I’m sure this isn’t the first time you have read a post from either a wedding site or photographer chatting about unplugged weddings and why they are wonderful. I am totally in agreement with these threads because frankly, the struggle is real! Now, I am not talking all day here, I am talking just for the ceremony. A wedding ceremony is a place were you can’t re-do a moment, you can’t get back the moment when the groom sees the bride for the first time or when she is walking arm and arm ready to be given away. You can’t re-do a first kiss as husband and wife or the little glances you share while people are sharing kind words about you. The ceremony is especially a place that we want to get 100% right because there are no second chances. We want to leave knowing that all of those moments made their way into our memory chips without disruption, without the flash of a guests camera turning your faces white or the back of a camera screen taking over the picture. Commonly, wedding aisles are narrow and it is likely that I am placed towards the front during the procession, which leaves endless amounts of guests who are camera ready and leaned over waiting for that special moment too. The last thing I want to do while you are walking down the aisle is to ask a guest to inch to the right or left so I can see, you are the most beautiful person that day and you need that memory! I challenge you to challenge your guests to be present, to pray with you and to witness those amazing moments through their own eyes, not the back of a camera.

 

Now, there are a few ways that you can do this!

1. Leave a note! The chalk board sign above is from Tim and Anna’s wedding and I LOVE how they made their announcement. They kept it simple, sweet, and made note that they would rather see the faces of their guests rather than their cameras or phones. And how cute was that hanky idea?! Adorable!

2. Announcement! I have been to several weddings where the priest or officiant makes an announcement before the festivities begin. They go a little something like this, “Welcome, friends and family! (Groom) + (Bride) invite you to be truly present at this special time. Please, turn off your cell phones and put down your cameras. The photographer will capture how this moment looks — I encourage you all to capture how it feels with your hearts, without the distraction of technology.” It works like a charm!

3. Here is a link to wedding signs and cute quotes to display outside your venue and on programs (Pinterest is darn cool!) If you want to incorporate photography or let it be known that you’d love for people to snap away and post photos after the ceremony, come up with you own cute hashtag specific to your wedding day! One of my couples has the last name “Basto”, and their hashtag was #bastodayever… the cutest. It allows for the couple to see photos of their guests in one place and encourages people to document all the  fun while also being present and in the moment!

(Although I would never post photos from weddings I have photographed, this link has some photo examples for you!)

Let’s hop on the trend. Let’s not stare at cell phones and cameras. Let us see mom with happy tears in her eyes, let us see hugs and love and reactions. Challenge your guests to truly and whole heartedly be there, to listen and to enjoy!

xo!

Credits: PetaPixel