For generations, brides and grooms have elected not to see one another on the morning of their wedding.
Even as couples started living together before marriage, they held fast to this custom, and stay in separate locations the night before the wedding.
Today, however, a lot more couples are doing a "first look" pre-ceremony.
Find out if it might be right for you to see your fiance on the morning of your wedding.
The long held superstition that it is bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before their wedding dates back to the days when marriages were arranged by families with no input from the bride or groom.
Since the wedding day was often the first time the couple met, their families wanted to make sure the marriage was sealed before they saw each other.
With marriages being strategic alliances, the last thing anyone wanted was to have the bride or groom refuse to go through with the wedding because they didn't like the way the other one looked! Given that virtually all American couples know each other for a long time before they tie the knot, the element of surprise is no longer important to ensuring that the marriage proceeds as planned.
There is still something to be said for that first moment when the groom sees his bride appear at the end of the aisle in her wedding dress and bridal jewelry to begin walking to him.
Even if he went to the bridal salon to help her pick out the wedding dress, that grand reveal is always a big moment.
I don't think there is any question that it will be diminished if the bride and groom have already seen each other in their wedding attire.
That said, the first time the groom sees his soon-to-be-wife as a real bride, glowing in a beautiful gown and pearl bridal jewelry is always special, even if it takes place before the ceremony.
It's a good idea to have your photographer there to capture the look on the groom's face at that moment.
That's why they call it "first look" photography, after all.
There are other options between the first look and not seeing each other at all.
I recently saw some beautiful photos of a couple who decided to speak to each other before their ceremony, but not see each other.
They stood on either side of an open door, and held hands while they exchanged a few private words before heading to the ceremony.
I thought this was really touching and beautiful.
As long as you are sure that your groom would not peek, it could be a great idea.
For some couples, this could really help to ease the pre-wedding jitters right before heading to the altar.
You could also choose to have a private phone call with your fiance on the morning of the wedding.
That would give you the opportunity to check in and see how the other is doing without the chance of ruining the big reveal at the ceremony.
Just don't spend that precious time going over last minute wedding details! If you are having an afternoon wedding, another idea is to have an intimate breakfast for just the two of you.
It could be very special to share in the excitement of the big day before going off to get your hair done and put on your bridal gown.
Certainly, sticking with tradition is never a bad idea either.
If you are sure you do not want to see each other at all on the morning of your wedding, you and your fiance might wish to send letters to each other to open on that morning.
It would be a beautiful way to let your fiance know you are thinking of him and looking forward to becoming his wife on that day.