Nowadays, a lot of couples are going towards having an unplugged wedding – one where family, friends and guests are asked to turn off their mobile phone, iPads, cameras and any other digital device during the wedding ceremony to allow the photographer and video team to record the day in their own respective ways without being distracted by Chandukaka getting in the way with his iPhone! Here are some of the pros and cons around having an unplugged wedding!
PROS
1) Having an unplugged wedding allows all the guests to experience your big way in the way you intended. You might hire a beautiful string quartet to play in to play while the wedding party are walking up the aisle, and so taking the away the temptation for guests to get the cameras out during the big moments of the ceremony will allow them to experience the whole wedding authentically and exactly how you intended!
2) For a photographer, there isn’t anything worse than having to photoshop a guest with a tablet out of the background of an image – I can’t imagine how extra it must be for a video team! Having an unplugged wedding will mean that no one will get in the way of the media team during the ceremony, allowing them to concentrate on capturing the best moments of your day.
3) There might be certain photos taken by guests that might not be the most flattering. Having an unplugged wedding means that you can filter what is and isn’t shared on any social media or between friends and family.
CONS
1) No one wants anyone to be hugely offended or upset on the wedding day. If letting a guest take a couple of photos or a short video or guests avoids a whole load of angst during and maybe even after the big day, then its definitely something that can be worked around.
2) Throughout the day, your media team will be focusing on you and your close family. Allowing your guests to take photos and videos throughout the day is great way to ensure that you’ve got pictures of all guests at the wedding.
There’s no right or wrong way to go about planning for this. It is entirely up to the couple to go with whatever feels right for them. However, there are some ways that could potentially combine the best of both worlds!
1) When organising group photos, I like to keep the groups set up for a few extra seconds after I’ve taken the group shots. Guests will always come up and congratulate you at this time, so this might be the perfect time for guests to take their photos – especially selfies!
2) Leaving disposable cameras on tables during the reception is a cheap and novel way of encouraging guests to capture everything that is going on at their table, things that maybe your media teams might not be able to capture. Just don’t pull a Chandler and remember to collect them at the end of the night!
3) Collate images shared on social media throughout the day via a hashtag (usually a clever combination of both of your names!) This also has the potential to be a cool part of your reception slideshow – another fun way to keep your guests involved in the day!
What are your thoughts on having an unplugged wedding? Let me know what you think!