First look or no first look? The daylight math
56% of couples now do a first look (The Knot, 2023). The practical reason is light: without one, about 135 minutes of ceremony and portraits have to fit between the ceremony start and sunset, against 60 with one. Whether that fits depends on your date, your city and your ceremony time, so here are the numbers.
Key facts
- 56% of couples had a first look in 2023, according to The Knot's Real Weddings Study of 9,318 couples.
- Without a first look, about 135 minutes of ceremony and portraits follow the ceremony start; with one, about 60. A first look moves 75 minutes of portraits before the ceremony.
- On October 10, one of The Knot's most popular 2026 dates, a Boston couple without a first look needs to start the ceremony by 3:55 pm to finish portraits by sunset; with a first look, by 5:10 pm.
- At a 4 p.m. ceremony without a first look, portraits run past sunset in 3 of 25 big US cities on October 10 and 25 of 25 on December 12, and none on June 20.
- All 8 first-look guides we read name more portrait time as a reason to do one; 7 name the earlier start as the main cost.
Where the minutes go
Using the median times from 15 photographer timeline guides (see the timeline builder), with 8 family groupings:
| After the ceremony starts | No first look | First look |
|---|---|---|
| Ceremony | 30 min | 30 min |
| Family formals | 30 min | 30 min |
| Wedding party | 40 min | Done before |
| Couple portraits | 35 min | Done before |
| Total | 135 min | 60 min |
The latest ceremony time, by city
The latest ceremony start that still finishes those portraits by sunset, without a first look and then with one, on three of The Knot’s most popular 2026 dates (The Knot, 2026) and a December Saturday. Starting earlier than this leaves time for golden-hour portraits too.
| City | June 20 | September 19 | October 10 | December 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 6:15 pm · 7:30 pm | 4:43 pm · 5:58 pm | 4:08 pm · 5:23 pm | 2:13 pm · 3:28 pm |
| Los Angeles, CA | 5:52 pm · 7:07 pm | 4:38 pm · 5:53 pm | 4:09 pm · 5:24 pm | 2:29 pm · 3:44 pm |
| Chicago, IL | 6:14 pm · 7:29 pm | 4:37 pm · 5:52 pm | 4:01 pm · 5:16 pm | 2:04 pm · 3:19 pm |
| Dallas, TX | 6:23 pm · 7:38 pm | 5:12 pm · 6:27 pm | 4:45 pm · 6:00 pm | 3:06 pm · 4:21 pm |
| Houston, TX | 6:09 pm · 7:24 pm | 5:06 pm · 6:21 pm | 4:41 pm · 5:56 pm | 3:08 pm · 4:23 pm |
| Atlanta, GA | 6:36 pm · 7:51 pm | 5:23 pm · 6:38 pm | 4:54 pm · 6:09 pm | 3:14 pm · 4:29 pm |
| Washington, DC | 6:21 pm · 7:36 pm | 4:54 pm · 6:09 pm | 4:21 pm · 5:36 pm | 2:31 pm · 3:46 pm |
| Philadelphia, PA | 6:17 pm · 7:32 pm | 4:47 pm · 6:02 pm | 4:13 pm · 5:28 pm | 2:20 pm · 3:35 pm |
| Phoenix, AZ | 5:26 pm · 6:41 pm | 4:13 pm · 5:28 pm | 3:45 pm · 5:00 pm | 3:06 pm · 4:21 pm |
| Boston, MA | 6:09 pm · 7:24 pm | 4:31 pm · 5:46 pm | 3:55 pm · 5:10 pm | 1:56 pm · 3:11 pm |
| Seattle, WA | 6:55 pm · 8:10 pm | 4:57 pm · 6:12 pm | 4:15 pm · 5:30 pm | 2:02 pm · 3:17 pm |
| Denver, CO | 6:16 pm · 7:31 pm | 4:46 pm · 6:01 pm | 4:12 pm · 5:27 pm | 2:20 pm · 3:35 pm |
| Nashville, TN | 5:52 pm · 7:07 pm | 4:33 pm · 5:48 pm | 4:02 pm · 5:17 pm | 2:17 pm · 3:32 pm |
| Austin, TX | 6:20 pm · 7:35 pm | 5:16 pm · 6:31 pm | 4:50 pm · 6:05 pm | 3:16 pm · 4:31 pm |
| San Diego, CA | 5:44 pm · 6:59 pm | 4:34 pm · 5:49 pm | 4:06 pm · 5:21 pm | 2:28 pm · 3:43 pm |
| San Francisco, CA | 6:19 pm · 7:34 pm | 4:56 pm · 6:11 pm | 4:24 pm · 5:39 pm | 2:36 pm · 3:51 pm |
| Miami, FL | 5:59 pm · 7:14 pm | 5:05 pm · 6:20 pm | 4:42 pm · 5:57 pm | 3:16 pm · 4:31 pm |
| Orlando, FL | 6:11 pm · 7:26 pm | 5:10 pm · 6:25 pm | 4:46 pm · 6:01 pm | 3:14 pm · 4:29 pm |
| New Orleans, LA | 5:49 pm · 7:04 pm | 4:45 pm · 6:00 pm | 4:19 pm · 5:34 pm | 2:46 pm · 4:01 pm |
| Portland, OR | 6:48 pm · 8:03 pm | 4:58 pm · 6:13 pm | 4:18 pm · 5:33 pm | 2:12 pm · 3:27 pm |
