"Should We See Each Other Before The Wedding?"

That depends!

If you would like to get a bunch of the "required" formal photos out of the way so that you can spend more time at your reception with your guests... I'd say, "Yes!"

If you are "traditional" and don't want to see each other before the wedding because it's considered "bad luck" then I'd say, "No!"

Who made up this superstition anyway? Obviously it wasn't a photographer!

Getting some of the "formal" photos out of the way before the wedding really does help speed things up after the ceremony so that you can get to your reception earlier. For some couples, this could really make a big difference, especially if they have a very large extended family whose formal photos need to be taken after the ceremony. For others whose families are fairly small, there's really no need to get formal photos taken before the wedding.

For many couples, the tradition is not as important to them as it is to their families. So to "keep the peace" with parents and relatives, often we wait until after the ceremony to do all of the formals. But keep in mind that this adds time afterwards and to get all the nice looking formals taken, you need to be prepared. I have mentioned to each of my clients that it's best to get a "photo helper" and to make a list of "family group shots." This list is given to your helpers so they can help gather people together as I'm taking photos. When done effectively, we can finish formal pictures in as quick as 15 minutes! But when things don't move quickly, this process can take 30 to 45 minutes!

So the determining factor of whether you should see each other before the wedding often comes down to how big your family is and how much time we have before we need to be at the reception. It really has nothing to do with "tradition" or "superstition."