Hayes & Fisk Photography
Is a “First Look” for you? By Jiza Zito
Do you know why it was once considered “bad luck” for the groom to see the bride before the wedding? The tradition has less-than-romantic origins. During the time when arranged marriages were customary, the betrothed couple was not allowed to see each other before the wedding. Marriage, for many families, was essentially a “business deal”. The father, who was the head of the household, would ideally marry off his daughter to a rich, land-owning male. Once the engagement was contracted, the parents would keep the couple apart, fearing that if the groom saw the bride before the wedding and found her unattractive, he wouldn’t go through with the marriage. While today we think of the veil as a beautiful bridal accessory, its original purpose was to keep the groom from finding out what the bride looked like until the last possible minute, when it was too late to back out of the transaction. Romantic, right? In today’s modern understanding of first looks, we are obviously past the whole notion of “It’s bad luck to see a bride before the wedding”. Go on social media, and one can easily see the many Instagram reels, TikToks and images on our feeds of emotional, unique, and beautiful first looks exchanged between couples. If you still wonder whether this is right for you, here are three reasons to consider having one, as well as three alternative ideas: 100
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