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| Photo courtesy of Brooke Allison Photography |
Hi LM readers! I'm sharing my perspective on having an unplugged ceremony and hope it helps guide you as you plan your big day. No matter how much you love photos and may think that the "more is better" approach when it comes to people snapping away, hear me out and weigh the option on having an unplugged ceremony. You might just find it's exactly what you've been dreaming of!
So you've spent months (or maybe years) planning your wedding day. After careful consideration, you've chosen your dress and by the time you hit the ceremony processional, you are perfectly made up and ready for that moment when you look down the other end up of the aisle and gaze at the love of your life. At that very same moment, I'm standing in the aisle ready to capture it all with my camera; after all, you've been dreaming about that moment and assume I'm going to capture it for you to look back on.
And then your Aunt Sue, wearing a red-sequined dress, steps directly into the aisle, point and shoot camera in hand and completely blocks my camera's view of your grand entrance as she snaps away. She might even continue backing up down the aisle to ensure she captures every.last.moment. This is unfortunately the scene I see at almost every wedding I photograph. People nowadays have an obsession with taking photos on their iPhone's, iPad's and pocket cameras and seem to forget the fact that when they lunge into the aisle to grab their shot, they are compromising the professional photos for someone they care about.
I think what makes it hard for me is knowing what could have been if people didn't interfere with my photo taking. You can never go back and recreate and so it's sad to see a beautiful moment completely blocked by someone standing up to take a photo. For me, those beautiful, spontaneous moments are the reason I love what I do. And so I'm encouraging my couples to consider an unplugged ceremony where guest sit back and take in the sanctity of the marriage vows and the ceremony as it unfolds. To ensure this happens, you can consider putting a simple note in your program, kindly asking guests to unplug. It may read something like, "We are so honored you've taken the time to witness the incredible sanctity of our marriage vows and the beautiful moments that are about to unfold. We've given ourselves the gift of hiring a professional photographer to capture the day so we are all left to just submerse ourselves in this moment. We'd appreciate if you'd turn off your phones and put down your cameras and be a part of our ceremony with us." Another option (or maybe in addition to the note in the program) is to have your officiant welcome guests and share a similar message before the official start of the processional. I've seen it done both ways and it makes a big difference.
I think what's most important to remember is that guests don't stand up and intentionally try and ruin your professional photos! They just get excited and caught up in the day. By having the note in the program or the officiant announcement, they are given that little reminder they need to remember that they should probably put down their iPhones and experience what is happening in front of them. Here's to being in love, beautiful moments and unplugging!
Thank you Brooke for sharing your wonderful expertise! Have any of you had an "unplugged wedding" or are planning on having one? What are your thoughts on this topic? Share below!
