Yep. We're doing photos before the ceremony. A few key points helped us make this decision. Once the "party" starts, we don't want to stop to take pictures. We want to look as fresh as possible for the pictures, so the sooner the better :) After talking with our photographer and other couples, we like that seeing eachother (just the two of us and the photog) is more intimate and will help calm nerves. The wow factor is still there, its just private...but on film.
Your Dad is probably thinking of the tradition...here's what I found on www.OurMarriage.com:
"...According to tradition, it is considered bad luck for the bride to be seen by the groom before the ceremony. As a matter of fact, in the old days of marriage by purchase, the couple rarely saw each other at all, with courtship being of more recent historical emergence.
The lifting of the veil at the end of the ceremony symbolizes male dominance. If the bride takes the initiative in lifting it, thereby presenting herself to him, she is showing more independence..."
