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Dedicated October 2021

Unplugged ceremony (prefer people not post photos of me & my fiancé until we get our professional photos back)

Janae, on October 12, 2021 at 10:36 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 1 19
So I plan on having an unplugged ceremony. For the reception obviously people will be free to take photos( we will even have a wedding hashtag where they can post them.) My thing is I would prefer people to not post photos of me and my fiance. I don't care if they post pictures of themselves but would like to wait to post pictures of myself until we get our professional photos. Is that to much to ask for? Would it be rude to ask guest not to post pictures of us? Anytime I've been at a wedding, I'd wait to post after the bride has.

19 Comments

Latest activity by Yessenia, on October 13, 2021 at 8:47 PM
  • Samantha
    Super August 2022
    Samantha ·
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    I'm going to be honest and say this is probably going to be a bit difficult to do, especially if you have older/middle-aged guests. My mom in particular is known to get Facebook post happy (posting pictures while we waited during wedding dress shopping comes to mind). I think if you sort of have a one on one discussion with as many guests as possible about your expectations, it might be easier ad be received better? Or if you have a little photobooth/prop area you could have a sign there with your hashtag and a request that they wait to post pictures of you two until you've posted..?

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  • J
    Dedicated October 2021
    Janae ·
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    I do plan on speaking to my close family members and hope they can also spread the word. Do you think it's asking to much though?
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  • Samantha
    Super August 2022
    Samantha ·
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    It kind of depends on what's common in your circles. I personally haven't ever attended a wedding where no one has posted a picture of the bride and groom before wedding photos/sneak peak were posted, but I would imagine some circles find that to be more normal. With my friends and family I personally think that would be too much to ask.

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  • J
    Dedicated October 2021
    Janae ·
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    I guess in my mind I feel like it would take away from me posting the professional photos. Maybe I'm over thinking it.
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  • Samantha
    Super August 2022
    Samantha ·
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    If it's any consolation, I promise the professional pictures will be leaps and bounds better than whatever anyone else posts, and I have never thought an iPhone picture from someone's aunt ruined the reveal of the professional ones. You definitely have time to think on it and see if you still feel this way in a few weeks or months, you know? It could be one of those things you're fixated on now but that you realize won't actually worry you when it's time for the big day, or you'll find it really is important to you and that you want to prioritize making it happen.

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  • J
    Dedicated October 2021
    Janae ·
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    My day is next week so I need to decide asap lol But thank you for hearing me out, and for the advice!
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  • Samantha
    Super August 2022
    Samantha ·
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    OH HOW EXCITING, congrats!!! Okay, well I'd say make a game time decision in like the two days before. If it's still bothering you in the midst of all the other stuff going on, then it's the right move for you!

    Have so much fun, I'm so excited for you 🥰

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  • J
    Dedicated October 2021
    Janae ·
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    Thank you, and happy planning!
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  • C
    Super July 2020
    Cool ·
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    This is something that will be very hard to enforce, especially in a way that won’t bother some. If people are going out of their way to take a picture of you and Husband or posing with them, you can gently let them know at that time that you’d prefer if they waited to post. I would handle it as it comes rather than communicating ahead of time not to post pictures of you.
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  • Cece
    Master October 2023
    Cece ·
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    No, it is definitely not asking too much. This should really just be common social etiquette, but unfortunately some people just don’t think when it comes to social media There are actually signs made for this particular situation though! (See photos)
    You can also print this information on a details card sent out with your invitation suite, if you have not already sent out invitations.


    Unplugged ceremony (prefer people not post photos of me & my fiancé until we get our professional photos back) 1
    Unplugged ceremony (prefer people not post photos of me & my fiancé until we get our professional photos back) 2

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  • Michelle
    Dedicated November 2021
    Michelle ·
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    We are looking into a photo sharing app called “The Guest” for this exact reason. As petty as it may be, I don’t want people posting pictures before I do. Also, with the app it is easier to download pictures people took over getting them from Facebook or Instagram.
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  • C
    Master January 2019
    Cassidy ·
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    I have a cousin who posts EVERYTHING. I was so worried about her posting me in my dress before I did. I had my brothers girlfriend use my phone to snap 3 specified pictures during our ceremony and she posted them to my Facebook literally when the ceremony ended. That way I didn’t have to worry about it the rest of the day and people could post what and when they wanted. I then added more non-pro photos after the reception.
    Having nonprofessional photos posted didn’t take away from when I posted the professional shots. Plus the ones people posted were such poor quality it made the professional pictures shine even more. And, the amount of pictures posted of the 2 of us were very small, lots of selfies and family shots, place settings and decor.
    Talk to essential family members about your concerns, but also don’t stress over the what if someone does. And if you want to be the first to post, don’t blame you, see if you can work something out like I did. Congrats! I hope you day is wonderful!
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  • Frankie
    Dedicated April 2022
    Frankie ·
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    You're not unreasonable, however, chances are that some of them won't respect this.
    The same when the couple request an unplugged ceremony... 99,9999% sure some guests will sneakily take some pics since they know you won't be able to watch them .
    Hopefully your crow will be more respectful than most couples'.
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  • T
    Super April 2021
    Tiger Bride ·
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    Personally, I think this is a little bit over the top. People document things as they happen, especially for things like Insta stories. I would find it a bit off if someone posted a selfie from a wedding but not something that involved the bride or groom because that's the whole point of the wedding. But if you want to, you can request that. Just be aware people probably will not post after you do - by the time you get your pics back, people will have moved on.
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  • M
    VIP January 2019
    Maggie ·
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    You can ask, but as others have said, this isn't really something you can enforce/control. On your apps, turn on the "tag approval" feature, so at least you'll know if someone has tagged you (and then you can ask them to take the photo down). I wouldn't have a hashtag at all, because that is sending some seriously mixed messages.

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  • J
    Super March 2022
    JA ·
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    It'll definitely be hard to make sure no one posts anything, but you can definitely have signs if you feel strongly about it! Like others have said, the Pro photos will be amazing and will definitely stand out over the guest photos.

    I want FH and I to be the first to post photos/announce that we are married, so we are going to have my MOH take a few pictures after our first look that we can post immediately after the ceremony. (and Ceremony will be unplugged, so no one else should have photos of/with us until the reception anyway) Then people can post/tag us all they want!

    Still, the Pro photos will be wayyyy better so sharing those will still be special!

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  • J
    Dedicated October 2021
    Janae ·
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    I did think having a hashtag could send mixed messages. I will turn on my tag approval and let my close family members know not to post pictures of us. Like I said I don't mind people posting pictures of the wedding just not us. If someone does then it is what it is. I obviously can't control everyone.
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  • Molly
    Expert August 2021
    Molly ·
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    We had an unplugged ceremony. Some people did have their phones out and took pictures which didn't bug me much cause most were of their kids in the wedding or just basic ceremony stuff. Though my aunt (who is from a side I've been considering going LC/NC with) took a picture of our first kiss and posted it to FB two hours after our ceremony (then she left shortly after dinner and wouldn't have even said bye if we didn't run into them). I think zero pictures of you and your FH will be a little hard to enforce but, it's not too much to ask. I would definitely make it clear you want nothing from the ceremony.

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  • Yessenia
    Savvy November 2021
    Yessenia ·
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    I am planning on having an unplugged ceremony. On our invitations, we made it clear that all phones or video devices would be collected for the duration of the mass. Once that's done, I don't really care about anyone taking pictures at the reception. I just really don't want to have my professional photographer's pictures include someone with a phone out, that's not what I would want to frame as my wedding ceremony memories. Make sure you have a way to let everyone know before the wedding day of your wishes, and turn on tag approval!
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