First Look Photography

As we head into our slower winter season, I will be inviting a few local wedding specialists to guest blog for me. They will offer their viewpoints on how to make your wedding as beautiful and stress-free as possible.

My first guest blogger is Matt Mason of Matt Mason Photography. He's been shooting weddings for several years now and was the first person to tell me about "first look" photography. I am a HUGE fan of this, mostly because it frees up the bride and groom to enjoy their cocktail hour and reception. Below is Matt's take on the benefits of a first look with my comments in italics.

Beautiful, timeless, romantic, fun, exciting, precious, emotional, anticipation, tradition, memorable. These are all words to describe weddings. However, some people attach other words: Stressful, nerve wracking, busy, pressure, appearances, expectations, superstitions.
One of the more stressful parts of the happy couple’s day centers around not seeing each other before the ceremony. Tradition dictates that the groom waits too see his bride until the moment when the beautiful bride in all her glory walks down the aisle. This is a splendid moment full of emotion. There is no doubt, as a photographer, that this is a very exciting moment to capture.

But this article is about the “First Look.” This is a trend in weddings that I am seeing more and more and quite honestly I am trying to be the trend setter in the Midwest for many reasons.

Let me explain what the First Look is all about. This is a special moment when the groom is able to see the bride for the first time before the ceremony. I usually like to position the groom looking away out over a field, or at the end of pier, or even by a beautiful old oak tree. I like to “tell the story” by capturing photos of the bride approaching the groom and then to see both of their expressions as they see each other for the first time simultaneously. It is a wonderful and precious moment. For Courtney and Elmer's wedding on September 4, Matt even put a microphone on Elmer so that the moment was captured on video and they will always remember their first words to each other on their wedding day.

As I describe this special event to brides and grooms this isn’t a replacement to the walking down the aisle photo but actually in addition to that moment. So in essence you are adding to the day by getting a second special look instead of replacing it.


Benefits to a well planned first look:
Add another memorable moment to your day
Takes pressure off a busy day
Enjoy a few minutes to yourselves in a day where everyone is vying for your attention It really is more intimate and special when it's just the two of you.
Your photographer is able capture dozens or even hundreds more beautiful photos with the extra time now available Imagine the difference in photos if you're not all rushed to get through them so you can join your guests at the cocktail hour.
You will be able to enjoy more of your cocktail hour/reception If you have your ceremony on site and want to attend the cocktail hour, you almost HAVE to do a first look.
Spend more time with your family and guests by getting all the most important photos done before the ceremony

Negatives of doing a first look:
Superstition
Change from tradition
Disappoint parents with expectations

Decades ago when our parents got married, their ceremonies were early in the day so not seeing each other until the ceremony wasn't a big deal. With prime time in our gazebo being 4-6pm, that means you will basically be "hiding" from each other for the bulk of your wedding day. Do any of the negatives listed above justify sticking with this tradition even though it will take away from your overall enjoyment of your reception? Ask yourself that before you dismiss the idea of a first look.

How many times have you heard brides say that the evening went by "so fast?" First Look Photography allows couples to make the most of those few hours with all their friends and family surrounding them. I would strongly encourage all brides-to-be to seriously consider adding a first look photo to their wedding day timeline.

Real Wedding - November 27, 2010

Michelle and Jarrett got married at The Abbey on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We didn't have snow at that time, but they did brave some pretty cold temps to get these beautiful outdoor shots prior to the ceremony...

All images courtesy of Alyssa Miserendino Photography.

In lieu of a traditional pillow their adorable ring bearer carried this dish down the aisle, which will be the one they put their wedding rings in when they're not wearing them. I love this idea!

(In case you can't read the words, it says "To Have & To Hold")

I told Michelle about a hundred times that their tasting was one of the most fun afternoons at work I've ever had! It was just her, Jarrett and Michelle's dad and they had me doubled over with laughter almost the whole time. Here's a picture of Michelle and her dad coming down the aisle where you can just tell how funny they both are. I love that their smiles almost match!

That's Marcia officiating Michelle and Jarrett's ceremony. I hadn't had Marcia conduct one of my ceremonies in some time and having her here that weekend made me remember why we always recommend her. She makes the ceremony completely personalized for the bride and groom and is such a calm, peaceful presence to have here on a wedding day.

After the ceremony in the Sandbar, guests went up to the Ballroom Foyer for cocktails and then into the Harbor Ballroom for dinner. There were about 130 guests, so we only used 3 sections of the ballroom and put the dance floor up near the windows.

Floral (and those trees!) provided by Renee at Frontier Flowers of Fontana.

I love these pictures from the reception. Thank you to Alyssa Miserendino for sending them over. Alyssa was so sweet to work with and I think she did a wonderful job capturing the "organic" feeling Michelle and Jarrett were going for with their wedding.

