Why You Should Have an Unplugged Ceremony!
If you aren’t familiar with this term, its when you ask your guests to put away their phones and technology during their ceremony, making it completely “unplugged”! This has become more and more popular lately, and we think it’s a seriously awesome idea! We had an unplugged ceremony for our own wedding and would absolutely recommend it!
Some of you may be thinking, “The people I invited aren’t on their phones all the time, they definitely won’t be pulling them out during my wedding!” or “My relatives will know better than to stand in the aisle for a photo!” And while these things seem like a given, you would be SO surprised what people will do for a photo during your wedding! The great uncle that you didn’t even know could work a phone might step into the aisle during the ceremony and block your photographers/videographers. Or the family friend will be so focused on getting their Iphone photo that they miss getting to see your face as you walk down the aisle. It really is so surprising how quickly friends and family will pull out their phones during weddings!

Here are a few reasons why you should consider having an unplugged ceremony, and how to actually make it happen!
- It’s distracting! Your wedding ceremony is one of the most special moments of your life! You’ve invited your guests to share in those moments with you, and you want them to be present! If they are focusing on getting a photo while you walk down the aisle, they will miss that moment. If they are trying to get a photo of your first kiss as a married couple, they will miss that moment too. Do you want your loved ones watching your ceremony through their phone screen, or would you rather them put their phones away, and really experience all the moments with you?
- It gets in the way of your professional photos/video! I can’t tell you how many wedding ceremony photos we have of really important moments, and you can see guests holding up their phones in the photos. And I can’t tell you how many guests I’ve had get in front of me (The photographer that the couple hired!!) to get their own photo! The photos they take on their phone will definitely not be as good as the one your photographer takes with their professional equipment, and definitely isn’t worth ruining the photos you paid for!
- It can be really overwhelming! Picture yourself walking down the aisle to your soon to be spouse, this is one of the most special moments of your life. Now picture 30+ cameras all pointed at your face while you try to take in this really special moment! That sounds horrible to us!
- Important moments can be ruined! If you aren’t convinced yet, watch this video!! Wedding Guest Falls into Aisle! Something like this could easily happen at any wedding, and it’s really not worth it!
- It just makes your ceremony more special and your guests more present! Having an unplugged ceremony, invites your guests into a space where the main focus is celebrating relationship and connection. All of your people are right there just focused on celebrating with you guys! There are no distractions of phones or photos or anything else to take away from the moment. We think that’s pretty amazing!

So if you’re ready to have an unplugged ceremony, its actually pretty easy to make it happen! Here are 2 easy steps to make your ceremony more intimate and your guests more present with an unplugged ceremony!
- Make a sign! Lots of our couples will put a sign out at a table as guests walk up to the ceremony! There are tons of ideas on Pinterest for DIY signs you can make!
- Have your officiant announce it! This is CRUCIAL if you want to ensure that an unplugged ceremony actually happens. We have seen lots of ceremonies that only have a sign, and often guests don’t listen. Maybe it’s because they didn’t read it, maybe they didn’t take it seriously. But if you have your officiant announce at the beginning of the ceremony, you can be sure that all guests have heard and understand they shouldn’t pull their phones out! This can be as simple as
“Kayla + Andrew have requested that this be an unplugged ceremony, meaning that there will be no phones or photography allowed during the ceremony. They want you to be fully present during these moments! And don’t worry, their photographers will be taking amazing photos for them!”

Let us know in the comments what you think about unplugged ceremonies! Thanks for reading and we hope you’ll consider one!
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