- We were getting ready at Disney's Boardwalk which is my FAVORITE resort! I really wanted photos here.
- This was my 2nd marriage...my first one was a big, traditional Catholic wedding. I hated making my guests wait while we took photos. I wanted to do things the way WE decided, not what the tradition was. I rationalized if we saw each other BEFORE we got married, we'd have more time to enjoy our wedding and our guests
- I like that the moment would be intimate. The first time we saw each other that day would be in private.
At first he didn't love the idea, which didn't surprise me. To him, the idea that we wouldn't see each other for the first time walking down the aisle freaked him out. Here is an excerpt from an interview he did for Magical Day Weddings:
DWB: What was the best part of your wedding day?
Eric: Marrying my bride!!! I think it’s a tie between our First Look and our overall experience with Disney. The First Look wasn’t something I wanted at first but am so glad we did. I would recommend that to anyone!! That special moment alone with my Bride was amazing. Other than that, just the general feeling that Disney gave…that we were the most important people that day! Awesome!!
I first got the idea of a First Look when I saw Carrie and Patrick’s wedding. I loved seeing that private moment that the two of them shared and instantly mentioned it to my hubby to be. He of course said no. We both were very hesitant to break with tradition, him more so than me. This was my second marriage and I really wanted it to feel personal and intimate and tradition didn’t matter as much to me. Eric, on the other hand, had a vision that the first time he’d see me was when the doors to the Wedding Pavilion opened. Uber romantic of course!
As we continued with our wedding planning, we realized that to maximize our time during the day, a First Look made more and more sense. One thing I really hated was when a Bride and Groom spent too much time on pictures between the ceremony and reception only to arrive at the reception and spend the whole time greeting guests…no time to enjoy an event we worked so hard at planning. I showed Eric a few more First Looks (done by Roots of course) and he began to come around to the idea. It would give us more time with Roots, plus would allow us to head almost directly to the reception with our guests.
Looking back, we both couldn’t have been happier with our decision. That moment was so private and intimate…I don’t even remember Nate and Jensey being there! The photos that were taken during our first look are some of our favorites and I still remember exactly how it felt when we saw each other for the first time.
Overall it's a very personal decision but for us, the First Look was the way to go! Here are a few photos from that special moment.
