Weddings are never easy to plan and prepare for. Couples, especially the brides, make sure that every detail is flawless, from her hair and makeup, gown, event styling and aesthetics, and program execution. Every minute of the wedding will be recorded, so there’s almost no room for mistakes and the last thing brides want is for unanticipated nuisances to occur.
To some, part of this nuisance is the annoying smartphone or tablet. That’s right, if you’ve been a wedding guest that stubbornly uses their smartphone to take a photo of the bride as she walks down the aisle, those days might be over for you if the next wedding you attend happens to ban smartphones.
Though it may cause frowning Instagram-obsessed guests, it’s frankly all for the best, and here’s why:
1. Photographers and Videographers Won’t Be Disturbed
If there’s one thing professional wedding videographers and photographers hate, it’s the smartphones and tablets that keep getting in the way as they try to get a good shot of the couple. Even if the majority of these devices are only concentrated on the pews or at the sides, it still makes them entirely visible on the pro’s shots. Some guests even dart to the middle of the aisle to get a perfect, front view shot! Imagine how these frustrate the pros, who arrived at the destination early to set up all their heavy equipment.
Couples get first-rate wedding videography service packages because they wanted their big day to have professional-quality media coverage. They hired the pros to handle all the documentation work, so guests are expected to be sensitive and considerate enough to let the skillful pros do their jobs. Guests might go home without their own pics of the brides and groom, but in return, they made the wedded couple and pros very grateful.
2. Reaction Shots Will Look More Authentic
When the bride starts to walk down the aisle, photographers and videographers would love to capture raw emotion from the guests, not their faces glued to the screens of their devices. When guests busy themselves over taking photos, they fail to be in the moment, resulting in photos and videos of them looking robotic. The same happens as the couple exchanges their vows. Surely, the bride and the groom are expecting teary-eyed guests in the media coverage, not outstretched arms and smartphone lenses!
3. It Saves Time
With smartphones whipped out by every guest, the couple would have to stop multiple times for personal photos, rather than only stopping for the designated time for official photos. This eats up time, and since ceremonies and programs run on a schedule, the couple could be put under stress. Thus, do your wedded friends a favor by keeping your smartphones in your purse or pocket.
Friendly Ways To Ban Smartphones and Tablets on Your Wedding
Discouraging guests to use these essential devices is no easy feat, but it can be done. Give everyone a heads-up before the wedding, and repeat it at intervals so your guests will always be reminded. Post it on your invitations, social media, and include it on your save-the-date videos and day-of ceremony. Assign an authority figure, like your wedding officiant, to make sure that it will be implemented.
At the venue, you may have baskets or anything similar passed around where guests can temporarily drop their devices in. You don’t need to oblige every guest, especially those who are expecting important calls but make it a goal to have most smartphones surrendered.
When you announce your unplugged wedding, try to be funny about it while still expressing your seriousness. Explain how going unplugged will benefit everyone so that your guests will also feel motivated to be in the moment during your special day.
