Orlando Wedding Photographer

3 Reasons You Should Do A First Look

There are many reasons to do a first look with your significant other before your ceremony. I am an Orlando wedding photographer and about 70% of my couples opt to do a first look. I’m going to give you 3 reasons why you should do a First Look.

Disney Wedding - Bride and Groom First Look - Orlando Florida

Emotion is a big theme on a wedding day and your first look is no exception. Some of my favorite photos are from first looks, and I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve definitely cried at a couple of them. It’s all of the emotion from your relationship built up to an epic and beautiful moment. A moment you’ll remember for the rest of your lives. Imagine it, you are walking up to your fiance after a long time of planning, and you whisper a cute inside joke in his ear that only you and your significant other understand. They turn around and Insert a fantastic reaction here. I’m crying just thinking about it. This shit gets heavy! As a wedding photographer who’s been at this for years and has chosen to do a first look at his own wedding, the emotional aspect is not lost when your love comes down the aisle.


I loved having a first look because it gave me and my husband some time to relax before the ceremony. It was such a special moment together. We had time to take pictures together beforehand so after the ceremony we could get to the party as soon as possible.
— Kylie

Time is another reason I always recommend doing a first look. As much as we all wish this special day would last forever, it moves by pretty quickly. The first look allows more time for family photos, bridal and groom portraits, as well as the two of you together. Time also helps with relaxing and taking some breathers during the day, the more time we have, the more you both get to enjoy the special moments. I try to give my couples a little bit of time after the first look to just enjoy each other’s company.

Howey Mansion First Look - Orlando Wedding Photographer

I got a reaction that I never imagined. I was shocked when he turned around, happily shouted, and acted like a giddy little kid. It was the best feeling, seeing that kind of excitement. We would have missed out on such a genuine, fun reaction had we waited until the ceremony. The first look took a lot of nerves and stress away from the wedding itself. It was such a fun and raw moment that we had no idea we needed.
— Abbie

Bella Collina - Orlando Wedding Photographer - First Look

The third reason you should do a First Look is for your cocktail hour! You paid a lot of hard-earned money to be able to enjoy your wedding day to the fullest, believe me, cocktail hour has some amazing hors d'oeuvres that you do not want to miss. Being able to take all of the family photos and your portraits beforehand allows you the time to enjoy your guests and those delicious. Also, your guests love you and want to be able to see and congratulate you on this momentous occasion.


Bonus Reason! Calming the nerves. From experience, I felt a sense of relief and overall warmth when I saw my bride during our First Look. Damn did she look stunning!

I hope these reasons are able to help you on your planning journey. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Happy Planning!

4 Tips To Help Choose A Wedding Photographer

Here are 4 tips to help you choose a wedding photographer

I’ve seen online that lot of brides and grooms-to-be have been asking how to choose a wedding photographer. I’ve come up with 4 simple tips to help you choose who would make a great fit.

  1. Personality - You’re going to be with your photographer more than you are going to be with anyone else that day, even your soon to be significant other. Sorry, you’re stuck with us :P We’ll be photographing from the beginning of the day until the very end and you want to be sure that you have someone there that keeps calm, stays professional, and enjoys the day. I always recommend having conversations and meetups beforehand so you can get to know our personality as well as who we are as a professional. Communication is a big factor in the client | Photographer relationship. Also, engagement sessions are a huge plus, you get gorgeous photos and you can see if you mesh with your photographer before the big day and see how they work! Check out this blog post for more information > Why Do Photographers Recommend Engagement Sessions. <

  2. Style - Every photographer has their own style of photography and editing so you’ll have to do your research in regards to what you prefer. The styles range from cinematic, romantic, photojournalistic, light and airy, documentary, dark and moody, etc. I like to describe my style as being vibrant, photojournalist, impactful, and fun.

  3. Experience - Time for more research! Isn’t that exciting! At least you have a lot of resources to help you. I love the internet. Experience is going to differ depending on the type of person you hire to be your photographer. Less expensive options might not be as attentive during the time leading up to the wedding, they may offer less communication. More expensive options could offer printed, tangible heirlooms so you have something you can pass down to your children. Find out what the experience is going to be like when you have your initial conversations with your photographer. See if they have that energy you’re looking for. It all comes down to what you value.

  4. Portfolio - This is going to be the fun part! Scour the interwebs and find all the profiles you love. I say ‘love’ because you want to love your wedding photos. The best way I found to do this is in a Google Sheet or a tool like that so you can come back to it later. Check their portfolio images but also see an album. A lot of the time, blogs have a bunch of images you can see from a wedding, for example, > Stefanie + Jesse's Bella Collina Wedding. < Stefanie + Jesse’s blog has a bunch of images that aren’t in the portfolio tab of our website. Enjoy this part of the wedding planning journey. Picture you in these images, imagine where you’ll hang them up in your home, and how excited you’ll be to relive your wedding day!

I hope you enjoyed these 4 tips to help choose a wedding photographer!

Stefanie + Jesse's Wedding - Bella Collina - Orlando, Florida

Dream Team

Photography: Sonacity Photography

Videography: Sonacity Productions

Venue: Bella Collina

Wedding Planner: Blush by Brandee Gaar

Sparkler Exit: FyreFly Productions

Dress: Bridal Gallery Couture

Floral: Lee James Floral

Hair | Makeup: Angelica Chrysler

Cake: Sugar Sugar Custom Cake Boutique

Tables | Linens | Rentals: A Chair Affair

Lighting: Simply Lighting

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