This is quite a hot topic at the min. If you didn’t know, an unplugged wedding ceremony is one where all of your guests are asked not to take any photos at all during the ceremony. No phones, no cameras and no tablets (yes, you’d be surprised at how many people bring their iPad to a wedding and use it as a camera!)
None of us ever leave home without a camera and they’re great – I love my iPhone. It’s usually the only camera I ever take on holiday because it’s small, light, convenient and capable of taking amazing quality photos.
But….!
From a wedding point of view, your guests taking photos and video during the ceremony can really get in the way and even spoil things a bit for you and even the guest intent on following you down the aisle with their iPad!
Here are just a few quick reasons why you might want to think about asking your guests to put the phones away and enjoy an unplugged ceremony.
First, and this is the biggest one, they get in between you and your guests on probably the biggest day of your life. I’m sure you’d rather see the smiling, teary-eyed faces of your guests as you walk down the aisle… not a lot of outstretched arms with phones! Weddings are really emotional events. Putting the phone down and enjoying the actual moment is always going to be better than seeing it on a 5” screen!
Another good reason is mobiles and tablets can get in the way of the professional photography that you’re paying for! Wedding photography can represent a significant investment. All professional wedding photographers will work really hard for you on the way of your wedding to capture all the fun moments. But even the best wedding photographers in the world can’t predict where and when uncle bob or auntie Sue might inadvertently jump in front of them and spoil a great pic. I’ve seen it countless times, and it’s always a bit sad to see a great picture spoiled.
Finally, a lot of the couples I’ve worked with have chosen unplugged ceremonies because they don’t want the images shared online before they receive the official ones.
If you decide you’d like an unplugged ceremony for these, or any other reasons, here are a couple of tips to help you arrange it.
First – mention it on the wedding stationary. Any signs, stationary and chalkboards should include the message.
Secondly, ask the officiant to remind your guests immediately prior to the ceremony that you’d be really grateful if they turned off their phones and put them away.
Obviously I’d never recommend asking your guests not to take a single photo all day. The photos from the evening reception are usually great fun! But for ceremony, think about asking your family and friends to enjoy the moment with you. If you’ve hired a professional wedding photographer, you don’t have to worry about any missed moments… and without phones and tablets getting in the way, your ceremony photos will probably be better!
I hope this was a little bit useful to you. Please be sure to check out our other wedding planning tips here.
