Wedding Lightning: First look with your guests before the ceremony
What is wedding lightning?
Wedding Lightning is a flash of an idea, a trend in weddings, or a joyful happenstance in the taking of a wedding photograph that was unanticipated.
I like to make up words/ expressions. My inspiration for doing so is the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig.
I’m not a trend-forecaster by any means, but I do like to observe and that’s helpful in spotting and naming a unique trend. I profiled my very first wedding lightning potential trend with Jaimie and Colin’s private wedding party vow reading. This one was triggered by Anna and Michael’s wedding where the couple decided to do a first look….witnessed by all of their guests before the ceremony.
The “group” first look
A wedding first look is when the couple decides to see one another before the ceremony and usually in private. It’s a special moment so that they can be the first to see each other and share the emotion of the day to come and/ or to exchange private vows, before doing so in front of their guests. One might imagine that a first look with the guests as witnesses would be the same thing as doing it during the ceremony, right? No difference?
When I first spoke with Anna, she said that ‘they’ were going to meet at the Chambly Pier, as it was a special place for her and her fiancé. The ceremony was going to take place later at City Hall. I assumed it was a first look between her and Michael. As Anna continued talking, I realized the “they” wasn’t her and Michael as a couple, but as a group - meaning family and friends to gather on the pier before walking all together the few short blocks to the City Hall.
Anna and Michael had been together a long time and had already started a family. They finally decided that they wanted to declare their love in front of friends and family and make their union official. Being at that stage in their relationship, they didn’t need or want their wedding to follow a traditional approach, and truly wanted it to be extremely personal to them. They wanted to have their group share in every moment!
Family and friends started to gather on the pier when I arrived. It was such a beautiful, clear day to be by the water! Michael arrived soon after and the atmosphere was charged with happiness and anticipation.
Anna and her father arrived - the pier became their aisle! We turned Michael around as Anna approached.
While a first look is already non-traditional, deciding to include your guests into a first look is another layer of non-tradition layered on top!
Many of my couples are down-to-earth and prefer to be part of the crowd at their wedding, rather than on display. An intimate celebration with their loved ones that’s relaxed and understated is of key importance; every detail intentional.
Where I initially thought that a first look in front of guests would be equivalent to seeing each other in front of guests at the ceremony, I was wrong! During a ceremony guests arrive and take their seats. It’s like they are watching a show unfold, as an audience or witnesses to the event. They admire and feel emotion from afar. The greeting, good wishes and outpouring of emotion come after the ceremony when couples greet their guests. Gathering around for a first look (in this case combined with a ‘walking down the aisle’) gives a sense of intimacy and allows the guests to mingle, laugh, and cry, not confined to seats. It had a casual and freeing feel from the more orchestrated feel of a ceremony and really had a sense of inclusion of the whole group.
Every wedding is unique and you never know when an element is a one-off that you’ll never witness again, or if it’s something that may catch on as couples feel increasingly comfortable in breaking tradition of what their wedding is supposed to be. We are seeing so many wonderful and new, fresh, innovative ways for two people to celebrate one another, and to bring their guests into the fold in more intimate ways. While traditional ceremonies won’t be going anywhere, and traditional elements will always have a special importance for some; for others it’s an opportunity to break all the rules.
Share your thoughts in the comments - wedding lightning?
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This couple’s Montreal wedding venue was Brasserie 701, part of the Hotel Place D’Armes in the Old Port of Montreal.
