There are many events that lead up to the actual wedding ceremony, one being the "First Look". It involves a small snippet of time which is always a romantic and intimate moment between a bride and groom. It can be arranged many ways, depending on the wishes of the couple. The photographs that result from this event can stir up a great deal of emotion when the couple sees them after the wedding.
Origins Of The First Look At A Wedding
But how did this tradition come about? Originally, when arranged marriages were the custom, the betrothed couple wasn't allowed to see each other at all before the wedding. The wedding was a business deal between two families and the father searched for someone suitable to marry his daughter, such as a land-owning, rich suitor. There was a chance that the couple might not "take" to each other and one or both may not want to go through with the "deal". Therefore, they were only allowed to meet at the wedding ceremony so that neither would have the opportunity to call off the wedding and bring shame to the families. That was also the purpose of the veil – to keep the groom from knowing what the bride looked like until the last possible moment, when it would be too late.
Although arranged marriages are not so common anymore, most brides still don't want the groom to see them on the day of their wedding to allow for the "wow" factor when he sees her walk down the aisle. Even the bridal gown is kept out of his view. The groom, of course, already knows what the bride looks like, but on her wedding day, she is "done up" the best she can be and wants the groom to be happily surprised when he sees her in the gown she has chosen for the wedding.
