First Looks aren’t breaking a tradition.

Most people would say that it is “tradition” for the groom to not see the bride before the wedding ceremony. They would even recite that it’s “bad luck” for him to see her.

Majority of people don’t know where this tradition started and why it is considered a tradition. It dates back to when most marriages were less about love and more business agreements between families. When marriages were used to unite families in an agreement or bring wealth to a family. It was more customary for a father of the bride to arrange the marriage deal with the groom and his family. Therefore the bride and groom never met since it was more a business transaction.

Sometimes a father of the bride would save up and have enough of a dowry to pay for the marriage. He wouldn’t want anything jeopardizing that. He was literally marrying up. If the groom saw the bride before the wedding day and thought she was ugly or unsuitable it would give him enough time to call off the wedding deal. This is why most couples truly met at the altar.

In order to prevent the deal being called off they would keep the bride hidden away from the groom until she walked down the aisle. This is also partly where a veil originated from. It would conceal her beauty or dowdiness until she got to the altar and it was too late for the groom to change his mind. Veils were also used to hide the bride from evil spirits. Now they are mostly fashion pieces and super fun for photographers to play with!

Now that most couples see each other, fall in love, and live together before their wedding they are opting to see each other before the ceremony. They are choosing to do a first look. They are choosing to spend their wedding day together instead of apart, just like in life.

If you haven’t considered a first look or don’t know what it is an some of the benefits I have another blog post right over here.