Unplugged Wedding

The bride and groom are focused on each other, but take a quick moment to look out at their friends and family that have gathered to celebrate their special day expecting smiles looking their way. What they see though are wave after wave of faces looking at their screens.

In today’s digital age everyone has a digital camera or one on their phone. Many cameras, even low budget ones, have video cameras. So many wedding ceremonies these days at least half, usually more, of the guests are using one of these devices to document the ceremony. Some guests have even gone as far as standing right up there with the officiant and take pictures through the whole ceremony, which can be very distracting for the bride and groom.

Many brides have expressed their displeasure with this situation and have come up with a solution – an unplugged wedding. They are requesting that their guests refrain from using electronic devices during their ceremony and be a part of the wedding itself.

Guests frequently complain when they attend an unplugged wedding. What they forget is that couples spend thousands of dollars on their weddings and it is the most important day of their lives. The bride and groom have every right to run their wedding any way they want.

So how do you make your wedding ceremony unplugged. Simply notify your guests prior to the beginning of your ceremony (in your program, have the officiant make an announcement, include it on your invitation, put up signs, etc.). Be sure to word your request nicely. Offbeat Beat Bride offers this suggestion as to wording your request, “We want you to be able to really enjoy our wedding day, feeling truly present and in the moment with us. We’ve hired an amazing wedding photographer named _________ who will be capturing the way the wedding looks — and we’re inviting each of you to sit back, relax, and just enjoy how the wedding feels. We’re respectfully asking that everyone consider leaving all cameras and cell phones off. Of course we will happy to share our wedding photos with you afterward!”

If you offer to share your photos, please be sure to share a few of them within a couple of days after your wedding. The easiest way is to put the images online that way everyone can see them.