Should We Do a First Look?

The case for both sides — and the one factor that should actually decide it.

Few wedding decisions generate more debate. Here's a clean breakdown.

The case for a first look:

You get the reaction twice — once privately, once at the altar. The private moment is often more genuine. You're not performing it for a room.

Your photographer gets an extra hour. That hour means more portraits, a more relaxed timeline, and a cocktail hour you actually attend instead of spending in a field somewhere taking photos.

Your nerves have an outlet before the ceremony. Most couples who do a first look report feeling calmer when the processional starts.

The case against:

Some people have waited their whole lives for the moment their partner sees them walk down that aisle for the first time. That moment — unrehearsed, uncontrolled, in front of every person they love — is irreplaceable. No first look recreates it.

Tradition and ceremony have weight. If that weight matters to you, honor it.

What should actually decide it:

Your venue and your photographer. Not Pinterest.

If your venue has a stunning reveal moment built into its architecture — an elevator that opens onto something, a staircase, a view — your photographer may tell you that the ceremony entrance is the shot, and a first look would dilute it.

If your venue's portrait locations require travel time, your photographer may tell you a first look is the only way to get the images you want and enjoy your own cocktail hour.

At Slate, the elevator opens onto 1,500 windows and 360 degrees of Oklahoma City. That entrance is a moment. We've seen it go both ways — and both ways have produced photographs worth keeping forever.

See the space and imagine your own version of it. Then schedule a tour — and bring your photographer if you have one. The best decisions get made in the room.

Ready to see Oklahoma City from a different angle?

Slate at Founders Tower is a private luxury event venue on the 20th floor of the historic Founders Tower — weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations with 360° skyline views.

See the Space · Plan Your Wedding · Schedule a Private Tour

5900 Mosteller Drive · 20th Floor · Oklahoma City · 405-763-9101