Seeing the groom before the ceremony

What are everyone's thoughts about seeing the groom before the ceremony?? We're having a Friday night wedding and wanted to get the pictures out of the way so we can enjoy the night. Also because we want to have the ceremony and cocktail hour go right into each together.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

FH and I are seriously considering doing this. We have a very large family and are concerned about how much time pictures are going to take after the ceremony.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

We are taking pictures before the ceremony, but are not seeing each other. FH will take his with BP, family, etc. Then me, BP, family, etc. We then have our ceremony...the we have an hour & 1/2 CH. We're factoring together pics & family, etc. and still have enough time to enjoy 1/2-45 mins of CH.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

We were really against it at first, but with a 12:30 ceremony (and since we both want to attend part of cocktail hour), we'll be doing pictures beforehand.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

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Posted by 103005FallBride

We are taking pictures before the ceremony, but are not seeing each other. FH will take his with BP, family, etc. Then me, BP, family, etc. We then have our ceremony...the we have an hour & 1/2 CH. We're factoring together pics & family, etc. and still have enough time to enjoy 1/2-45 mins of CH.

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We're doing the same. I just really want that one minute when FH sees me walking down the aisle for the first time.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

we're taking pics before the ceremony..
we want to be able to enjoy the CH.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

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Posted by evnme

we're taking pics before the ceremony..
we want to be able to enjoy the CH.

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ditto

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

We will not be attending our CH... i think I will now try to get the bridal party to take pics b4 the ceremony.... so that the Fh and i can takes lots more pics with each other during the CH.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

Since we are not getting married at a church, we are going to be taking pics before the ceremony. It works out the best for us and I think it will help us to not be so nervous.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

We will not be seeing each other before the ceremony. We'll take pics right after. But we are having an hour and a half CH so we should be able to get in there for a little bit.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

since we are getting married at the reception ahll we will be seeing each other before the ceremony to take pics.. the photographer said he will make the moment special, and not 'tada sh'es here'

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

we are seeing each other before and we don't have a problem with it. i think what we will do is fh and the boys will arrive at atlantis first and me and the girls will arrive in limo 2nd. my girls get out, and my fh will then help me out of the limo and see me for the first time that day (some good pics of this moment will be taken, as well as video), and then we are onto picture taken with bp and family, all before our 6:30 ceremony. 7 is coctail hour and we will enjoy every second of it with our family and friends. its special bc its our wedding day, not bc we waited till after the ceremony to take pics. its a personal choice. ~lacey

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

We're not going to see each other before the ceremony. He doesn't want to see me beforehand..and I want pictures of his face when he first sees me...its gonna be so great

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

My photographer really had some valid points on this. With large families, you are taking up the whole cocktail hour taking pictures. We are hiring a calypso band for it and DON'T want to miss it. Second we are having two photographers, so we will be able to record both of our expressions when they set up a special meeting for the two of us. At first I wanted to go with tradition, but the CH had more of a pull for me.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

We didn't see each other before and I kind of wished we did. I think that our pics came out great but we missed all of the CH and parts of the reception for pictures. For us, we got married at the site of reception...

Ceremony ---------11:30
Cocktail Hour -----12:00
Reception --------- 1:00

There was really no time for pictures without missing CH and part of reception unfortunately.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

We took our pictures before the ceremony - we had the photographer shoot a picture of me getting out of the limo as my groom sees me for the first time.

We did not want to miss any of our CH or reception to take pictures. It goes so fast as it is.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

FH and I are taking it even a step further

we're sleeping together at his parents house the night before (b/c its Thanksgiving and thats where we always stay when we visit) then we are eating breakfast together

after that we split up to get ready- hes got upstairs while I get downstairs with my girls

and then pics at the house and pics outside the church before



We're very unconventional and I honestly think it was the right choice for us

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

I want as many pictures done and out of the way before our ceremony. Our wedding is at night, so we will have the photographer take pictures in the afternoon. That way we won't be in such a hurry to do it, and things will look right!

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

I really didn't want to see him before the ceremony, and he didn't want to miss CH. Instead we changed the ceremony to 3 PM offsite from the reception. We will be doing pictures after the ceremony, and still make it to CH at 7 PM.

Re: Seeing the groom before the ceremony

I'd love to take pics before-Fh isn't sure. To me, while I see the current attitude of wanting his first sight of you dressed up to be coming down the aisle (and it's tempting!) it's a throwback to arranged marriages where they didn't want the couple to see each other until it's too late...same is true of the veil. (which is why I won't wear it over my face-I don't know when I became such a women's libber!)

We have a 10:30 wedding in Feb at a church so we don't have a great location to take pics in that early so we may move the ceremony earlier to allow for more pic time in between- we may get pulled out of the reception at salad time too but our photographer insists on being quick so we miss out on very little.

It's a very personal decision and for us it'll come down to keeping tradition as long as it doesn't sacrifice being practical and inconveniencing our family or BP- making them happy makes us happy!!

Make the choice that is right for you...