Should You Unplug Your Wedding? A list of Pros and Cons.
If you’re not familiar with the term, you’ll probably assume that an “unplugged” wedding means a wedding with absolutely no electricity, lights, heating or power of any kind. Whilst it’s not that far down the au natural route, an unplugged wedding does revolve around one key factor; no phones or electronic devices. It’s simply a wedding where you inform your guests that there will be no smartphones, cameras or technology of any kind during the service or reception. The only person snapping will be the hired photographer! You may ask yourself why you’d want to do this for your wedding, or how exactly you go about it - well, here’s a few pros and cons to consider when making the decision.
Pros:
1. SWEET SILENCE: No phones will ring. This one really can’t be overstated enough; the opportunity to not have to hear buzzes or vibrations or annoying ringing noises is practically a luxury these days - you’ll definitely want to have that opportunity for your big day!
2. IN THE MOMENT: People will be more present and in the moment. Since phones and tablets are eliminated from the equation, not only will there be no unwanted photos or flashes going off, but there will be no chance for guests to just doddle away on their phones the whole night. Who knows, you might help some people break a bad habit by forcing them to stay off their phone for one day!
3. CONTROL: You’re in control of all the photos and videos that are taken at your wedding. No awkward selfies, no slanted-angle shots by tipsy bridesmaids, no unflattering videos where the lens is half covered by your uncle’s thumb. If you have a photographer and/or videographer present, you can relax and just let them do the job they’re paid to do and be guaranteed some beautiful, professional photos of the ceremony.
4. VALUE: The professional photos that get taken will be much more meaningful, as they will be the only snaps taken of how you both looked during your wedding ceremony, and the added bonus of not having 100 photos in your walking down the isle shots, or your Auntie semi blocking the isle with her obnoxious red ipad sticking out.
5. CLEAR VIEW: Last and certainly not least- you can walk down the aisle and actually see people’s faces and not a sea of phone cameras. Better yet, you’ll get to see the smiles of your close family and friends without somebody’s “plus one” blocking their faces or your view.
Cons:
1. DISGRUNTLED GUESTS: No doubt some of your guests will be a bit confused or even irritated by the request to not bring in any phones; after all, a smartphone is practically an extension of the human body nowadays! The best way to navigate this without causing too much controversy is wording the instruction in a way that doesn’t seem demanding, such as “we would love to be able to experience this wedding with all of our loved ones without any distractions or noise to make it even more special” or something that tugs at their heartstrings. You can also choose to inforce this rule just for the ceremony and let them go wild with their phones for the rest of the night.
2. ONE SHOT: The photographer has got to nail the photos. If you hire a professional then you shouldn’t have to worry about a thing, but if there’s only one set of photos of your wedding day then you have to make sure they’re exactly how you want them to look, as they will be the only set that exists!
3. DELAY: It will take time to see your photos. Don’t hold out for instant gratification, because even digital photographs taken on DSLRs need to be edited so check your photographers turn around times- this will likely take a few weeks, so make sure you can deal with the delayed excitement whilst also fending off requests from friends and family who will pester you for photos every day.
4. DISAGREEMENTS: Unco-operative guests may just disregard your wishes for an unplugged wedding on purpose, or some of the more absent-minded ones may simply forget. Try and have someone you trust to be the “lookout” who reminds people not to be on their phones so you don’t have to. No matter what, there’s no point in you stressing out about these things on your wedding day!
Some more advice on how to approach the situation:
As I mentioned earlier, don’t be too demanding. You don’t need to stamp “NO PHONES!” in huge, bold red letters on the invites, but you do need to make it apparent well ahead of time. It’s a good idea to let the idea naturally permeate through conversation, so word of mouth is always a good bet. Tell your close friends and family first and soon everyone will hear that you’re having an unplugged wedding, and then the idea will become a well known fact! You can also make the fact known on wedding signage, ceremony booklets and of course you can talk to your celebrant and see if they tastefully remind your guests this is an unplugged ceremony.
As a photographer I am a BIG fan of unplugged ceremonies- the emotions I capture when people are present are far beyond anything I can capture with a phone in front of guests faces. Not to mention, I have hard drives of photos that have been ruined by a sea of phones, ipads and of course the guests that whip out camera’s with massive lenses and awkwardly situate them self in the middle of the isle!! But like any decision with a wedding, I know there are multiple angles to consider, and I hope that this article helps a little if you’re looking to go down the avenue of an unplugged wedding- . If you have any questions, please leave me a comment or drop me an email and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
