Why You Should Consider an Unplugged Ceremony

I’ll be the first to admit, I love my hashtags. One of the newest wedding trends is the Wedding Hashtag – giving your guests a specific tag to include on their social media posts so that you can view all the photos later, in one place. WeddingWire.com even has a Hashtag Generator if you aren’t able to come up with your wedding hashtag on your own!

As with everything, there is a time and place for the wedding hashtag and it is not the actual ceremony. During the wedding ceremony, guests taking photos is not only distracting but can potentially ruin a shot that the “actual” (also see “hired”, “professional”, and “really amazing”) photographer is trying to capture. As a guest, you should be present during this special moment and  save your Instagram skills until after the ceremony.

One of my favorite wedding photographers, Tessa Rice, gives her opinion on the unplugged ceremony: “As a photographer, nothing is more frustrating and distracting during the ceremony than guests holding up (or worse yet – standing or leaning in the aisle) with their devices and even large tablets!  I’ve had many images ruined because of this.  It makes me giddy when I see brides request an unplugged ceremony – it shows that they value their photographer and trust them to ultimately capture this moment in their lives, and help their guests enjoy it “live”, versus viewing it through a screen.”

The Unplugged Ceremony is suggested by the couple and asks guests to put their phones away until the reception. I’ve created an unplugged ceremony printable that fits perfectly in an 8×10 frame to display as guests arrive. Download it here!

I’m also offering the matching wedding hashtag sign for purchase in my Etsy shop to display at the reception. This is the perfect way to invite your guests to share the love and post away.

Comment below with your thoughts on the unplugged ceremony!

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