Imagine this with me, you’re in my shoes. The most important moment of the day is about to happen. You’ve checked your camera settings, you’ve taken test shots and you’re ready to capture the bride coming down the aisle to her groom. You want to capture reactions, get a variety of angles and capture every moment of pure joy and emotion in just those few seconds. And just as everyone begins to stand and the music starts to play, not one, not two, but three different family members and friends get so excited that they just take one step out into the aisle with their iPhones in hand trying to capture this perfect moment. I begin the scramble. My couple is trusting me not to miss this incredible moment that can’t be redone or staged! But now I’m dodging every guest who is trying desperately to have a good Insta-story to share and they have no idea that the back of their heads, their arms and their phones are blocking me from capturing the bride and her dad walking down the aisle. Crazy, right?
It’s honestly one of the most terrifying things that can happen to a photographer during a ceremony and the hard part is, it can always be avoided. This issue is a growing one. Every wedding season, we experience more and more of these issues. And sometimes it happens with someone who has a camera! However, there is a solution! We highly recommend having what we like to call an “Unplugged Ceremony”. This is just another way of saying that you want only your photographers and videographers to be capturing photos and videos and that you would like everyone else to enjoy the ceremony instead of trying to capture it themselves. An unplugged Ceremony would also ensure that phones are silent and there wouldn't be any additional distractions. Because we all know that no matter what’s happening, there’s almost always going to be someone who leaves their phone on and gets a phone call in the middle of the most important part of the wedding! Here are some options for notifying your guests that your ceremony is UNPLUGGED, we absolutely recommend all three!––
1| Signage: Have a simple sign that guests see as they are entering the ceremony, you can make it a part of your guest book. When they sign in, they’ll be able to read the sign as well.
2 | Spoken: Have your officiant politely mention that you prefer no cell phones or other cameras. You have hired professional photographers that are highly capable of what you’ve hired them for.
3 |Program: Include your Unplugged Ceremony request in your program design, there is no shame in over communicating on your big day!
Keep in mind, this day is about YOU and your hubby. You don’t have to feel bad for not wanting any photo of you less than perfect! You handle notifying the unplugged part, we’ll handle making you look perfect and flawless on this special day!