To see or not to see…

Posted in inspiration, weddings

Before the wedding? This seems to be a hot question that brides will sometimes face when working out the details and timing with their photographer and coordinator. I went the traditional route and decided to not see my husband until I walked down the aisle…we didn’t even speak to each other after 12am the night before. (haha…we took it very seriously!) However, I realize now that we could have gotten so many more photos and would have been less rushed after the ceremony if we saw each other pre-ceremony.

This makes me think about a couple I worked with back in April at Rancho Las Lomas. Aleeza and Pat decided to do the typical bride & groom, bridal party and immediate family shots pre-ceremony. Not only did this allow more time to get the photos they wanted, there was also an air of calmness with everyone…because there was no rushing. They were able to join in on the cocktail reception and spend more time with their guests, who had travelled from so far to attend the wedding.

Below is one of my favorite shots of them, taken by the amazing Amy Squires

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by simplymodernweddings

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Aleeza - I am so glad that Pat and I decided to see each other before the wedding. It allowed us to relax and really enjoy the day. We were also able to fully utilize the location and get some very beautiful photos.

Heather - My husband and I saw each other before the ceremony. I am soooooooo glad we did.

We had our meeting staged and it was just the two of us with the photographer in the distance. The day-of coordinator left me in the lobby, while she went to make sure that my future hubby was where he was supposed to be and not peeking. The 2 minutes she had me standing in the lobby were torture. Our best man walked by and asked if I was ok because I looked like I was going to pass out. ha ha!

The 3 hours we had to spare prior to the ceremony with our bridal party and close family was great. We got to relax a little bit, spend some time with them, take as many pictures as we wanted, and also have some time to come up with some creative ideas for the photos.

About 1 hour before the ceremony my soon-to-be-hubby and I split up. I was in my waiting area and he was at the bar with his boys. We still had the anticipation of seeing each other at the ceremony, and I was able to keep myself fairly composed during the ceremony and not ruin my makeup too bad.

After the ceremony, we got a brief breather with our bridal party and parents before we were announced and joined the party. It made for a very relaxed and enjoyable evening for us. I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.

James - You can beat yourself silly over this one. On one hand, you see your bride before the ceremony, and that’s it, you’ve seen her, you know what to expect, you won’t be surprised. You DO on the other hand get to take some really nice pictures when you’re not rushing. I personally liked the fact that I seen my wife for the first time during the ceremony, it was a big surprise. The anticipation and suspense just built up, all that time I was wondering what the dress looked like, what she was going to look like, it was great. As far as the “bad luck” goes, I don’t believe that seeing your future bride or groom is bad luck. If you’re marriage comes down to “bad luck”, it doesn’t have anything to do with you two seeing each other before the big moment.

simply modern weddings

To see or not to see…

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