In a world where sharing our daily life through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat has become the norm, it is unsurprising that cell phones are a big part of everyday life for many people! I have many brides ask me about making their special day an unplugged wedding because they are worried that 1. Guests won’t be 100% present during the celebration and 2. It may ruin some otherwise great shots the photographer has captured. If you have similar worries and want to find out a little more about how to go about this, please see below my guide to pulling off an awesome unplugged special day!
There are many ways to approach the announcement that you have decided to make your wedding unplugged. You may want to mention this right at the beginning stages and add the message onto your save the dates or wedding invitations (a great and playful way to do this would be to add a funny cartoon sketch or some funky font with the announcement) or you may want to wait until closer to the day and include a little note in everybody’s welcome bags explaining your reasoning for this and what benefits it is going to have for everyone to be completely present on your day. Just be sure to make it clear that they will get beautiful photos to remember your day by, but that these will be provided by your trustee destination wedding photographer.
If you are having a beach wedding (I am a destination wedding videographer, I had to add this in!!) a very sweet way and usually very fitting with the décor of the ceremony would be to add a wooden sign reminding your wedding guests that you would like no phones/IPads present during the ceremony – this not only looks great but gives them that gentle nudge to put their phones away.
So, how do you react if you do see somebody using their phones? My answer would be, relaxed! Remember, they are probably having such a great day and feel/look fabulous, it’s completely normal for them to want to capture and post about this! Rather than responding with anger, simply remind your guests of your request and ask that they withhold posting pictures of your wedding day until you do. They should understand your wishes and can post any photos they do have on their phones at a later date.
At this stage, you may be thinking that you like the idea of an unplugged wedding but you only want to implement this at certain times of the day – this is an excellent idea where everybody wins! Simply designate specific times that you would like your wedding to be a cell phone free zone. Take for example your wedding ceremony, this is the perfect moment to ask your guests to put their phones away and enjoy the moment. It will keep everybody engaged and make it easier for your wedding photographer and videographer to capture the elements they need too.
A destination wedding is the perfect time to completely disconnect from everyday life and its hassles! Encouraged your loved ones to be 100% engaged in your special day by keeping their phones away (at least for part of the day) And don’t be shy! There is nothing wrong with wanting to have an unplugged wedding, embed it as part of theme for your celebration. And if you do catch your guests sneaking a couple of selfies here and there, that’s okay too!!