I love weddings, you love weddings, we all LOVE weddings!

Weddings are one of the most exciting events that happens in life! You plan your fairytale wedding; carefully planning each detail and hand selecting who you want to share this incredibly memorable occasion with you and your spouse. With all the excitement we understand how important it is for your guests to feel involved and to want to document this day on their own.

In this day and age everyone has a camera on them at all times. If it’s not a digital camera its an iPad, tablet or most commonly a phone. We’re so used to sharing so much of our lives sometimes etiquette that should be commonly practiced at a wedding is thrown by the way side.

Let’s go back 15 years… Your guests came to your wedding ceremony so excited to watch you two exchange vows, light your unity candle, give each other rings and promise to spend the rest of your lives together. They shared with you in the most exciting day of your lives together, fully present and undistracted with their own agenda to capture your wedding day.

Fast forward to present day. It’s not uncommon for every guest over the age of 12 to have a camera on them and to be tempted to take photos throughout your wedding day. As a general rule this isn’t an issue but there are a few questions we’d like you to consider.

• Are your guests fully present with you when they have their phones out or are trying to figure out how to turn on the flash on their digital camera?
• When you look out into the crowd when you’re holding hands with your soon to be spouse do you want to see faces or devices? The saddest thing for me is when I see a parent of the bride or groom on the front row completely engaged in their device instead of watching their son or daughter get married.
• Will those cameras and phones not only distract those using it but also the guests around them as well? We’ve been at weddings where guests not only have their phones out but will stand up on their own throughout the ceremony. They will even leave their seats and roam around the chapel to get their shot.
• Will your guests devices interfere with the professional photographer and videographer you spent your hard earned money on? We can’t tell you how many times a guest has stepped in front of us as a bride comes down the isle or when the couple has their first kiss.

Now there are some advantages to having media at your wedding one of which is the unique ability for friends and family who can’t come to your wedding can watch via live streaming. Technology is a wonderful thing!

It’s quite simple to have an unplugged wedding and most often your guests happily oblige to your wishes. Something as simple as a sign is an easy an effective way to inform your guests of your unplugged ceremony.