Picture this – your wedding day is absolutely perfect, the sun is shining and there is not a single cloud in the sky. You’re walking down the aisle towards the love of your life surrounded by gorgeous flowers, decor, and your favorite people. Everything about this moment is perfect, until, you look up halfway through your vows to find your Aunt crouched halfway down the aisle taking photos on her iPad…. no thanks!! There are many reasons why you should have (and enforce) an unplugged ceremony at your wedding, and we’re going to dive into all that right here, right now.
Encourage Guests To Live In The Moment
First and foremost, by having an unplugged ceremony you’re keeping your guests in mind. Seriously! Unplugged ceremonies encourage and allow your guests to fully soak in every second of this once in a lifetime moment. Honestly, it can feel like a breath of fresh air when we turn the phone off for a bit and tune into real life! By holding an unplugged ceremony you’re inviting your guests to be fully present, they should be watching YOU and seeing your face, not their phone screen.
You’ve Hired A Professional
We get it, your Aunt is super excited to capture your ceremony and share this moment on Facebook! I mean, how else will all of her friends know the exact moment you two said I do?! But, maybe we kindly ask her to refrain from using social media until after the wedding and give her access to the professional photo gallery in a few months. Sound like a plan? Awesome! To put it bluntly, there is no need for family and friends to be taking photos during your ceremony. It’s distracting, and the photos rarely turn out well (trust us, we’ve seen those blurry shots at bad angles). Not to mention it will also ruin your photographer’s professional shots… you know, the ones you’re paying for! From a photographer’s point of view, it’s suuuppeerrr frustrating to be editing a gorgeous photo only to realize there are iPads or phones in the shot. Remember, you hired us for a reason!
It’s YOUR Wedding Day, You Make The Rules!
Let’s be real here, at the end of the day you have every right to be a little selfish on your wedding day. You’ve been looking forward to this moment forever and it’s finally here! We don’t want your moment to be distracted by someone ruining the shot. After all, I can guarantee you’d much rather see your guests happy faces instead of their phones! Unlike photographers, guests often don’t know how to secretly bounce around the wedding to capture important moments without being distracting. Don’t let your wedding day feel like a paparazzi encounter and remind your guests to stay present with you.
Tip: How To Ask Your Guests To Respect Your Unplugged Ceremony
Asking guests to completely stay off their phones is almost impossible these days. Unless you plan on having someone collect all phones and locking them up in a box (which, no one would be happy about) your guests are going to have their phones on them. But, you want your guests to be present and enjoy this moment fully with you. So, here are some of the best ways we’ve seen this enforced successfully!
- Have an unplugged ceremony sign. Set this on the path to your ceremony site and make sure it is large and easy to read. You want guests to notice this!
- Have your officiant announce (before the ceremony) to guests that you have requested they silence and put away all phones. During this time your officiant can remind guests that you want everyone to be fully present and in the moment with you, and you will share your professional wedding photos with them.
Now that you have the tools and reasons as to why you should have an unplugged ceremony, it’s time to put it to work. We hope your unplugged ceremony is everything you’ve dreamed of and more! Looking for more wedding planning tips? Head to the blog!
