How to Keep Your Unplugged Ceremony Actually Unplugged

Keeping your ceremony unplugged seems to be one of the biggest challenges for wedding couples today! More guests now are really focused on taking their own photos on their cell phones for whatever reason – maybe for the couple, maybe for their own Instagram feed, maybe because they don’t want to wait for the professionals to edit the photos and videos. But whatever the reason, some couples just really want their guests to be completely present during the ceremony – myself included!

So the obvious first step is to make a sign notifying your guests that your ceremony will be unplugged to allow your professional visual team the space they need to create their art, and that you expect them to respect your requests. This used to work a few years ago, but now it tends to be ignored.

So the next step is to have your officiant make an announcement that you as the couple have hired the best team, and that keeping their phones put away will allow that team to work together easily. As a destination wedding photographer, I’ve noticed this helps quite a bit to reduce the number of cellphones in the audience, no matter where the wedding is being held, as it serves as a reminder to everyone who might not have noticed your sign.

The last and best tip I have to get your guests to leave their cellphones in their pockets during the ceremony is to have a “photo minute.” This is about 60 seconds at the very beginning of the ceremony, after you’re standing up at the altar, where your officiant will make an announcement that the guests can whip out their cellphones to take as many photos as they want. However, they only have 60 seconds to do so, and then they have to put it away for the rest of the ceremony. This allows your guests to get the photo of you two standing up in the ceremony, which is what they really want, but also allows them to relax and enjoy you two committing yourselves to each other.

Now, in my dreams, I’d love to have a “cellphone check” at our wedding ceremony. You arrive, you check in with the ushers, you hand over your electronics, and you get a number in exchange. Then at the end of the ceremony, you hand the number back and get your electronics back! The guests would know their stuff is safe, and the couple would know that their ceremony won’t be interrupted by any stray phone noises or wandering cellphone photographers. This would also guarantee that my photo and video teams, whom I’ve invested in, won’t have to worry about working around an abundance of cellphones.

And as your wedding photographer, if I have your permission, I promise to ask your guests to put away their electronic devices if they continue to pull them out after the announcements have been made. I’ll be nice at first, but I’ve definitely gotten some evil glares before, and then I stop being so nice hahah.

If you love these tips and want more from me, hit that button below and let’s work together!