An unplugged wedding is where you ask your guests to turn off their phones, cameras, tablets, and other mobile devices during your ceremony. Some clients have even gone as far as collecting them in a basket at the door so that people won’t break the rule.

The idea, is that you want your guests to be present at the ceremony and pay attention to the words and the rituals that are so important to you. You want to look out into the crowd and see faces, not devices. And you don’t want your wedding photos to show cell phones all over the place.

What are the benefits to an unplugged wedding?

There are many benefits to having an unplugged wedding:

• When guests use their own cameras, there are many ways that this affects the photography that you’re actually paying for. Guests oftentimes are taking photos at the same time we are, and their flashes interfere with our cameras, leaving you blown out completely (and unsalvageable) or having weird shadows or lighting throughout the photos.
• Guest cameras can leave a red or green dot from their focusing mechanisms. These will show up in our images.
• If guests don’t turn off the noise on their cameras, they could be very loud when taking the photos. This can be very distracting to you and your guests.
• Speaking of distracting – let’s talk about iPads, phones and other devices used to take photos. They are HUGE and are very distracting. If we are taking a wide photo of your ceremony, your eyes go straight to the tablet and completely ignore the beautiful couple exchanging vows.
• Guests will often get in the aisle or stand in front of the professional photographers, blocking their shot. Sometimes, it’s too late for us to be able to get them to move, and we certainly don’t want to upset your guests by making them move.
• During family formals, guests will often stand around photographers to get shots of their own, which can create harsh lighting if they use their flash. Even if they don’t use their flash, it causes the group to constantly be looking around, leaving wandering eyes. It’s hard for the photographer to get a good photo with everyone looking at the camera when there are multiple people taking photos around you.
• Most importantly, if your guests are taking photos, they are not fully able to enjoy the moment. They are absent and distracted by their picture taking and posting.

How to tell guests its an unplugged wedding:

In the invitation: “The bride and groom kindly request an unplugged ceremony. Please turn off all devices and enjoy being fully present in this moment with us.” or “The greatest gift you can give us today is to be truly present, so please turn off all phones and cameras and enjoy this special moment with us.”

Or you should purchase a sign that says similar things.