Reasons to Consider a First Look on Your Wedding Day

Oct 6

Colton and Angelica are a special couple because he is the fourth and final sibling in his family that has hired me for their wedding. His older sister was actually my very first bride! For that, I feel eternally grateful that she believed in me. I love that they kept the tradition going and included me in theirs.

Instead of taking engagements with me, a month before their wedding we did a first look and portrait session at Pedernales Falls State Park near Dripping Springs, Texas. They love the outdoors and wanted to take their time getting all the photos they wanted while being immersed in nature. They also planned for their dog, Donte, to be very involved on the wedding day and didn’t want to feel rushed. This allowed for a relaxed environment during both ~and~ we got a variety of beautiful photos.

Reasons to Consider a First Look on Your Wedding Day | Wedding Planning Tips from Lauren Parr Photography | Austin Based Wedding Photographer

Pedernales Falls State Park

Pedernales Falls was the perfect place! It's nestled in the hill country with everything from steep hikes with 360 views to piles of rock boulders and rushing waterfalls.

They hadn't been there before and I had visited but hadn't taken pictures so it was a fun experience for all of us. My partner Ross and I took our dogs a month prior to hike and scout out the place. We found a great spot right on the water that wasn’t too hard to hike to.

On the day of their session, Colton, Angelica and her sister Autumn met us at our house, we piled into my car and made a road trip out of it! I loved that Ross was able to assist me because he lead Colton to the photo shoot location and then waited with him while I lead Angelica in with her sister for the first look.

Other reasons to do a first look (on the wedding day):

Allows you to spend quiet time together before the ceremony, calms your nerves and helps you to relax.
You’re able to knock out a lot of the photos before the ceremony (though this will bump up the time you have to be ready). It may also allow you to join your own cocktail hour, which has been popular with some of my couples lately.
Depending on your ceremony time and the sunset, a first look may be necessary for your dream photos. For ex: if you get married in the winter and the sun sets earlier.

I will never pressure anyone to do something on their wedding day that doesn't feel fit for them but I will always give you the information to educate you on the experience. When deciding whether to do something like a first look it's important to reflect on who you are as a couple and what is most important to you on your wedding day and how you want it to feel. They knew they wanted to take their time and relax and I'm so glad we are able to honor that and create some epic photos.