The ?first look? is probably more common than not nowadays, but I didn?t even know it was a thing until my sister?s wedding two summers ago. At first I was dead set on not seeing Mr. S until I was walking toward him down the aisle beach. We made the last-minute decision (at the rehearsal) that we wanted to do a first look. Now that the whirlwind of our wedding day has passed, I?m 1000% sure the first look was the right choice for us. I HATE speaking in front of people, and although a group of your nearest and dearest is much different from say an auditorium filled with people critiquing you, it?s still a bit nerve-racking. Like I said previously, Mr. S and I are both calm under pressure and didn?t give a second thought to being nervous on our wedding day—boy were we wrong! I think the amount of excitement and butterflies you?ll feel on your wedding day are just unpredictable. That being said, having time with Mr. S before the ceremony made all of those butterflies fly away. Seeing him standing on the beach looking at the ocean, I felt this wave of calm wash over me—sorry, such a terrible pun, but for real! I might be #teamfirstlook for this reason alone. I also may have passed out reading my vows if we didn?t have this mini-moment to ourselves right beforehand.
The following photos are, of course, by the talented Amber Bridges Studios.

The second I snuck out the back door of the cabana, I was just trying with all my might to slow down time and soak up every se...