Mar 23, 20212 min read

Rhett and Lacey's Modern and Minimal Wedding at The Everly Event Space in Kansas City

Updated: Mar 26, 2021

Rhett and Lacey's October wedding day was nothing short of magical. From the incredible weather, captivating changing leaf colors, to the overall bangin' style of the day, to the location, down to the team, they assembled to make it all come together. But what this Kansas City wedding day is a great example of is, having no first look! This topic is a hot one for both couples planning their perfect wedding day timelines and photographers alike. When planning a wedding you can easily find tons of blogs, Instagram captions, Tik Tok videos, and more explaining why you and your partner should do a first look. But you won't find that here! I'm team "whatever makes your day the most you". If that means no first look and an emotional reaction when you walk down the aisle then I'm game! Or if it means an intimate first look and private vow reading prior to your ceremony, I'm down for that too. Or even if it means a suspenseful no-look first look, you guys better believe I'm ready for those moments too! It drives me crazy to see or hear couples being pushed to make decisions because it makes it easier on the photographer/videography team. I've been fortunate enough to shoot wedding days that have used these different variations and each has been so special in its own way. But the most important takeaway is that my couples came to the decision on their own and it was simply my role to support them.

I hope 2020 has taught the wedding industry, both wedding professionals and couples planning, that there is one rule when planning a wedding; that there are NO RULES! From backyard ceremonies to courthouse nuptials, from adventure elopements to local micro-weddings, from first looks to no first looks, from long-standing traditions to new exciting ideas, all bets are off! We can finally all embrace the uniqueness that we each bring to the table when planning such a huge life event.

Wedding Planning Tip

If you're leaning towards no first look, I would recommend having a second shooter along for your day. During post-ceremony portraits with the bridal party, couple, and family a second shooter can be photographing details and candids of your guests or cocktail hour which allows me to focus on you! Need help deciding your timeline with or without a first look? Scroll to the bottom of this blog for an exclusive wedding photo timeline download!