Why & How to Have an Unplugged Ceremony | Maine Wedding Photographer & Videographer

Picture this - you turn to walk down the aisle on your wedding day, expecting to see your fiancé’s reaction & the smiling faces of your loved ones but instead you are looking at the many phones covering their faces and blocking your view. This is the reality of so many weddings.

The idea of an unplugged wedding or unplugged ceremony has been circling around the web for a while now but if you’re not sure what that means - let us give you the scoop.

First, we’re going to start by saying we’re a huge lovers of social media and love us some photos for the ‘gram... BUT we also believe there is a time and place for all of that, and your wedding ceremony should not be one of them. Here are the few reasons why...

We believe wedding ceremonies are sacred. It’s a time when you and your fiancé vow to spend forever together in front of your closest family and friends. You and your guests should be present in this moment. Time on your wedding day is so so fleeting, so encourage your guests to put down their devices and enjoy the moment with you.

You hired professionals, trust us to do our job. Maybe your aunt is an aspiring photographer or grandma just really wants to get her ipad out to upload a photo to Facebook. Kindly tell them no. Not only is it frustrating for us to doge all the phones and cameras to get the perfect shot, the continuous flashes from everyone else’s devices messes with the quality of your photos. We could share countless photos with you of guests sticking their iphone out in the middle of the isle to terrible lighting from all the flashes of another camera, but we won’t... please take our word for this. Ask your guests to set their technology aside and trust the professionals to do their job.

Here’s how you can get creative with an unplugged ceremony:

01. Put a nice sign at the entrance that lets guests know you will be having an unplugged ceremony. Make sure to include a little info about what that means if anyone has questions.

02. Announce it on your wedding website. This gives guests a warning ahead of time that you either would like them to leave their cameras at home and save their devices for the party.

03. Have your officiant announce at the beginning of the ceremony (BEFORE you walk down the aisle) that you would like everyone to be present in the moment during your ceremony, and kindly ask them to put their devices in off mode. Remind your guests that the couple has hired a professional to capture the day how it looks, and you invite them to be present in the moment and capture how it feels.

There are so many ways to be crafty about having an unplugged ceremony without offending anyone. After all, it is your wedding day, so make sure it goes how you want it to. This also doesn’t mean your entire wedding has to be unplugged! We think Instagram hashtags for your reception are a great idea and allows your guests to capture your day through their eyes. We just believe it’s important to remember that you want your guests there as guests, and that means enjoying the moment and letting the professionals do their job.