Written by the lovely Erin :

Our first look only happened after months of persuasion with Brendan and kicking out everyone’s idea that this was untraditional. I also wanted to score some points with Nathan and Jensey by being one of those “cool couples” ;)

I knew that I wanted Brendan to see me before hand because: 1) It would be practical, 2) I wouldn’t have already cried/sweat off my makeup by portrait time, and finally because 3) I’d been messing with Brendan’s idea of what my dress looked like for months!! According to him it was full of lace and lots of tulle.

When we finally had the look all set up in the grass on a hill, I remember being quite the princess and saying, “Umm, I paid a lot of money for these white shoes and I really don’t want to get them dirty just yet.” With Brendan backed up and officially in place, I blanked on how exactly I was going to make him turn around. Was I supposed to be cute and romantic because it was our wedding day? No… I felt it more appropriate to blurt out, “Hey it’s me, turn around!” If you can’t be yourself at your wedding then what’s the point?

I think I was more excited than he was for the first look and honestly I don’t think we would have wanted it any other way. When walking down the aisle, we could smile at each other and I could take it all in rather than worrying about what he thought I looked like. I also didn’t want to spend the whole ceremony wondering either, since you’re not really supposed talk during it, huh? It also really helped with the flow of the rest of the day, especially once the ceremony was over. Since our family portraits took a lot longer than I had anticipated, I was happy we scored some awesome photos beforehand. Neither one of us cried, which was unexpected, but I am glad we got to experience whatever emotions we may have needed to before anyone saw us.

After everything, Brendan’s response to match his photo: “Oh my god, I totally thought you were going to walk out wearing the wedding dress from Enchanted! You look so beautiful!” Success!!!

What is a “First Look”?

Erin and Brendan’s Wedding Part I

Erin and Brendan’s Wedding Part II

When it came time for me to decide who our first spotlighted couple should be for this month’s “First Look on the 1st,” there was no doubt in my mind that it should be Carrie! I mean, she’s literally written a book on Disney weddings (Which you can conveniently buy here!) Without further ado, here’s Carrie’s take on her own “first look.” :)

Our first look, which we’d planned purely for practicality, ended up being the most intensely emotional moment of our entire wedding day.

Because photography was so important to us, Patrick and I had no problem with the idea of seeing each other before the ceremony. It would allow us the luxury of a 90-minute portrait session in multiple gorgeous locations without making our guests wait around for us after the ceremony (always my least favorite aspect of a wedding). It would also mean that we could all travel together from the ceremony to the reception, which maintained the intimate feel we were going for that day.

But our first look turned out to be more than just convenient—it became a moment of pure emotional connection that grounded us in the true purpose of our wedding day.

As I rounded the corner into the hotel lobby, I was excited but anxious about a million little details that were already slipping through my grasp. Then Patrick turned toward me, and the rest of the world fell away. Tears welled up in his eyes as he took my hands and whispered, “You look BEAUTIFUL!” Instantly, the million little details didn’t matter anymore. This day was about the two of us in love, starting our marriage.

I cherished every moment we spent together before the ceremony launched us into the whirlwind of the day. Laughing and smooching and mugging for Jensey and Nate calmed us down and made us feel like ourselves again. And you know what? When I finally did walk down the aisle and lock eyes with Patrick, our hearts still skipped a beat!

Want to read more about Carrie’s wedding day? You can find her whole wedding and trip report here. :)