Christians have historically understood this section to symbolize the time when the current world will end, suffering and pain will cease, and believers/the church (the bride) will come to live in eternal union with Christ (the bridegroom). Therefore, the moment when the husband first looks on his bride during the ceremony represents the intense love Christ has for his flock, and the joy of the bride as she gazes at her bridegroom reminds us of the joy we will feel when we join Christ in his Kingdom.
It is also important to note that many Christians see the wedding as a communal event. While the ceremony is obviously incredibly significant for the couple, it is also important for the attendees. Again, the participants get to witness a great symbol of God's love for his children, but they also are there to pray for the couple, to serve as witnesses to the vows, and in some cases, when the liturgy calls for it, to promise to aid the couple in keeping those vows. Since the community aspect is so important, many couples feel that it is also important to share that "First Look" with them. In those cases, the attendees are offered small glimpse into the mystical union we all might someday share with our Maker.
So there you go. I don't mean to suggest that it is sinful and wrong to do the First Look before the ceremony- I just wanted to give a little insight into where some brides are coming from. For many of us, that moment outweighs any inconvenience or smudged makeup in pictures- there's beauty in imperfection, too! We don't keep tradition because "everyone else is doing it," but rather because it has a very deep and powerful meaning. That first look I shared with my husband was sooo amazing- it was beautiful to not only see his loving face, but to see a church-ful of my brothers and sisters in Christ sharing that moment with us. I wouldn't have done anything differently.... well, maybe I would've had the reception at Aberdeen ;). Thanks for reading, and thanks for providing such an amazing service.
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