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In this new age of instant gratification, we are all used to being able to find anything and everything on the internet with just a google search, or a scroll through Facebook or Instagram. We want to be the first to put something out or at least be the first to share new information. However, there are times in life when we need to look up from our phones and notice the world around us. And what better place to have all eyes directly on you and not through the lens or screen of a phone, than your wedding.
Couples are shying away from having their special day plastered over social media before they even get the chance to say “I Do.” This is now being referred to as a tech-free or “unplugged” wedding. The term means asking guests not to use devices either during the ceremony or for the entire wedding, as well as refraining from posting images online until after the wedding. An unplugged wedding often results in guests who are better able to participate and mingle. Also, you will cut down on noise and distractions. Plus who wants Aunt Eshter holding her giant iPad in the aisle on every one of your ceremony shots taken by the professional you actually hired!?!?!?
Earning Brownie Points
Having a tech-free wedding means that the photos you have from the wedding will be the flattering photos you want from your photographer and not a grainy, cellphone photo with unflattering angles. When guests are getting in the way of photos with their own cameras instead of letting the photographer do their job, your photo session will take longer not to mention will cause frustration to the photographer simply trying to do their job. With no technology at your wedding, your photographer will not have to wait for others to set up and snap their own photos. Another reason your photographer will thank you for the “unplugging” decision is because professional photography can be compromised by competing flashes and the domino effect of shooters trying to shoot around each other.
How to Inform your Guests
Typically, couples who have chosen an unplugged wedding make an announcement on their wedding website, but it is increasingly popular to have the officiant or another individual read an “unplugged statement” before everything get started. It also is acceptable to have a sign in the entrance of the ceremony, which, I personally like, as an added reminder to "PUT THAT PHONE AWAY".
Focus
Finally, if you still are riding the fence on whether or not to have a tech-free wedding; picture this scenario: It’s your wedding day, and you feel absolutely beautiful. You have said your vows, said “I do,” and kissed your groom. You and your love face the crowd as the officiant introduces you as Mr. and Mrs. As you scan the faces of your guests, your family, friends, and loved ones, you notice a trend. For every one person who is sobbing, smiling, and clapping, three people are looking down at their devices, be it a phone, iPad, or portable gaming system trying to be the first to upload your first kiss to the nearest social media outlet.
Then you notice your photographer, the one that a majority of your wedding budget went to because her portfolio was amazing, is having difficulty snapping flattering candid pictures of you because Aunt Ruth is blocking her so she can show Uncle Lee what you look like on Facetime because he couldn’t make it. Your photo session started late because all the people you love and who love you dearly, would not move out of the way and your photographer had to wait to set up for her shots. You know, the ones that you paid a ton of money for? They are now going to be rushed because you’re on a time crunch. This my friend, is called stress. Keep it away from your wedding. Join the tech-free movement and watch everyone pay attention and really participate in your wedding. You have paid a lot of money, put in a ton of effort, and shed many tears of frustration for this day to be all you ever wanted it to be. You deserve to have the full attention of the room. Unplug and relax.