Last year I had a Free wedding contest, Cherilyn and Rick won! The contest was for a 5 hour wedding and a particular number of photos. The contest was fun, I could see the outpouring of love these couples had from their friends and families! It was amazing, all the votes came in, people telling stories on the contest, truly something to cherish. Let me tell you, Cherilyn and Rick were definitely loved, I don't remember the amount votes they had, but I remember how much love came across my inbox!

After meeting them, I could see why everyone was cheering them on. To know them is to love them! Their love radiated in our meeting, then we headed to the engagement session. I don't even think I gave them a pose, not once! They were themselves and that made my job super easy.

After everyone was ready, we set up for the "First Look" it's definitely a moment I won't soon forget. Sometimes emotions get away from us, and for sensitive people like myself, it was no stopping the flow of tears....in a happy way. I'm blessed to have been a small part in this day. I won't show you my ugly cry photo, but trust me, it's terrible! I think it was so powerful seeing Rick in his uniform, and just the whole logistics of the day brought me to tears. I'll miss them terribly! So thankful for Social Media to be able to keep in touch with everyone!

What a perfect day for such an amazing couple, the Brooklyn Arts Center never looked so grand with gorgeous decor and probably the closest family in history to fill it with a ton of love! Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Cross, we love you and hope your new life in San Diego is amazing! Thank you Rick for serving our country!

Special Thanks to:

Coordinator: Brittany at Orchid Island Events

Flowers: Beautiful Flowers By June

Venue: Brooklyn Arts Center

Video: M2 Productions

Catering: Middle of the Island Catering

Band: The Band Punch

Cake: Emmy's Cakes

Hair & Makeup: Silverceiling

Ceremony Music: Dockside Strings

First look with Cherilyn and Rick was absolutely heart touching!! I wanted to share their day with you, but also take the opportunity to talk about a First Look. Stay tuned for their entire wedding day blog, coming soon!

First Look – Some of you may ask what is that? Others may have thought about it but said No way that’s to nontraditional and my parents would totally have a fit if I did one. I’m here to say they may seem nontraditional in your parents eyes but it may be that they are just uninformed about what exactly a first look is and what benefits it has for you the couple and the wedding day. First to explain exactly what a first look is – it essentially is a time before the wedding when the bride and groom get to see each other in a private location and spend some alone time together before everything starts. Now to get into the reasons why a first look is a great idea.

1. It gives you alone time with each other before everything gets crazy. Think about it… from the time you start doing your hair, makeup and all things pretty, you have people around you, all day. Same thing with the guys you may not have as many people running around like the girls do but most of the time the groomsmen are arriving, changing making sure their “do” is just right and it can get a bit hectic. Having time alone in a private location can be great. You get to see each other, calm your pre-wedding nerves and spend one-on-one time with each other. This is the only time you will be alone the entire wedding day. Cherish it!

2. He gets to be the first one to see you! When you are at the end of the aisle waiting to walk down and your groom looks down he is looking with the 250 other people. He also may be distracted if guests get up or lean over snapping away with their cameras and I-Pads. You, as the bride may also not be able to truly savor the moment of seeing your soon to be husband for the first time, because you may be so emotional you can't see past the teary eyes. Also you have the man walking you down the aisle to focus on – dear dad.

3. It solves most wedding time-line issues. Do you have a ceremony late in the day? This will cause for a time crunch during photo time after the ceremony because you may have limited time when the sun is still out. Doing a first look before the ceremony allows for plenty of time for the most important photos of the day… your bridal portraits. Bridal portraits can take 20-30 minutes. If you do a first look after a few moments of alone time you can start portraits. Most couples don’t add in enough time for portraits of themselves during the wedding day. This also allows you to knock out bridal party photos and even some family photos if you wanted to.

4. Removing the Gap! – Removing the gap simple means that you can enjoy your guests and your guests can enjoy you when they should… right after you are married. Being married is a time to celebrate and to spend time with those that came to celebrate your marriage. Most guest don’t care to sit around for a few hours. They have to find something to do or if they are out of town guest even worse they have to figure out where they can go.

5. You make the Bridal Party much happier – Unfortunately even the best bridal party members can only handle so many photos and so much time dedicated to the process of taking photos. If you do a first look it gives you the opportunity to allow your bridal party to hang out until you are done with your portraits. Once you are done, grab a couple of quick photos with them and then they can relax again until ceremony time. This way they don't have to endure the ceremony, then family photos, then bridal party photos then wait on you to do your bridal portraits then rush to the reception. This can be very exhausting for not only them but for you as well.

6. You get some awesome photos out of it. To be able to capture the initial emotion of both you and your groom is just undoubtedly my favorite part of the first look.

If you haven’t thought about a first look, its definitely something to consider. Even if you have plenty of time and are not going to run out of available light the first two reasons alone are worth it.

Cherilyn & Rick's Brooklyn Arts Center Wedding|Wilmington Wedding Photography

Cherilyn + Rick, First Look| Wilmington Wedding Photography