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Elisabeth
Dedicated August 2016

Disconnected Wedding....

Elisabeth, on August 6, 2015 at 11:48 AM Posted in Etiquette and Advice 0 27

Has anyone heard of doing a phone's free ceremony? Asking guests to put phones away while they are attending the ceremony.

I have heard people talk about it and didn't know what everyone's thoughts were? has anyone done this? how did it go over?

27 Comments

Latest activity by Celia Milton, on August 6, 2015 at 1:42 PM
  • sjd85
    Super October 2015
    sjd85 ·
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    We are doing it. It wasn't necessarily something that I planned on doing, but my church asks that no one but the photographer take pictures during the ceremony, so it will be unplugged for that reason.

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  • Monica SC
    Master October 2015
    Monica SC ·
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    It is actually referred to as an "unplugged" ceremony. We are doing this. It's on our website, the officiant will make an announcement and we have a sign that people will see as they come in.


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  • Trisha
    Master August 2015
    Trisha ·
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    I posted about it on our website, but that's about it. People know it's rude to be on their phones, so if they're going to do it, they'll do it with or without your permission.

    My MOH actually sent me one of those signs the other day and said I should buy it. I reminded her that just last month she was busted by the pro photographer using her phone during another friend's "unplugged" wedding.

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  • MrsLaurenET
    Master September 2016
    MrsLaurenET ·
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    I want to do this as well, because all I can picture are the scenarios below.. and it breaks my heart that important pictures like first kiss/etc would be ruined.

    *these are not my photos



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  • SpringBride2015
    Super June 2016
    SpringBride2015 ·
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    We're doing this too. I've put it on our website, in the programs, and we will have the officiant state it before the ceremony.

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  • Elisabeth
    Dedicated August 2016
    Elisabeth ·
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    Thanks for helping me with the name.... I had a total blank moment on it. I'm glad to know that other people are thinking about it too!

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  • Ebony502
    Super November 2015
    Ebony502 ·
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    I'm not doing it, but I think it's a good idea. People are never in the moment anymore. We view everything through photos from our phones.

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  • pinguino
    VIP September 2015
    pinguino ·
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    I am torn on this. I have seen many good shots captured by friends and family from weddings, but I would be so upset if the pictures we paid thousands of dollars for were ruined by aunt so and so trying to take a pic in the middle of the aisle with her ipad.

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  • thefunbean
    VIP October 2016
    thefunbean ·
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    My friend did this at her wedding last year, and I think everyone followed it. I plan to do it at mine as well. I don't care about phones and whatnot at the reception, but our ceremony space is a very intimate space, so I want to make sure our photographers are able to capture everything without a phone or person in the way!

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  • Original VC
    Master July 2015
    Original VC ·
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    Nope. We wanted people to take pics with their phones, and we also wanted them to upload them if they wished to do so, so we could see them too. Our JP announced at the beginning of the ceremony that nobody could stand on the aisle at any point, so that the photographer could take photos, but otherwise people could use their phones and/or take photos.

    I honestly never noticed if people were using their phones (for something other than photos). All the times I glanced at our guests they were looking at us.

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  • Ashley771
    Super October 2016
    Ashley771 ·
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    I've seen this done before and it went over well. Everyone seemed to be very respectful of the couple's decision.

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  • Jersey
    Master November 2016
    Jersey ·
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    I went to a wedding that had a small card on each aisle seat. It said something along the lines of --You take this seat with great responsibility. and something about keeping your camera out of the aisle.

    The aisle people are the only ones that ruin the photos-- So I thought it was an interesting idea.

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  • Princess Consuela
    Master November 2015
    Princess Consuela ·
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    I've heard mixed reviews. On one hand, it can be interpreted as rude and/or insulting to tell adults how to behave, but it's also rude to have your phones out. Like Trisha said, people know it's rude to be on their phones anyway, so even if you tell people not to do it, they still might.

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  • Shauna
    VIP May 2015
    Shauna ·
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    I didn't do this. I have a lot of great pictures that were taken by guests. Good thing because my photographer does not seem to want to give me my photos.

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  • Sarah
    Dedicated September 2015
    Sarah ·
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    We are doing an Unplugged Wedding. We have a section explaining it on our website, we made a chalkboard sign to put up as guests enter the venue, and either the officiant or the DJ (TBA) will make an announcement before the ceremony begins.

    Our photographer does a next-day Facebook preview with about 20 photos, which solidified our unplugged decision for me. She also guarantees the full proof gallery in 2 weeks and encourages sharing, so I have no problem asking guests to let our photographer handle the job, since they will have access to download the pro photos. You pay so much $$ for a quality photographer, and it would be crazy to have a thoughtless guest get in their way.

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  • VWCat
    Master October 2015
    VWCat ·
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    We're having an unplugged ceremony. We have two places on our website that mention it, and our officiant will make a quick announcement before the ceremony begins.

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  • Ostrich
    Master April 2016
    Ostrich ·
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    We didn't do it and some of my favorite photos are from guests politely taking pictures during the ceremony. They weren't in any pro pictures and I'm so glad they captured some of the moments!!

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  • Nikki
    VIP November 2015
    Nikki ·
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    I just went to a wedding where the guy in front me was taking a photo with his iphone, which was blocked by someone in front of him taking a photo with an iphone, which was blocked by someone in the second row taking photos with an IPAD.

    We are going unplugged.

    ETA: Yes, this actually happened.

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  • Courtney CtoS
    VIP August 2016
    Courtney CtoS ·
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    As long as I remember, I'm going to have the officiant request that people don't pull out their phones for the ceremony. I'd have a sign too, but we will have people coming in from different directions (people don't read signs anyway).




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  • jomabago
    Super September 2017
    jomabago ·
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    This is an interesting thought, I like the idea of the cards in the aisle seats and mentioning not to stand in the aisle.

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