What Is An Unplugged Wedding?

An unplugged wedding is where you and your guests unplug from the world, be it your mobile phone, iPad, camera, or any other technology that you use to connect with the world! An unplugged wedding is about enjoying the moment through your own eyes, not on the screen of your mobile phone, iPad or camera screen. Sharing with everyone the opportunity to look down the aisle and see your friends and family looking back, seeing their emotion, seeing them smile, feeling their love. Or you can look down the aisle and see people checking their phones, taking photos and uploading to Facebook or Instagram, your friends and family hiding behind a camera or their phone as they take their wedding photograph and upload it for the world to see before you have even said ‘I Do’?

WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE AN UNPLUGGED WEDDING?

Take a moment to think about your guests and family and why you want them to be there. You want them there so they can enjoy the moment, enjoy the emotion and excitement of you getting married, and for just one day to forget about everything and just be in the moment. Sometime guests will need to check their phones in cases of dependents and carers etc., ask them to be considerate about when they do this. However, there is no need for guests to take photos, you have hired a professional wedding photographer that is their job and they will do it far easier and capture better photographs without having to work around an aisle full of guests blocking your entrance/exit while holding out their camera phones.

The familiar sight of Uncle Bob with his iPad, doing my job!!

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is now an everyday part of most people’s lives. You will have guests attending during the day for the ceremony and for the evening celebrations. Do you want a whole batch of photos taken by the daytime guests splashed all over Facebook before your evening guests arrive spoiling their first sight of you in all your glory and splendid wedding attire? Let them see you for the first time when they walk in the door and you can then see and share their look of WOW! This is your wedding day and you should be able to choose what is shared, who shares it and when.

You want your guests to enjoy the day, and be part of it, you haven’t invited your family and friends along to take photos and be a photographer for the day, you have hired a professional wedding photographer, let them create and capture your wedding photography. You have invited guests because you want them there, there in person and not hidden behind a phone.

SHOULD YOU INVITE GUESTS TO NOT TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS?

Banning phones and cameras may sound a little strong, but it isn’t about banning them, it is about getting your guests to understand that you have hired a professional wedding photographer and that they can all view these photographs once they are ready. You want your guests to understand that you want them to be there and enjoy the moment. Allow time during the day for guests to get their photograph of the happy couple, a good time can be after the register has been signed and the professional wedding photographer has finished taking their shots. Either the photographer or the officiant can invite guests to come forward and take their own photographs at this point.

The groom lending a hand with the photography!

Use signs to advise your guests to not use their phones or camera while the ceremony takes place, add a little message to your invitations. Use chalkboards at the venue to remind guests.

HERE IS A VIDEO THAT MAKES EVERYTHING I HAVE JUST SAID EVEN CLEARER AND WITH A TOUCH OF HUMOUR!!

The following video on YouTube by SLF weddings sums up and shows you why you should go unplugged, and why you, as guests should put the phones down and enjoy the moment, that is what the wedding couple want and deserve.

Of course there are times throughout the day when the phones, cameras and iPad can all come out and blast as many pictures as you want, just be don't let it interfere with the day or the spoil the professional photographers job by getting in their way or being that photobomber in the background with a camera in your hand!!