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I came across an interesting picture on a wedding blog a few weeks ago. It showed a sign that asked guests to turn off their phones at a wedding. It was the first time I even considered the fact that people might take pictures with their phones to post on Facebook or Twitter during our ceremony.
Photo by Jodi Miller Photography
A quick Google search led me to an article on Offbeat Bride about “unplugged weddings.” It seems some brides are walking down the aisle to a crowd of people hunched over their devices or people staring at their screens. I also read an excerpt from a photographer’s memoir in which she complained that guests who think their job is to take photos and video get in the way of the shots that the professional photographers are there to take. She wrote that every wedding has an “Uncle Bob” who wants to play professional photographer for the day.
From Offbeat Bride / Photo by Nora and Troy at Aurora-Photography.com
I originally hoped that our wedding venue wouldn’t have cellular reception. Our first visit confirmed that the signal is strong, and a Facebook update soon after announced that they have WiFi as well. The social-media addict in me was a little happy, but I know I’m going to turn off my phone and leave the iPad at home on our big day.
I’ve been to two weddings in the last year and I didn’t notice anyone holding up devices, though I did see the bride from one of the weddings tagged in some Facebook photos soon after. I’m curious about whether anyone has been to a wedding where guests on phones or taking photos/video have gotten in the way. Do you think signs or notes in programs announcing that a wedding is “unplugged” are becoming necessary?
Along those lines, what do you think of this?!?
This is an awesome idea! I have not been to a wedding recently, it has been a while, and I really don’t recall that being a problem, but I can see how it would be a problem now. I went to a friend’s a few weeks ago for a small family get-together and I noticed that out of the 25 people there, 18 were on their phones! I am a tech freak, I love being online, but there is a time and a place for all that, and I do not believe the time and place for it is a wedding or a family gathering. People just need to learn to be polite and learn cell phone etiquette.
Thanks for the idea, it really hadn’t even crossed my mind.
@natp1982: I love technology, too…but I joke that every home needs a “kill switch” to cut the use of phones and ipads at times. 
FWIW, I’m not even sure this is something that needs to be addressed. Every couple probably knows their audience and whether they’d need the nudge.
I’m curious if anyone has seen phones in the air at weddings or if anyone has been to a wedding where there was some sort of reminder to silence or turn off devices.
I LOVE the idea. Our photographer emails that offbeat bride article to all his couples (as well as photos of weddings he’s done were the videographer is in EVERY single shot- but that’s a different discussion :P). My sister was at a wedding recently were before the ceremony started, the priest made an announcement about how people can take photos at the beginning and end (the walks up and down the aisle), but otherwise that the bride and groom wish for their guests to keep their phones and cameras away and just sit back and enjoy the wedding. I thought that was a good idea… My photographer is one of my biggest budget items and I don’t want 100 tiny screens ruining the photos (and I also don’t need photos from others… I don’t want everyone staring at a screen!).
@zippitydoodah: What a proactive photog! I bet he’s had his share of Uncle Bob encounters!
That Off Beat Bride article has a photo where a guest is BEHIND the officiant, taking a picture. Can you imagine?!?
Oh, and by noon the day after my cousins wedding last week, there were photos of their wedding from 9 different guests. another wedding I was at a few months ago, they announced that they want as many photos as possible and there were hundreds online in the days after the wedding- they didn’t send a lot of money on their photographer and wanted guest photos (I’m just a bit more picky than that
Em, the iPad bridesmaid? Oh, I don’t want to go into that. I guess it would make sense but…I don’t think I would do it. Maybe if a parent was ill in the hospital or off fighting a war? Anyhow, about being unplugged, I totally feel you on that. I made sure my DOC made an announcement before the ceremony started for folks to turn off their phones AND not get in the way of my photographer (whom I’d paid a small fortune :)) I once went to a wedding where folks were blocking the aisle of the church to take a picture of the bride and groom. So distracting 
I’ve seen it happen! My grandpa was a professional photographer, and while no one has followed him to the point of taking it as their profession, pretty much all of my 20 aunts and uncles and 60 cousins (no lie… thats just my mom’s side) has a dSLR camera and a lot of them decide that gives them the “right” to just jump in whenever they want… :S I have a nice camera too, but I know when to let the pros do their job haha
@zippitydoodah: If I bring my good camera to a wedding, I try to upload my pictures and share a link with the couple by the next day, but I usually let them decide what they want to do with them from there. I have never put a picture from a wedding on Facebook. I assume the pro photog will do that…and the editing will be better than what I do to mine!
@bRooklynRocks: This is something I never even considered before I saw that picture at the start of my post. Add it to the list of things to talk about.
