I hear from alot of past brides that they wished they had taken photos before the ceremony so that they could enjoy their cocktail hour and reception with guests.
I am trying to decide if I want to do it before my ceremony but I am worried that it will ruin the moment of walking down the aisle.
For anyone who is already married, did you choose to see you groom before the ceremony and if so, did you regret it?
For those getting married what are you choosing to do?
DeeDee1013
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Re: Pics before or after ceremony
Our wedding ceremony was at 11AM. The cocktail hour started at 1PM. So, we had time to take pictures at a park on the way to the reception hall.
The bridal party was in a separate room during the cocktail hour. Food was brought to us.
I'm glad that I didn't see my DH before the ceremony. In the Rolls Royce from the Church to the park, he said to me 'when I saw you walking down the aisle, you just blew me away'! That comment made me feel SO good.
NC1011
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Re: Pics before or after ceremony
I think that every bride has that one special thing that they always dreamed about for their wedding day....be it flowers, pictures......whatever it is......there is always that one thing you are not willing to sacrifice. For me, it's that image of FH's face seeing me for the first time walking down the aisle. Lots of people say that it is much easier to get it done with so that you dont rush and you can enjoy cocktail hour, but I made sure to plan my whole day around this one particular thing. I told my photographer how important it was to me and we worked out a schedule and he assured me that we would definitely get all of our shots and make it to at least 45 mins of the cocktail hour( or hour and a half in our case). It really all depends on how you feel about it. My FSIL was hell bent on taking pictures at three different locations, so we had no choice but to do pictures before, but that is what was most important to her. It's a matter of personal preference.
AllyDrew1108
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Re: Pics before or after ceremony
I can't decide. I think we're doing it after the ceremony, but FH really wants his cocktail hour. Though most of my wishes are to NOT see each other before the ceremony - I also have the issue of a super early ceremony - 11:30! If we do pix beforehand, we'll have to be there so early.
PegaLega
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Re: Pics before or after ceremony
We did our pic after the ceremony, we booked OWG for the 1 1/2 hours they alot, we also did pics outside the church. I dont think you lose anything by doing them after the ceremony, I think its more that brides feel rushes b/c it kind of is. We were able to enjoy our reception without many interuptions, I think we stopped to do pics outside and int he lobby and took all of 15 minutes. No big deal. I wanted to wait and for DH and I to see each other when my dad walked me downt he aisle. many brides that have seen their FHs before the ceremony have said that you still get that wonderful feeling when you walk anyway, so do what you want to do
HamptonsBride
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Re: Pics before or after ceremony
I always wanted that 'look down the aisle' moment...but ended up scrapping it and took pics before....sooooo glad we did, because it gave us time to relax & take pics and not miss a moment of our reception...and to be honest...i don't remember walking down the aisle!! It's all a big blur...and i don't even remember if i looked at DH or not!
BoxOfRocks
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Re: Pics before or after ceremony
We had pictures taken before the ceremony and were glad we did. We didn't end up socializing the entire time--we ended up taking some group photos during the cocktail hour--but we were able to spend some time talking with guests and privately in the bridal suite. Overall, it helped the day be a bit more relaxed.
imas98
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Re: Pics before or after ceremony
MrsG2007
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Re: Pics before or after ceremony
We took pictures before the ceremony......and I chose to see him before the wedding....since the ceremony was at the reception hall...I waited at the bridal suite while all the guest came in...so no one saw me before the ceremony...so there was still an element of surprise...There are advantages to taking pictures before the ceremony...one thing is for sure...we were able to enjoy our reception without having to go to take pictures and miss the fun...
It really depends if want your dh to see you for the first time at the ceremony.....if you don't mind him seeing you before..definately take your pictures before the ceremony...
