Oh man, I’m going to do my best to try to hold back the tears while writing this Wedding Wednesday post! New Years Day 2010 my Dad passed away from heart failure while he was only 48 years old.  I was days away from turning 20.

It was the hardest experience of my life to watch my Dad continuously decline downhill when he was in the hospital from December 28th until his passing on January 1st.  Of course it wasn’t easy for me, and something definitely unexpected.  My whole life, I always just took my Dad for granted.  Always thought he’d just be there.

He’d be the one who I could call when I was having a bad day or someone I needed to vent to about my endless amounts of parking tickets at UNCC campus (happened! Not proud of it, but it happened! Hehe!)  He’d be the one to fix my car when it needed it, come pick me up when I passed out at the Doctor’s office, and he’d be the one on the other side of the fence cheering me on at all my tennis matches.  He was JUST ALWAYS THERE. [ If you’d like to read more about my Daddy, click HERE! ] 

It didn’t hit me until I was planning for our own wedding that my Dad wouldn’t be the one to walk me down the aisle…and that stung. 

5 short years after his death, and I was STILL feeling numb from it all.  Dad wasn’t going to be there on my wedding day.  It just doesn’t make sense.  I don’t scratch my head in disbelief anymore at the fact that my Dad is gone, because I know now that God literally has a plan for everything and everything happens for a reason-be it good or bad.  Now, looking back at my personal experience, I make sure that every one of my Brides who is lucky enough to have her Daddy walk her towards her future Husband and dance with her Daddy at her reception does not take those sweet moments for granted! Time on a wedding days easily slips away for the Bride, and sometimes those sweet moments shared between a Bride and her Daddy can just as easily slip through the cracks.

For today’s Wedding Wednesday post, I’m going to share with you lovelies why I think a “Father First Look” is SO important and a MUST-HAVE shot on Wedding Day! Now, while I do have my love affair with “First Looks” between the Bride and the Groom prior to the Ceremony (& you can read ALL about that HERE!) I also have this love for Daddy Daughter First Looks and today, I’m going to tell you why!

YOUR DAD IS PROBABLY PAYING FOR ALL OF THIS Your Dad is probably most likely PAYING for your wedding day, or at least helping you out financially! Why not take a few minutes to honor him and in a way, thank him helping you with this grand affair.  Trust me, this will most likely be the most memorable part of HIS day.  When he sees YOU for the very FIRST TIME in your dress…to him, you’ll always be his little girl and being all dressed up on your wedding day and him seeing you for the first time, you will make his knees weak!

HE’S NOT AS STRONG AS YOU THINK You may have this idea that your Dad is the strongest man you know…and he doesn’t cry for ANY reason…but believe me, this day is just as emotional for HIM as it is for YOU.  When you plan for a Father Daughter First Look and his back is turned to you walking towards him….when you tap him on his shoulder…he’ll turn around…and you’ll take his breath away.  I’ve seen all sorts of Daddys shed tears and give their daughter a great big hug and kiss.  For any parent, this is such an emotional and monumental day, so why not take a few minutes and give your Dad some quality time with you before he walks you down the aisle.

DON’T RUSH IT A lot of the times, Brides and their “Bridal Tribe” 😉 run behind schedule and needless to say, they’re rushing from one thing to the other.  I’ve seen time crunches like no other (let’s talk about the hair fiasco that made one of my Brides 15 minutes LATE to her wedding ceremony! Ah!) Now, I’m only talking a few minutes here for a Father First Look, probably 5 minutes at most.  That may seem like a short time, but when you’re dealing with a wedding day and a timeline crunch, that’s a lot!  A Father First Look usually happens right after the Bride gets dressed.  If the Bride agrees to a Father First Look, we usually have her Dad waiting somewhere near her Bridal Suite that is pretty and out of the way (we want to make sure it’s definitely a very private moment between Dad and Daughter!) We will have Dad turn his back to wear she’ll be walking from and when she’s ready, she’ll tap him on the shoulder to have him turn around and look at her for the first time all dressed up on her wedding day! It’s SUCH a sweet moment and one that truly leaves EVERYONE (& most definitely ME!) in tears!  After the initial reaction of the Father First Look is over, we usually go right into quickly shooting the Bride’s immediate family photos (Bride with Mom and Dad and siblings if available…)

Here’s some of the SWEETEST examples of some recent Father First Looks!

Mary decided to have her Dad and Brother for her First Look! Dad was just in tears and it was SUCH a SPECIAL time for both Father and Brother!

[ You can view Mary+Anthony’s FULL Wedding Day post HERE! ]
Jackie’s First Look with her Dad was so adorable. Her Dad’s reaction was SO incredible! He couldn’t STOP STARING at her! …But SHE WAS STUNNING!

[ You can view Jackie+Darrall’s FULL Wedding Day post HERE! ]

I just LOVE the Father First Look from Jennifer+Eric’s Wedding Day (their FULL WEDDING POST will be up today at 4:00! So stay tuned!) Jennifer’s Daddy was just SO emotional and I’m telling y’all…I was crying my eyes out. Oh how I wish I would’ve been able to have the same experience with my Daddy as Jennifer had with hers! You are one lucky girl, Jennifer! 

Here’s some things you might want to consider BEFORE you do a Father First Look on your Wedding Day!

DON’T PUT ON THE DRESS Don’t rush home from the Bridal Shop and show your Dad right away! Since you’re keeping your dress a secret from your soon-to-be-Hubby, why not keep it a secret from your Dad as well? Seeing you with your hair and makeup all done up and you in a beautiful gown will really make his heart melt and provide a reaction that wouldn’t be the same if he’s seen you like this before when you put it on for him after you bought it or when you were having your Bridal Portraits done.  So hide those dress shopping iPhone photos and store the dress in the very back of your closet so there will be no peeking!

KEEP IT JUST YOU AND HIM Make sure that your Bridesmaids know ahead of time that you just want this Father First Look to be between you and your Daddy.  This will ensure that your Dad’s reaction is completely real and he isn’t “holding anything back” since there’s a lot of people watching around him.  Normally, present during a Father First Look is the Bride, her Dad, Me (& my second shooter) and Mom looking on from afar.

BROTHERLY LOVE Do you have older Brothers who felt more like Father-figures to you than an older brother? If you’d like for your big brother to be involved with the First Look as well…make sure to let them know that you’d like to include him in this special moment.  He’ll need to be present at the scheduled time of the Father First Look and around the Bridal Suite to ensure that he is included.

NOT LIMITED TO JUST DADDY-O If you’re like me and aren’t able to have your Dad around on your Wedding Day, you are certainly not cast out of the Father First Look option! A Father First Look could really be with ANYONE who is very special to you! For me on my wedding day, it was my Grandma and Grandpa who I had a First Look with really quickly before Phillip and I’s official First Look.  You could have a First Look with your Grandpa or your Mom instead.  Or even your Bridesmaids…just have your Maid-of-Honor help get you dressed and come out and surprise your Bridesmaids and show them you in your dress for the first time!

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See more Wedding Wednesday’s like this HERE!

Newly Engaged?! Say HELLO to Emma Loo HERE!

Want to know what a First Look is? Click HERE!