| Las Vegas, NV | 5:45 pm · 7:00 pm | 4:26 pm · 5:41 pm | 3:56 pm · 5:11 pm | 2:11 pm · 3:26 pm |
| Charlotte, NC | 6:26 pm · 7:41 pm | 5:09 pm · 6:24 pm | 4:39 pm · 5:54 pm | 2:56 pm · 4:11 pm |
| Minneapolis, MN | 6:48 pm · 8:03 pm | 5:01 pm · 6:16 pm | 4:21 pm · 5:36 pm | 2:16 pm · 3:31 pm |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 6:47 pm · 8:02 pm | 5:14 pm · 6:29 pm | 4:39 pm · 5:54 pm | 2:45 pm · 4:00 pm |
| Charleston, SC | 6:15 pm · 7:30 pm | 5:05 pm · 6:20 pm | 4:37 pm · 5:52 pm | 2:59 pm · 4:14 pm |
Each cell: without a first look · with a first look. Local time, flat horizon. For other dates and cities, use the timeline builder.
What 8 guides say for and against
We read 8 first-look guides from photographers and wedding publishers and counted the reasons each gives.
For a first look
- More time for portraits, done before the ceremony 8 of 8 guides
- A private moment together 7 of 8 guides
- You get to join cocktail hour 7 of 8 guides
- Calms nerves 6 of 8 guides
- Better light: you choose when portraits happen 3 of 8 guides
Against
- An earlier start to the day 7 of 8 guides
- You lose the reveal at the aisle 5 of 8 guides
- Pressure, or it can feel staged 2 of 8 guides
- Extra cost: longer photo or beauty coverage 2 of 8 guides
If you want the aisle moment and the light
- Start the ceremony earlier: the table shows how much earlier your date needs.
- Do family formals before the ceremony with each side separately, and keep the couple apart until the aisle.
- Cut the list of family groupings: each one takes about 4 minutes.
- Do a first touch instead: hands around a door, no seeing each other, for the nerves without the reveal.
- Plan portraits after sunset with your photographer’s lighting, and save daylight for the wedding party.
Questions about the first look
What percentage of couples do a first look?
56% in 2023, according to The Knot's Real Weddings Study of 9,318 US couples, which says first looks were up 8% on five years earlier.
Do we need a first look to get photos in daylight?
It depends on the date and the ceremony time. Without a first look, family formals, the wedding party and couple portraits all follow the ceremony: about 135 minutes from the ceremony start. From June to September that usually fits before sunset; in October and winter it often doesn't. The table on this page shows the latest ceremony time for 25 cities.
How much time does a first look save?
About 75 minutes of portraits move before the ceremony, using the median times from photographer timeline guides: 40 minutes of wedding party and 35 of couple portraits. Planners quoted by The Knot say couples who skip it usually get only about 20 minutes of cocktail hour.
What are the downsides of a first look?
The most common is an earlier start: 7 of 8 guides we read name it, since hair, makeup and portraits all move earlier. 5 of 8 name losing the moment at the aisle.
What time should the ceremony start without a first look?
Early enough to finish about 135 minutes of ceremony and portraits before sunset. In Boston on October 10, that means starting by 3:55 pm. Check your own date in the wedding photo timeline builder.
Sources
Checked October 18, 2026. Durations come from the timeline guides listed on the timeline builder.
- The Knot Real Weddings Study, 2023 data read-out · 9,318 couples
- The Knot, the most popular wedding dates in 2026
- The Knot, pros and cons of a first look
- Style Me Pretty, a photographer on the first look
- Easy Weddings, pros and cons of a first look
- Joe Payne Photography, the pros and cons of a first look
- Digital Photography School, photographing a first look
- WeddingWire, should you do a first look?
- Junebug Weddings, deciding on a first look
- The Knot, a 4 p.m. ceremony timeline