I recently came across this question on Instagram and started thinking more about it! It’s been a hot topic for the past year or so, especially among photographers! I thought it would be a useful conversation to have! So should you unplug your wedding guest?

What is an unplugged wedding? 

An unplugged wedding is one where you ask all of your family and friends to leave their cameras at home! Or at least in their pockets! That includes cellphone, tablets, and cameras! You ask everyone to just enjoy your wedding day and to view the professional photographers after your wedding day!

Pros of an unplugged wedding? 

I may be a little bias when it comes to unplugged weddings, but I believe that unplugged weddings are awesome! You don’t have to worry about a bunch of cameras, phones or tablets in all of your photographs! Everyone gets to fully enjoy your wedding day! It seems that we’re always on our phones or tablets and rarely just get the chance to relax and enjoy the moment! After all, you’re at a wedding to celebrate the day, not to capture photos! Plus you don’t have to worry about anyone stepping in front of your hired photographer during a key moment like your first kiss! Just imagine it’s time for your first kiss as a married couple at the alter and your uncle steps into the aisle blocking the photographer! You won’t have to worry about that with an unplugged ceremony!

Cons of an unplugged wedding?

You have to wait for your professional photos! You can’t log onto Facebook or Instagram after your wedding and see lots of photos from your friends and family during the wedding! That is one of the main cons! However, that’s not really a big deal if your photographer has a fairly quick turnaround time!

Is there a happy medium?

Yes, there is a medium between the two! Many couples decide to have an unplugged ceremony and then hashtag their reception! We chose this for our wedding day! I didn’t want anyone to get in the way of our hired photographers during the ceremony, so we placed signs on the door that asked everyone leave their cameras in their pockets! For the reception, we placed our Instagram hashtag signs on the entry door! It worked perfectly for us! We didn’t have a bunch of cameras or phones in our ceremony photos! And we got to see lots of fun videos and photos from our reception! It was a win-win!