The Father/Daughter First Look on Your Wedding Day
You may have already read how doing a first look with your fiancé is a beautiful way to enjoy your day. But have you heard about doing a father/daughter first look? I’ve been seeing more and more couples include this in their day, and it’s always the sweetest.
What is it?
A father/daughter first look typically happens right after you finish getting ready. It’s the first time he sees you all dressed up, and it can be a really sweet, emotional moment.
Bonus tip: this doesn’t have to only be between a father/daughter! You can do a first look with anyone in your family or life who holds special meaning to you. Sometimes it will be with both parents, a sibling or your whole immediate family. Setting aside a few minutes with those special people in your life can be so beautiful, and I’m always happy to add it into the timeline!
Where does it happen?
This depends a little on your venue. In general, I try to keep this first look relatively close to your getting ready location, or as soon as we arrive at the venue if photos are starting there. That way it’s a seamless, organic moment that doesn’t take much staging.
What can I expect?
There are usually two ways this is set-up, depending on your venue and timeline.
- You wait in a room or specific spot, and your dad/special person walks in when we tell them to. I give you two a minute to soak it all in!
- Your dad/special person is in a specific spot, and you walk into the room or walk up to them. Similar to a regular first look, you can either tell him/her to turn around, or you can walk up and tap him/her on the shoulder.
Both ways are so sweet, and usually the only reason I pick one over the other is due to logistics at that specific venue. And as I mentioned before, I love keeping this moment as natural as possible. The only staging I do is putting you in pretty light and making sure he/she doesn’t accidentally turn around and see you before I’m ready (and the videographer if you have one!)
How do I build this into the timeline?
Let your photographer and planner know you’re going to add a first look with someone special so they can add it to the timeline. Usually it only takes 5-10 minutes, but it’s nice to have a line on the timeline so we can make sure everyone is ready for it.
Any other tips?
I recommend letting your special person know where to be at what time. Emphasize that he/she should be fully ready at this time, since there will be photos! It can also be helpful to have a family ready to go get him if he or she is in a different room.
Looking for more wedding planning advice?
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