The First Look
Five quiet minutes, no crowd, no direction beyond turning around. The most honest reaction most couples get all day.
A first look is simply the two of you seeing each other before the ceremony, away from guests, on your own terms. Nobody has to have one. Plenty of couples still choose the aisle for that reveal, and that's exactly as it should be. But if you'd rather have five unscripted minutes together before the day gets busy, this is where they happen.
I don't direct a first look. I ask you to find a quiet corner, I step back with a long lens, and I let whatever happens, happen. Most of the time that's a laugh, a long hug, and a few tears nobody was expecting. It's usually the most honest reaction of the entire day, precisely because there's no aisle full of people watching it happen.
Both The Unscripted and Classic Coverage include a first look if you want one, it costs nothing extra and it doesn't need much planning. If you haven't settled on a venue yet, my Top Five Cambridgeshire venues guide flags which of my favourite spots have a genuinely private corner for this. And once you know you want one, it pairs naturally with a short portrait session straight after, while the light and the mood are both still on your side.
About the first look
What exactly is a first look?
It's a planned, private moment where you and your partner see each other for the first time on the day, before the ceremony, away from guests. I photograph the reaction, not a pose.
Do we have to do one?
No. Some couples want to save that moment for the aisle instead, and I photograph that just as carefully. It's entirely your call, not something I push either way.
Where does it usually happen?
Wherever your venue has a quiet corner, a garden, a doorway, a staircase. I'll walk the venue with you beforehand and suggest a spot that keeps you both out of sight of early guests.
How long does it take?
Ten to fifteen minutes including a handful of portraits straight afterwards, while you're both still in the moment and the nerves have settled.
Will it ruin the surprise of walking down the aisle?
It changes the surprise rather than removing it. You still get an aisle moment, it's just calmer, because the biggest nerves have already been spent in private.
Can family or the wedding party be there too?
The first look itself is just the two of you. Plenty of couples then bring parents or the wedding party in for a few extra minutes straight after, which works well if you want those reactions photographed too.
Let's talk about your day
Tell me your date and how you want your wedding photographed, and I'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.
Get in touch