One more thing to note: As cool as I always thought Michelle was, she became even cooler on her wedding day when she told me she was donating her GORGEOUS wedding dress and shoes to an organization that provides bridal gowns to military brides. I'm not sure of the exact organization she's donating hers to, but you can read more about this cause here.

Congratulations to Michelle and Jarrett!

At The Lake

There's a great article in the new issue of At The Lake magazine for all the brides dreaming of a Lake Geneva area wedding. You can read it here. (And keep an eye out for some quotes from yours truly! )

Real Wedding - August 14, 2010

I know I'm reeeeeeally late with this one, but it took awhile to get the pictures of Lacy and Alan's wedding from back in August. Remember this post? Well after spending several hours outside in their bathrobes, Lacy and Alan were able to get back into their rooms and fixed up for their beautiful summer wedding....

Lacy is the only bride I've had so far who's been brave enough to make her grand entrance from the 2nd floor - so dramatic! She met her father at the base of the steps and then proceeded down the aisle toward the Harbor Gazebo.

Full disclosure: Lacy did a "dry run" down the stairs in her shoes a few weeks before, just so she'd feel more confident that her entrance wouldn't be THAT dramatic!

The reception was in the Tent and she did a great job working out the colors and lighting. She did a mix of two different shades of blue for both the accent linens and the paper lanterns hung from the ceiling.

Alan, being from England, needed to have a proper traditional English wedding cake. (This was a supplement to the larger American wedding cake.) Inside, it was similar to a fruitcake, but we affectionately called this the "boozecake" because it was marinated in brandy for several weeks prior to the wedding. They also had English truffles on the dessert table, which was the first thing Alan asked me about when I saw them during the fire: "Are the truffles ok?" I thought that was so funny!

Photobooths are so fun! This one was provided by MiPhotoBooth.

All images courtesy of Dean Thorsen Photography.

Congratulations to Alan and Lacy, one of the most fun couples I've ever had the pleasure of working with!

Real Wedding - October 9, 2010

Jacque and Niko got married in Greece this past summer but planned a reception at The Abbey to be held on a beautiful fall day. It just doesn't get any better!

After cocktails on the Waterfront Patio, guests headed into the Harbor Ballroom for an elaborate buffet dinner.

The gorgeous floral was provided by our favorite florist, Renee. She always does such a beautiful job!

All images courtesy of Ideal Impressions.

As you can see, it was a great party! Congrats to Jacque and Niko!

Real Wedding - October 10, 2010

Michelle and Jim got married on the PERFECT day: 10-10-2010. Their wedding was unconventional, yes, but infused with so much personality I challenge you to NOT want to see more....

A traditional ceremony in our gazebo, but not exactly your traditional bridal gown.

First look at the end of the pier...you can tell how much he loves her in that dress!

I love that the photographer captured the essence of this couple, don't you? And he also captured the emotion....

Congratulations to Michelle and Jim and best wishes for many fun-filled years together!

All images courtesy of Matt Mason Photography.

Ceremony Timing

We get a lot of questions about timing so I figured a blog post (or two) on the subject might be helpful.

"Prime Time" for ceremonies in our Gazebo is the early evening hours so that guests can go straight to cocktails and then dinner without a gap in between functions. We block one hour in the gazebo and actual ceremonies usually only last about 20-25 minutes. So if you block the gazebo beginning at 4pm, this is how that hour looks:

4pm: Start your music. This is the time you have listed on the wedding invitations, so guests should be arriving a bit before and, invariably, some will come a few minutes late.

4:10pm: Bridal procession starts.

4:40pm: Recessional. Guests will be directed by the officiant to the cocktail area and leaves about 20 minutes for pictures in the Gazebo.

If the bride and groom have done pictures prior to the ceremony, they should be able to wrap up the family pictures fairly quickly and join the reception in plenty of time to enjoy themselves.

I'll leave you with a great shot from Courtney and Elmer's wedding here on September 4th. Courtney wanted to make sure she had a picture of every single person at their wedding, so Matt got up on the balcony and this was the result. Great idea, Courtney!

Rain Back Up

We always have to have a back-up plan in case of rain. We've pulled more wedding ceremonies this season than any since I started here in 2008, but of 40+ weddings so far we've only pulled 4 so that's still pretty good.

This past weekend we had FOUR weddings on Saturday (and two on Friday, but who's counting?) and we had to pull the earliest one inside. The weather was still iffy from the morning storms when we started to set up and with the ground soggy and the temps in the low 60's, we decided the guests would be a lot more comfortable sitting in the Harbor Ballroom with a lovely view of the lake. Here are a couple of pictures...

It's definitely not my favorite thing to have to tell a bride we're pulling in her ceremony, but unfortunately this is Wisconsin so there's always a chance of that happening. For brides who are NOT ok with the possibility, I suggest they get married in a church. Thankfully the bride this weekend was very gracious and everything went well in the end.