@zippitydoodah: Oh my gosh, the prosumers! I heard that term used to refer to hobby photographers with nice cameras. I guess I’m one, too.
I think its a tad rude to tell people to turn off their devices. Whether we like it or not, we live in a world of cell phones.
I have a hard time believing guests are a significant problem to a profession photographer’s shots. I think those cases can be dealt with tactfully without banning digital devices.
Even the best photogs take a while to get back your pictures. I loved seeing all the snapshots my friends took and posted on facebook! And, if you ban digital devices your friends can’t take pictures of themselves. Your photographer isn’t going to take photos of all your guests whenever they want too.
Many of mine enjoyed the time to snap a few pics while they were all dressed up in front of a pretty backdrop. I think this will confuse guests as to whether you are banning digital devices from the reception as well.
I just really think its overkill. If your guest doesn’t know its bad manners to text during the ceremony a sign won’t stop them. Those people probably talk on their phones during movies even when they’re explicitly told not too!
@MissTurtle27: I can’t totally speak for the people who made announcements, but I assumed that they were talking about pictures during their ceremonies, not during the reception.
As I wrote above, you have to know your audience. I don’t think this will be an issue with my crowd, but we’re a little older.
We are going unplugged. We are including a note in our wedding program asking guests to kindly turn off their cell phones and refrain from taking any photos during our wedding ceremony. Our note will also ask guests to refrain from posting any photos to Twitter or Facebook before we have a chance to do so. This was very important to my fiance, and after the last wedding when I couldn’t see the bride and groom because of all the cell phones in my face, I agreed with him.
@WinterWhite2012: Interesting to another opinion from someone who has seen this first hand!
I didn’t mind folks taking photos during the wedding with their cameras or phones. What I did mind was the phone ringing in the middle of the ceremony… I had considered making a sign reminding people to turn off their phones, but I decided it wouldn’t be necessary because everyone would KNOW to do that… of course I was wrong.
What I did mind was people getting in the way of the photographers and videographer throughout the evening. I will be pretty ticked at one guest in particular - who happens to be a professional photographer (but not a wedding photographer) - who was completely in the way of the videographer during most of our first dance. Seriously, do people think that their personal photo of my first dance should come before my professional video of the same moment… And this guest hasn’t even uploaded his pics to our flickr site yet, he better though because they may be the only non-obstructed photos I’ll get of our dance!
@reebee: Oh no! I’m so sorry a ringing phone interrupted your ceremony!
Boo on your guest for getting in the way, too.
There was no cell reception during the whole weekend of our wedding. (We stayed at a guest house on the property)
It was a little challenging b/c vendors/guests were trying to call and couldn’t get through, but it was nice to be forced to be unplugged and not be able to do anything about it.
@Mrs. High Wire: I was really hoping we’d have weak cell phone reception at our venue.
I’m torn on this. Before our wedding, I was all about the being totally unplugged. Def. no cell phones, but I wasn’t going to tell people they could and couldn’t do. Our priest did make a announcement about cell phones and pictures during certain parts of mass.
But our friends and family actually took some pictures that were better than our photographers. There were moments between guests that were captured and were amazing. Everyone checked with me before facebook (we were lucky), and we ended up doing a flickr pro account. I didn’t see to many shots from points in the ceremony, but I’m also thinking that since we had a mass and most of our guests were catholic that they were respectful of that. Our guests also were respectful of the pro photographer (who jumps in front of a pro? Honestly.)
So I can see it for the ceremony, but I think having cameras at the reception is a given. Guest photos at their tables are some of my favorites from the wedding.
@lolo7835: Agreed! I think guest photos are sometimes going to pick up people and pairings that the pros wouldn’t know to capture.
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Miss Mink, Charlottesville, Virginia Age and Occupation: 34, College Administrator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 40, Craft Beer Consultant Engagement Date: November 26, 2010 Wedding Date: June 2012 Venue: Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards About Me: I left a pre-war brownstone in Boston six years ago to live in a funky, Southern city where Thomas Jefferson, Dave Matthews, and urban chicken keepers enjoy equal social standing. I still love my Patriots and Red Sox, but have fallen in love with Virginia. I work in education and specialize in integrating technology into my work to improve the student experience. I’m a diehard blogger, animal lover, jamband follower, and DIYer. I paint to relax and have transferred by energy from home projects to wedding projects in recent months. When Mr. Mink and I started talking about marriage, we knew our wedding would be outdoors, that my golden retriever would be part of the day, and that the music would be fantastic. We’ve taken a few risks during our planning process and we’ve been enjoying the process immensely!
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