Charging stations

@Heather- did I say my guests won't be getting alcohol? Please don't lump me in to a crowd I don't belong too. My guests are being wined and dined. I thought it would be a nice additive, which is why I asked for opinions.

I'm surprised nobody has brought up theft. We've all heard stories about how dishonest people (venue staff and otherwise) have stolen cards out of card boxes. What would make a cell phone any different? Now, that would only happen if a guest leaves it unattended, but are guests supposed to just sit there while their phone charges? Then they'd miss half of the reception.

Orrrrrr what if everyone that has an iPhone needs to charge at the same time? You'll end up with a line of people waiting to use the charger.

Just...don't bother with it. Not that big of a deal.

All guests care about is food, drinks and music. Don't add another "to do/to buy" thing to your list. Is it thoughtful? Sure. But it isn't necessary and won't reflect poorly on you as a host. Advice I wish I would have given myself before my wedding.

Why does anyone even leave home....

They could take pics/video with a camera, you know, like normal people used to. I say skip it. Let them be in charge of charging their own frigin phone.

This is so weird.

Oh hell no. Am I the only one who thinks it's disrespectful to be on your phone at all during someone else's wedding? Even when the ceremony and speeches are over and the party kicks in, I still think it's rude seeing people playing on their phones. Drink, dance, socialise but get off your damn phone!

I have thought about this today. Talked to my mom and my grandma. And the more I think about it the more it just does not seem like a great idea anymore. I think initially I was like oh yea I would hate for someone's phone to die while they are taking pics and such. But then I was like wait, so much going on at this huge celebration, why do I need to worry if someone needs to charge their phone. And do I really want people on their phone so much that it kills their battery? Hell no, I do not. So even though I was all for this in my previous post ... After some thinking, I am gonna have to say nope.

OMG! I had a kid once plug into my power srtip to charge his phone and leave the damn phone ON on top of the receiver for my wireless mic! Need I say any more about how the sound for the rest of that ceremony went? But back to the charging station.... I think it depends on the crowd. If you are encouraging them to hashtag and post all night they are going to burn through more juice. The best part of phones is some of the great shots some of the guests get and it has almost become a part of our culture. The worst part is the background of most photos including the professional ones, will be filled with pictures of people taking pictures instead of being emotionally present.

Brandi, that it is included by the DJ is brilliant. It is a wonderful way to fill a need and keep the phones from getting too close to their wireless system.

I've been relaxed so far, but I believe that I would have a major bridezilla moment if my guest behaved this way.

You don't believe it has ever happened Mrs.Fall Bride? Wendy said it has happened and she is in the wedding industry. Are you calling her a liar? WTF.

God, that sample Pintrest poem is the WORST. "Upload, tweet, until you get sore feet?" WTF. Use your damn hands to tweet and then email the happy couple to tell them not everything needs to rhyme.

There's no harm in doing this is it costs you nothing and you feel like it. However, I'd have a sign nearby (NOT rhyming) that says you and the venue are not responsible for lost/stolen phones.

There are very few outlets in our venue, and I don't see the point despite being very tech-savvy.

No, just no. Some guests act like professional paparazzi.

We had an unplugged ceremony. One of the smartest decisions we ever made. Hubby's photo obsessed aunt still managed to take over 400 shots, with her camera, before and after the ceremony.

The lights were dimmed for the ceremony and most of the reception, anyway.

P.S. I went to a wedding where the bride's grandmother was carrying around an I-pad all night, to take photos. I'm sure they shared their photographer's proofs with her. (We had 1300 proofs, from 2 photographers and 1 assistant; they didn't miss a thing).

Wendy is absolutely telling the truth. We have people playing with the uplights all the time...no, they ARE NOT toys for unattended children to try and blind themselves with. And, YES, they do unplug uplighting and have tried to unplug our DJ equipment to plug in their cell phones. A bride tripped and almost fell over a tangled mess of them behind the head table. WHY ARE THEY GOING DEAD IN THE MIDDLE OF A RECEPTION??????? If your phone is completely charged before you get to a wedding, and you only check a voicemail from the babysitter or an adult caregiver----possibly check in with your pet sitter---you should have enough battery power. What this says is that your guests are going to be on their phones CONSTANTLY. I has my cell phone fully charged when I arrived at my wedding on Saturday. I checked messages when I had a few second break, talked to another crew member for 3 minutes, and shared my FB page with the DJ. You know what? My battery was still at 90%.

(psssst....I hear that Candy Crush uses a ton of battery power. I also hear that taking a thousand pictures that you don't pay to store, anyway, uses a lot of juice, too! So, hey! Why don't your guests just be guests and charge their phones at home or in the car.....like I do when I work at a wedding.

We are going to have one at our wedding. some people take a lot of photos and then their battery dies..... our venue is an hour and 22 minutes away and we have a lot of people with young children so we are providing one so they can be reachable and still have a good time! amazon has a multiple charging cord cheap that has different ends..... i mean its not a lot of work its $7 takes 2 seconds to plug in you dont need a sign just have your mc announce it once. but its definatly not NEEDED......if our venue wasnt so far i probably wouldnt.

https://www.amazon.com/Charging-Premium-Quality-Universal-Lighting/dp/B01G61R46O/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1497229235&sr=8-14&keywords=multi charging cord

I'd be irritated if everyone was on their phones.... super rude imo.

I'll have to follow this thread as I was thinking of having a charging station. When I mentioned it to FH he straight gave me the screw face and said - Why are they on their phones and not enjoying the wedding?

I'll save this thread as ammo. ;-)

DH's phone is always dead so he would love this at a wedding! I think it's a fun and useful thing you could provide, but you certainly don't need to!

WeddingWire has branded phone charging stations we bring to vendor conferences and they are always swamped!

I'm horrified by these stories of guests and other vendors unplugging vendor's equipment, but could also totally see a tipsy guest thinking it's ok to ask the DJ or band to charge their phone. I see people ask bartenders to do this all the time!