When I was planning my own wedding, I knew that I wanted an unplugged ceremony. As a photographer, and a lover of photography, my wedding photos were a top priority to me! I knew that these images were going to be treasured, not only throughout mine and my husband’s lifetime, but also by our children and grandchildren. I wanted to be able to look back at the photos of our wedding ceremony and not be distracted by things like cellphones being held up in front of my guests faces.

As a wedding photographer, I have been to SO many beautiful weddings, and it always breaks my heart a little bit when I watch the bride walk down the isle at her wedding ceremony, and almost every guest has a phone up in front of their face. As a photographer, I really pay attention to details and distractions, and I do my best to frame each photo to avoid these distractions. But when it comes to cell phones during a wedding ceremony, there is only so much I can do to crop them out of the picture. So I really encourage my clients to consider having a unplugged wedding!! This will allow your guest to be fully present in the moment, and allow me to capture your ceremony in an intimate and beautiful way!

There are a variety of ways to express your desire for your guests to turn off their electronics during your ceremony. You can include a message in your program, display a sign or have your officiant make an announcement.

For my own wedding, we included a section on our program that said “We invite you to be fully present with us during our ceremony and ask that you please turn off all cell phones and cameras for the entire ceremony. Thank you for being a part of our special day.” We also had our officiant mention it at the beginning of the ceremony. I’ve seen couples display cute signs that say “Welcome to our unplugged ceremony. Please turn off your phones and cameras and enjoy this special moment with us.” Pinterest is FULL of ideas and ways to word this!!

Ultimately, your guests are EXCITED for you and I totally understand wanting to capture such an exciting moment (That’s why I’m a wedding photographer!!). But my opinion is that by having an unplugged ceremony, your guests will be able to truly be present and in the moment with you. Let me be the one focused on taking the photos!! And of course there will be lots of time for selfies, snapchats, and photos of the bride and groom throughout the rest of the day!!