Unplugged weddings are talked about a lot, and I am sure a lot of you will have seen the Facebook rant by Thomas Stewart of Thomas Stewart Photography (Header photo image captured by him) in Southern Highlands, Australia, who laid out all of the reasons why camera phones, iPads and selfie sticks are ruining weddings. At the time of writing his Facebook post has had over 121k likes and 88k shares.

Now a wedding photographer will do their best to avoid those guests that decide to become a photographer for the day, however sometimes it really can become a bit ridiculous and those beautiful wedding photos of you walking down the aisle can be ruined.

23 Reason to have an Unplugged Wedding!

These are real wedding photos captured by real wedding photographers.

What does ‘unplugged wedding’ mean?

An unplugged wedding is where you and your guests unplug from the world, be it your phone, iPad, camera, or any other technology that is around. An unplugged wedding is about enjoying the moment, looking down the aisle to see your friends and family looking back, seeing their emotion, seeing them smile, feeling the love. On the other side in a world where people are checking their phones, taking photos and uploading to Facebook or Instagram in an instant, do you want to look down the aisle to see your friends and family hiding behind a camera or their phone as they take photos and upload for the world to see before you have even said ‘I Do’?

Why you should have an unplugged wedding?

If the photos above were not enough of a reason, then think about your guests and why you want them to be there. You want them to be there to enjoy the moment, enjoy the moment of you getting married, to forget about everything and just be there. There is no need for guests to be checking their phone, there is no need for guest to take photos, you have hired a professional wedding photographer.

Social Media

With social media an everyday part of most peoples lives, do you want all these photos taken by guests splashed up on Facebook before you have walked back down the aisle as husband and wife? Do you want to turn your phone on at the end of the day and have notifications of hundreds of photos you have been tagged in? This is your wedding day and you should be able to choose what is shared and who shares it.

You want your guests to enjoy the day, and be part of it, you haven’t invited your family and friends along to take photos and be a photographer for the day, you have hired a professional for that. You have invited them because you want them there, there in person and not hidden behind a phone.

Should you Ban Guests From Phones and Cameras?

Banning phones and cameras may sound a little strong, but it isn’t about banning them, it is about getting your guest to understand that you have hired a professional wedding photographer and that they can view these photos once ready. You want your guests to understand that you want them to be there and enjoy the moment.

Use signs to advise your guests to not use their phones or camera while the ceremony takes place, add a little message and note to your invite, check out Unplugged Weddings on Pinterest for ideas on signage, wording and creative ways to inform your guests.

Read our post – 17 Ways to Politely tell your Wedding Guests you have a Photographer.

This Video sums it all up nicely…

This video posted up on YouTube by SLF weddings sums up and shows you why you should go unplugged, and why you as guests should put the phones down and enjoy the moment, that is what the bride and groom want.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6tCzbmFCNY[/embedyt]

Unplugged Weddings. Your Thoughts?

What are your views on uploaded weddings? Do you advise your couples to go unplugged, or are you a bride and groom that have decided to go unplugged?

If you are a photographer drop us a comment below on how often you see this and your views on it, also please do share it too.

What are you thoughts on unplugged weddings? Will you be telling your guests to keep their phones turned off and there is no need to bring your camera?