Wedding Ceremony at Venue/ First Look before Ceremony!!

joselleandmike2016 Posted: Nov 17, 2014 09:15 PM

Wedding Ceremony at Venue/ First Look before Ceremony!!

Hello 2016 Brides!!

My fiance and I are getting married on 9/4/2016 at Mediterranean Manor! We are both Catholic however, we decided to get married at our venue. Within the past couple of years, Mediterranean Manor has added a beautiful Rose Garden and it almost looks like you are at a destination wedding. Is anyone else getting married that is Catholic outside of the church? I just wanted to have a different, non-traditional wedding but still believe in every aspect of getting married as a Catholic!! I have read on different sites that getting married outside of the church is said to be an invalid marriage. So I am a little uncomfortable with that since I am a Catholic. But, we both decided that we wanted to exchange our vows outside of the beautiful Mediterranean Manor.

By getting married at the venue comes the question of photography? I believe in waiting for my Fiance to see me FIRST as I walk down the aisle and then we can take pictures together for the first time as husband & wife. However, there is a limited amount of time to take pictures this way because there is no time between our ceremony and reception. Therefore, our venue said to come 1 and 1/2 hours earlier to start taking pictures of the bride and groom, family, bridal party, etc. That is when the the first look will occur. So my fiance will see me for the first time tapping him on the shoulder prior to the ceremony. What do my fellow brides think about the first look shot? Would you see your fiance before the ceremony or as you walk down the aisle?

Sorry if this is a bit confusing lol

Onefinedayy Posted: Nov 17, 2014 09:34 PM

Wedding Ceremony at Venue/ First Look before Ceremony!!

We are getting married at our venue as well, and we will be doing first look photos before the ceremony. In my opinion even if you see each other beforehand to have it all captured, there is nothing that will replace the way he feels when he sees you coming down the aisle.

joselleandmike2016 Posted: Nov 17, 2014 09:58 PM

Re: Wedding Ceremony at Venue/ First Look before Ceremony!!

Posted by Onefinedayy

We are getting married at our venue as well, and we will be doing first look photos before the ceremony. In my opinion even if you see each other beforehand to have it all captured, there is nothing that will replace the way he feels when he sees you coming down the aisle.

Well Said!! :) Congratulations on your engagement

joselleandmike2016 Posted: Nov 17, 2014 10:01 PM

Wedding Ceremony at Venue/ First Look before Ceremony!!

I think the first look is a cute idea and I honestly think it will become a new wedding trend!!

kellynicole91 Posted: Nov 18, 2014 07:37 AM

Wedding Ceremony at Venue/ First Look before Ceremony!!

We're both Catholic as well (although we're not religious) so we are getting married at our venue. We're also doing a first look! I was completely against it when we first started getting engaged but as I started thinking more about it, I realized it was the best idea to get all the photos we want without rushing during cocktail hour and I'll get to enjoy most of cocktail hour and attempt to greet all my guests during that time so we don't have to do it during the reception.

As was said above, he will still have that feeling when you walk down the aisle even if he already saw you before.

Vimaheri Posted: Nov 18, 2014 07:58 AM

Wedding Ceremony at Venue/ First Look before Ceremony!!

We are getting married at our venue because we are not religious and we just love the ceremony space. I am a very logical person so I know that it makes the most sense to do pictures before the ceremony to have the most time during cocktail hour but I just can't do it! I have watched a bunch of videos of the 'First Look' and I just never get the same feeling as when the first time seeing each other is walking down the aisle. So as of right now I am thinking that we will take as many pictures as possible before hand, like my mom and I, my MOH and I, Bridesmaids, Groom and Dad, Groom and Mom, etc. Hopefully our photographer will have some ideas on how to make this work; we are meeting with a prospective photographer tonight.

killerqueen Posted: Nov 18, 2014 12:39 PM

Wedding Ceremony at Venue/ First Look before Ceremony!!

Crashing!

We're having our ceremony at the venue and are still debating whether or not to do a first look. I think they're cute but then there is just something about having the first time he sees you be when you walk down the aisle.

I'm leaning more toward what Vimaheri is doing - having separate bridal party and family pictures done beforehand (with lots of coordination done by the staff to make sure our paths dont cross) and then pictures of us together after. This way a big chunk of pics are taken care of before, so you'll still be able to get to some of your cocktail hour.

xoxlilqtexox1 Posted: Nov 18, 2014 02:55 PM

Wedding Ceremony at Venue/ First Look before Ceremony!!

We are getting married at the venue and doing a first look as well. I do agree there is something nice about him seeing you for the first time coming down the aisle but its all preference and what you feel is best for you. I am a picture person and I know I will be upset if I don't get all the photos. I also like the idea of the private moment to take it all in before the ceremony and I want to go to my cocktail hour! lol

kaselyn Posted: Nov 19, 2014 10:10 AM

Wedding Ceremony at Venue/ First Look before Ceremony!!

FH and I are both pretty traditional. This was something we struggled with as well, because I wanted that moment where he see's me to be captured like all the pinterest posts you see.

The reality was that we either had photos taken before the ceremony during the daylight hours, or we had our ceremony 5 hours before our reception. The first option was more practical and considerate for our guests, and I didn't want to feel rushed.

We are doing photos before ceremony, ceremony at 6pm, CH starting at 8pm. It was the only compromise we really struggled with so far because of tradition, but I want my photos (which will last forever!) and one hour in darkness (CH) would not have been enough.