An Unplugged Ceremony
Unplugged Professional Photographers
As your guests all settle down and have taken their seats, this is the perfect time for you to address them. You can have either the officiant or priest announce that there will be a professional photographer so there is no need for others to have their camera out. Or the groom can announce it as well. You can also choose to have this written down somewhere on the schedule/ itinerary that will be passed out to the guests one by one as they arrive. However, that doesn’t mean they will read it or even remember it in the moment.
Living In The Moment On Wedding Day
You want your guests to be living in the moment, now that we live in a day and age that we have become so reliant on our phones it is hard to do that. Sometimes during the ceremony they be to caught up and busy trying to get the perfect shot or angle, they won’t be enjoying the big day to the fullest. Being unplugged and just being there to witness the magic that weddings posses is an amazing experience. You should also assign someone to stand in the back as late arrivals trickle in to tell them that it is an unplugged ceremony to avoid any awkward tension.
The Unplugged Wedding Guests
Not only is the photographer taking pictures of the bride and groom, but also of the guests. As the bride and groom look back on the pictures of their big day, they don’t want to see a majority of their guests faces covered by a brick. They want to remember that special day and be able to see who is who without cellphones being held up in the air. Although some people may make hilarious faces when they are busy concentrating while holding up their phone in the air, it would make for very entertaining photos.
A “Plugged-In” Reception
Some of your guests may become very upset when you request this of them. Especially some particular, hard to deal with family members. However, it is important to remind them that there is still the reception and that it is “Plugged-In”. Meaning that they are encouraged to take as many photos as they want and even post them on social media. Some bride and grooms even have a special hashtag for you to use so everyone can go back and look at everyone who used the hashtag on their photos later. There may even be a photobooth that you can use!
The Experience
While requesting for an unplugged wedding, you can also encourage guests to take pictures before the ceremony. Setting up props and a beautiful arch way is a great way to keep them preoccupied before the ceremony and get some of that hyper and nerves out of their system. Using the same or even different props, you can encourage them to take more photos after the ceremony during that window of time where the bride, groom and photographer slip away to take sunset photos before the reception starts.