A lot of today’s famous wedding ceremony and reception customs can be traced back to early European and Egyptian traditions. Until relatively recently, brides were considered the property of their father. Their futures and husbands were arranged without their consent.
During the times when arranged marriages were the norm, the couple to be wed is never allowed to see each other (hence the veil as well). Marriages in the olden times were like business deals between two families. A father especially wanted his daughter to be wed to a man from a rich land-owning family, which spells out prosperity and fortune. The marriage of an unattractive woman was often arranged with a prospective groom from another town without either of them having seen each other.
But if the groom meets the bride before the wedding and sees that she is not attractive, the groom could back out and cancel the wedding. This is something the family of the bride wants to avoid, especially if he wants to secure marrying into a wealthy family. This is also the case for family members who are giving a dowry.
Such is the reason why the bride and groom are only allowed to meet on the wedding ceremony itself. This is so that the groom does not have a chance to back out from the wedding if he happens to find the bride unattractive or unappealing.
Did you know that was the basis for the tradition of not seeing each other? Most brides don’t!
Now tell me, are you an ugly bride? Afraid your groom will run off when he sees your face for the first time? Then dispense with those old traditions and create a new one!
There are definite advantages to seeing each other before the wedding during a “First Look” or “First Glance”
Here are just a few:
After EVERY wedding that Joriana and I have photographed when the bride and groom have chosen to have a first glance, the couple have thanked us for all of the wonderful images and for the private, intimate, and emotional time they were been able to spend together. Why not add yourself to our list?