Weddingbee Blog

OK hive, I promise that this will be the only depressing post in my recaps. Promise!

I am a big big big fan of first looks. I love that they have become popular in the past few years. For me, they can be some of my favorite photos that I’ve seen from other weddings. Having that “first look” moment between bride and groom was something I valued highly, and is precisely why we scheduled over 2 hours of time for the first look and bridal party photos, as well as additional time at our venue before the ceremony to take family portraits.

Needless to say, as I rode down the hotel elevator after putting on my dress, I was excited about our first look. Our photographer was aware that we were doing a first look, but aside from that I hadn’t been explicit on the details. In retrospect, I probably should have laid it out very specifically. On the wedding day, I was so pumped full of excitement and energy that I kind of switched to a “go with the flow” attitude and wasn’t able to react properly when things weren’t set up in the way I had hoped.

I’ll lay it out for you. As the elevator doors opened, I walked into the hotel lobby. I was concerned about Mr. Buttons’ location; I was hoping that our 2nd photographer had him set up and ready for our first look. Instead, this is what was waiting for me…

*All photos courtesy of Pilster Photography

Apparently, Mr. Buttons was taking a “nap,” if you will. The photographers gestured at me…telling me to go wake him up with a kiss. Um…that was absolutely not what I had envisioned as a first look…there were end tables and chairs blocking all sides of the couch he was sitting on. I wasn’t able to get a clear path to my groom. I remember mildly protesting this idea, saying that there wasn’t enough space for me. However, I was also on “go with the flow” mode, so I just did as I was told without thinking too much. And…as a result, I present to you our first look…

Hello there, random guy in the background…

Yep. That’s it. In the first photo you can see the big smile on Mr. Buttons’ face as I woke him up. However, where are the photos of the groom taking in how beautiful his bride looks as she twirls around? Or his reaction when I finally was able to show him the gown I had selected almost a year prior for our big day? There are no pictures of me sneaking up behind him and tapping him on the shoulder or covering his eyes. All in all: it wasn’t what I had wanted.

I will not lie to you: I am devastated over this. Perhaps I had made out the first look moment to be so much more than it really is…but then I see the awesome first looks from the lovely Mrs. Quiche, Mrs. Cupcake, Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, Mrs. Cowboy Boot, Mrs. Hamster, and Mrs. Mouse (the list continues but I won’t do that to you all) and I feel a sense of loss. On the day of the wedding I was not worrying about it; however, after the fact, I feel like I missed out on a moment of my wedding day that I had been looking forward to for months.

So, would I love to have the first look that I imagined during my wedding planning? Yes, indeed. However, the fact remains that the portraits Mr. Buttons and I took afterward are indeed very very lovely. Thankfully, this wasn’t something that upset me on the wedding day itself. And although I am sad about it, I’ve moved on. You win some, you lose some. I’m forging on, and I have learned my lesson: if something is important to you on the wedding day, don’t feel foolish for being extremely specific on what you want…it might be the only way you will get it.

And with that little piece of wedding advice, I am moving onwards and upwards with my wedding recaps…and from here on out, there will be no more mopey Buttons!

Was there a detail involved with your wedding day plans that didn’t turn out like you hoped?

Previously…

• The girls got ready, then the guys got ready.
• I became a bride