Unplugged Ceremonies

We’ve all seen photographs of wedding ceremonies with half the guests observing the special moment through their phones. Some might even say that this “ruins” the picture altogether. While this is well-intentioned (of course guests want to take pictures!) photographers have to contend with these so-called guest photographers who can interfere with what would have otherwise been a great shot. The wedding ceremony is the most special part of a wedding day, but it’s also when guest photographers can obstruct professional photographers the most. 

Enter the unplugged ceremony. 

Having an unplugged ceremony means asking your guests to put down their phones and cameras, and be truly present in the moment. They’ve paid thousands of dollars for a photographer to capture the ceremony, it’s going to be well-documented.  Couples can have their officiant make a statement at the beginning of the nuptials asking them to refrain from taking photographs, or have a sign stationed at the entrance of the ceremony location letting guests know their preference. 

The choice to have an unplugged ceremony is a matter of preference. Some couples think the more pictures the better! But this will be one of the most photographed day of your life, and we all know the horror of getting tagged in an unflattering picture on social media. No one needs that on their wedding day. We know it can be difficult to explain to certain family members that they can’t take a picture during the ceremony, but there really is something genuine and authentic about having all of your loved ones’ undivided attention on this once in a life time moment. 

And that isn’t to say that the entire wedding reception needs to be unplugged. Having an unplugged ceremony but allowing your guests to plug back in for the reception is the best of both worlds. Make a wedding hashtags and have your guests tag the posts they put on social media, that way you can search and find photographs from your guests’ point of view. 

Photographs are such an important part of the wedding day; it's how you and your guests' get to relive the experience over and over again. So when you're decided between unplugged or plugged in take some time to think about exactly what style of pictures you value the most and take it from there.