Should I do a First Look?

If you are traditional and have dreamed since you were a little girl of the moment your future husband sees you while entering the church, then stick with your dream, and don’t be pressured by anyone into doing a first look.

If you are still reading, I’m guessing you at least humoring the notion of doing a first look.  So I’ll just go right into the benefits.

1.  You will have more time for portraits.  When brides choose to do a first look, I start by spending 10 minutes just capturing your first moments together, on your wedding day.  Then we move on to couples portraits.  Next I’ll take portraits of each of you.  Then we can add in your wedding party.  It gives a lot more time for creativity and getting photographs in different settings.

2.  You will have more time with your family and friends.  After your ceremony, the only posed photos we will need to take are of your family groupings.  Depending on the size of your family and how many different groups you choose, we should be able to do this in 15-30 minutes.  This means you get go to cocktail hour!

3.  You will have more photos of his reaction to seeing you in your wedding dress for the first time.  I can discreetly be right next to you two during a first look, and capture all of his expressions.

4.  We can still make it special.  We can choose a location, and have him turn around just at the moment you approach.  Other times, I’ve had the bridal party stay in front of the bride and then clear for the groom to see her.  Most brides choose to have it be just you and him, for a special moment together.

5.  It can lead to a more relaxing day.  From less schedule stress, to having your nerves calmed by being together alone first, it seems doing a first look always puts couples in a more relaxed state of mind.

As I said though, if you don’t want to do a first look, then don’t.  For some brides, they want the traditional moment in the aisle, and I completely get that!

Here is a favorite of the bride approaching her soon to be husband.

We moved with 3 weeks notice, so I had no time to build relationships or my business here.  I arrived in January with nothing on my books and only knowing a handful of names of other photographers.  When I started to reach out, everyone volunteered information about what the business was like in the DC area, and really accepted me in, with any hesitation of new competition.

Thanks to shared referrals from other photographers, and lots of networking, I wrapped up my season this year, having shot 20 weddings in the DC area!  I’ve also made some great new friends, met wonderful couples, and gotten to see lots of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC wedding venues.

Below are some highlights from 2011.  A special thanks to the wedding photographers that invited me to photograph with them, Leo Druker, Heather Bee, Ayesha Ahmed, Stephen Gosling, Hadar Goren, Sam Hurd, Astrid, and Jen Smith!

Thanks to all my awesome clients as well!

A few quick credits…

Ritzy Bee Events

Holly Chapple Floral

Love Point at Kent Island

Eric Scott Band

Uptown Catering

From talking to brides, it seems the news of Love Point is spreading fast.  Vanessa and Rob’s wedding is one of the first at this new wedding venue, just about 20 minutes past Annapolis.  The venue is beachy and elegant at the same time!  It’s view of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is just breathtaking.

I met Vanessa and Rob just a few hours before the wedding.  Jen introduced me to the bride as she was getting ready in a suite at the Sheraton in Annapolis with her sister, mom and all the bridesmaids.  There is something special about the chaos of all the ladies together!  The couple is so sweet and seemed super in love.  This wedding was filled with big smiles, families laughing, delicious food, and lots of dancing!

It’s end of peak wedding season, so I’m thinking about albums.  With moving to Washington DC last year, I never even ordered a 2010 wedding album sample, something I usually do every year.  So I think that means I get two new ones this year, right?  I’m eyeing the gorgeous handmade albums from Red Tree for a new flushmount… just ordered paper samples!!!  My Kiss ones are great but I want something with a few more options.  Red Tree  has cameo’s and personal printing on the cover.  Best of all, Japanese silk or luxurious leather covers.

I’m also thinking about less fun things, my books… taxes, records, all that non-creative stuff that I must do as a business owner.  Yes, that is all I have to say about that.

Back to fun, marketing goodness: more updates to my blogsite, a new 2012 / 2013 weddings brochure.  This is the area of the business that could put me into the red if I’m not careful.  Okay, not really but I’m a sucker for printed books and pretty papers and designing and re-designing things.

Even more fun, I’ve been spending time meeting with brides!  Coffee, frozen yogurt, a glass of wine.  It’s so fun to get out and just hear about everyone’s wedding plans, and your stories.

Personally, I’m moving to a new home, just a mile away.  It’s won’t affect my business in anyway, except for having a better office, but it’s keeping me busy.  In fact, I’m about to sign off from work for the next 36 hours and dive into a pile of boxes, which are unfortunately mostly still empty!

A photo for fun.  I love the beach, so this image relaxes me.  It’s looking out at the Chesapeake Bay from Love Point at Kent Island.

I crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge for the first time on my way to Love Point.

I don’t like driving on bridges very much, and as most of you probably know, this one is very long.  The view though… I wanted to just pull over and watch the sailboats.  When I got onto Kent Island in Stevensville, Maryland, I followed my gps directions.  I instantly felt the relaxation of the beach, driving down the quiet streets.  My gps led me to the intersection of Love Point Road and Old Love Point Road.  There was no mansion or wedding venue in sight.

Luckily, there was a small country store.  They noticed me pull up and came out to my car.  I guess I was sitting in it fidgeting with my gps for a bit too long.  I got out and was greeted by a very nice woman.  At first she had no idea about a place for weddings.  Then I told her about how it was a private home and just sold, and she knew the story.  Gotta love small towns!  She said she was pretty sure of the street but went to ask someone else.  Another lady came out and told me which way to go, and to be sure to follow the road as it winded around, not to turn off anywhere. She told me to look for the biggest house at the end.

A few minutes later I found the street and followed it towards the water.  Suddenly a deer was stopped in front of my car staring me in the eyes.  I had braked instinctively before I even realized what was happening, and think I missed him by about 2 inches.  He seemed to realize it too by the look he gave me.  I looked around and saw I was driving through corn fields on both sides of me.

Shaken, I slowly proceeded and easily spotted this beautiful mansion.  The front has a pull through driveway, with an open field backing to a row of tall trees and another field filled with tall corn stalks.  Walking into the stately entrance, the room opens to a view of the Chesapeake Bay.  As you walk through the great room, you see a massive round balcony, bigger than the yards in most suburban homes.  The balcony has a view of the bay and the Bay Bridge.

Stairs proceed down on both side.  They bring you to a covered area under the balcony, and acres of waterfront land.  This wedding had the ceremony setup near the water, and a huge elegant tent on the other side of the grounds.  There is a little sandy beach area, complete with adirondeck chairs, and a pier to walk out further on the water.

I will share photos soon!  In the meantime, check out their website.  (It is actually  even more impressive than it looks online too!)  It’s an amazing venue combining the best of nature and the elegance of DC, less than 30 minutes from Annapolis, and right around an hour from DC or Baltimore.

Check out my photo on WPJA’s website, and lots of amazing other wedding photos too!

This wedding exit was like nothing I have ever seen before.

The bride, Bismah, not even 21, was saying goodbye to her twin sister and leaving her parents home for the first time, to start her new married life. Family and friends gathered tightly around her. All proceeded quickly and together towards the car. It was dark outside. The energy was high. It was difficult to stay close with the crowd. The limo pulled up. The bride hugged her family. She tightly embraced her sister and shared private words. The tears fell. The excited grew. Then simmered, as the new husband and wife pulled away.