Why You Should Have An Unplugged Wedding Day

August 23, 2018

Why You Should Have An Unplugged Wedding Day | Calgary Wedding Photographer

We live in a world run by technology. Our house are now smart homes, our cars can park themselves and everyone has a camera in their phones. Our whole lives are now open books for people to like or comment on. Believe me I am the first to admit I am on social media WAY too much. To be fair I do run a business and social media is a critical part of what I do and how I get my name out there. With all this being said I was to explain a little more about why you should have an unplugged wedding day.

Let me start by explaining what an unplugged wedding day is. An unplugged wedding is when you ask your family, friends and guest to turn off their phones, ipads, cameras and other digital distractions during the ceremony or reception. Why would this be such a big deal you ask? Well because ladies and gentlemen this is real life and a real wedding. This is the most special day in thee two people lives. I know everyone wants to capture the bide as she walks down the aisle, or that first kiss, but the bride and groom and paid thousands of dollars to have their day captured by a trusted photographer. They did the leg worked and picked a photographer who’s style they love, whose personality they mesh with and who they trusted to capture all those important moments. They have invited you guys as guest to be just that guests. They want you to be present, share in their love and excitement and not play backup photographer.

By having an unplugged wedding it allows everyone to be in the moment. Wedding day flash by in a blur. If you blink you will miss it. By having an unplugged wedding you ensure that everyone at your wedding is present and can really enjoy in the celebrations. But probably the saddest part of not having an unplugged wedding day is not having control over the photos. By this I mean having to work around guest trying to snap that perfect shot as they stand in the aisle infant of your photographer. This my friends can and should be avoided. In the grand scheme of things, chances are it will the the photographers shot that gets framed not the photo from your great auntie twice removed iPad… trust me.

This is a photo from an actual wedding I shot. Look at everyone in the aisle. It wasn’t until they were right in front of me that I actually got a clear shot of them. If I can’t see you, then chances are the guy waiting at the end of the aisle can’t either.

Having an unplugged wedding also ensures that photos of you won’t be seen before the actual ceremony. Yes this has actually happened. One bridesmaid was so excited t0 take a photo of her bestie and she posted it to social media and guess who saw it… the groom! So much for the excitement of seeing your soon to be wifey! You will also thank me in the morning when you don’t wake up to 1000 orange photos of you, that people snapped on their phones while you were dancing to the YMCA. None of these photos will capture capture how beautiful your day really was because let’s de honest, even the iPhone 7 cannot compare to a well thought out portrait.

So with all of this being said how do you have an unplugged wedding day? Start mentioning it to your guest right from the beginning. Put a little note on the invitations stating what you are planning and getting their heads around the idea of putting down their phones for the day. You can also put a sign as you enter the ceremony. This is probably the most common way to express to guests to put down their phone. Lastly you can have you JP announce before you come down the aisle as a reminder put turn them off. This also saves you from having someones phone ring mid ceremony too.

Above Photos by Josh Elliott Photography & Perry Vaile Photography

What you can do, since you basically taking away the ability to snap phone for themselves of your wedding day, is make sure you share you photographers photos. This could be right from the photographer’s gallery or there are also a ton of gallery website that will let you do this. Another option is the new Fujifilm Instax Mini Polaroid cameras on the tables so people can still snap pics from the day and they are memories you can take home and hang instead of just having the digital copy. Lastly you can have a Photo Booth which is a great way to have some fun memories captured throughout the evening. Most even do instant printing.

Lets be honest its your wedding day and it is the perfect time for everyone to come together and celebrate with one another. Having an unplugged wedding means that you’re just making it easier for everyone to really enjoy themselves and have a greater opportunity for others to talk and catch up. Don’t be afraid of telling your guests about your unplugged wedding in fear of coming off as rude. It’s your day and ultimately, you’re doing EVERYONE a favor and your photographer will thank you!