Call it tradition or superstition, whatever you like. It's supposedly bad luck for a couple to see each other before their wedding. Nowadays however, couples are doing away with all sorts of wedding taboos. "First looks" in particular are becoming increasingly popular. Personally, I love the idea!

Here are just a few reasons why we chose a first look:

NERVES & PRIVACY

I expected to be a snotty puddle of tears and an emotional nervous wreck the day of the wedding and thought it would be much less stressful to see Dave for the first time before we walked down the aisle. Meeting up beforehand was much more intimate than in front of all of our guests, with all those eyes and cameras trained on us during the ceremony. I totally loved that this turned out to be more of a private moment for us.

While we weren't completely alone for our first look, I didn't even notice the photographer or cinematographers. It still felt private and we'll never forget it. (Nine years later, my husband still agrees.)

By the way, the ceremony was as emotional and poignant as ever in spite of us breaking this tradition. I don't think it took away anything from the ceremony, for us, or our guests. Most of our wedding guests didn’t even realize that we had already seen each other prior to our ceremony until they saw our wedding highlight video.

I hoped that having Dave around sooner rather than later would have a calming effect on me, and it totally did. He was way more emotional than I had anticipated and it totally balanced me out.

SIGNIFICANCE

Initially, we had planned to meet up outside the pub where we first met. While it made a lovely spot for our engagement photos, it wouldn't offer as much privacy on a Saturday afternoon, at the beginning of patio season, on a busy street down town. A little too much attention and car and foot traffic.

Our super-awesome-amazing-gorgeous-talented photographer Beth suggested a neat spot in the beautiful park nearby. Which still holds significance, as my brother and sister-in-law took their wedding photographs there as well. Not to mention we visit this park every Canada Day for fireworks with friends. If there's a place important to you both, why not meet there before your ceremony?

Taking those photos earlier in the day at another location separate from your ceremony or reception space can make the day run more smoothly.

LOOK YOUR BEST

By heading straight from getting ready to our first look and photo location, we were all fresh and looking our best for the pictures. It was a hot day out, humid, and even a bit of rain. So it was nice to get most of the photos done earlier on when our hair, makeup, and wardrobe was still fresh.

Photos after ceremony or even later in the day, might require some touch ups. And who knows what might happen throughout the day. If I remember correctly, Dave popped a button on his suit jacket at some point in the day.

TIMING & LOGISTICS

While the wedding day might fly by for the couple, sometimes it can drag for your guests. The time between ceremony and reception can feel especially long. We still stepped away from cocktail hour to take some more photos at our wedding venue, but we were able to cut a significant chunk out of that time by taking many of our couple and wedding party photos prior to our ceremony at the separate location.

Depending on how long your photographer would like to shoot—usually at least two hours: time for couple, the entire wedding party, and family shots—or how long it takes to get to and from your chosen photo spot, this can significantly increase the time your guests have to occupy themselves elsewhere. Or milling around at your venue waiting for the service to even begin. Alternatively, having to extend cocktail hour for the entire time you're posing for the camera so your guests will be entertained with food and beverage can be pretty costly.

If you have a large wedding party, or a very large family requiring lots of extra photo time, that increases the benefits of a first look.

I'd never seen Dave cry before!

TOGETHERNESS

Dave and I wanted to enjoy as much of the day together as possible, and with our friends in the wedding party as well. Having a first look meant we could all be together as a group for a much bigger chunk of the day. After all, our groomsmen are my friends too, and our bridesmaids are special to Dave as well.

One of the funniest moments I remember is when I had to use the bathroom shortly before the ceremony. Our wedding party suddenly went in to Secret Service mode, pretending I was the president, blocking the hallways, stopping guests, using hand signals and all the lingo. They got me to the bathroom and back, sight unseen. It really lightened the mood as I was going a bit stir crazy hiding out in the wedding suite.

If you're considering a first look and facing some opposition from family and friends, stick to your guns! Everyone was pleased that they could still be a fly-on-the-wall for the "big reveal" later on when viewing our highlight video.