Do we really need to do a first look?

I'll give you the honest pros and cons because both choices are valid.

For a first look:

• You knock out couple's portraits, wedding party portraits, AND family formals BEFORE the ceremony. Cocktail hour becomes yours instead of being trapped in family-formal queue.
• The "first look" itself is often more emotional than the aisle moment because it's private. No 200 people watching.
• Your makeup is at peak. Aisle-walk makeup has been on for 2-3 more hours by the time you reach formals.
• If your ceremony is at sunset, you're shooting portraits in good light instead of fluorescent reception light.

For waiting until the aisle:

• It's a tradition that means a lot to many people, including your fiancé apparently.
• The aisle reaction can be genuinely powerful — some of the best aisle-look photos I've ever taken were from couples who waited.
• You skip the "second wedding" feeling some couples describe (where the first look feels like the real moment and the aisle feels rehearsed).

My actual take: do whatever your fiancé wants. The reaction shot is going to be 100x more authentic if he isn't doing something he didn't want. The logistics work either way — they're just different timelines.

One practical consideration: a first look can shorten the gap between ceremony and reception. If you're trying to keep guests from leaving cocktail hour confused about where you are, a first look + pre-ceremony formals lets you go straight from "I do" to "let's eat."

Not decisive on its own, but worth weighing if your venue layout has long transit times.