The 'first look' - seeing each other privately before the ceremony, rather than at the top of the aisle - arrived from America and divides UK couples like little else. Having filmed both versions many times, I can tell you what each genuinely does to a day. Spoiler: there's no wrong answer, but there are wrong reasons.
The case for a first look
It dissolves the nerves. The transformation is visible through a lens: couples arrive at their first look vibrating with tension and walk away loose, giggly and present. That calm then carries into the ceremony - vows delivered by people who can actually breathe.
You get a private moment on a day that has almost none. The aisle reveal happens in front of everyone you know. A first look happens with just the two of you (and me, a long lens away - you'll forget I'm there). Many couples say it was the only truly private conversation they had all day.
It unlocks the timeline. Portraits can happen before the ceremony while everyone's freshest, freeing you to actually attend your own drinks reception - and protecting golden hour for a short escape rather than a full portrait session.
The case against
The aisle moment is irreplaceable. Walking toward your person in front of everyone who loves you, watching their face change - for many couples, that's the moment, and they don't want a rehearsal for it. Completely legitimate.
Tradition can matter more than logistics. If not seeing each other before the ceremony carries meaning for you or your families, no timeline efficiency argument should override it.
Winter maths sometimes forces it. One genuine practical note: a 2pm December ceremony means sunset before you're out of it. In winter, a first look is sometimes the only way to get any daylight couple footage at all - worth knowing before you choose a ceremony time.
What it looks like on film - and how to decide
On film, both are beautiful in different ways. A first look gives an intimate two-person scene with real dialogue. An aisle reveal gives the crowd, the music, the scale of the occasion. Neither out-performs the other; they're different films of different choices.
My honest advice: decide based on the day you want to live, not the footage. Then tell me, and I'll build the coverage around it - including making sure the aisle moment still hits on film even if you did a first look an hour earlier. The couples in my films chose both ways; see if you can tell which. And for more decisions like this, my timeline guide covers the rest of the day.