As a Tallahassee & Tampa Wedding Officiant and Photography company, we see many weddings- small, large, organized, unorganized, DIY, planners, venue, homes, beaches, and so much more. We love looking back at all the weddings we’ve been a part of and remembering the special times.
When we have the opportunity to be your Tallahassee & Tampa Wedding Officiant and Photography company we get to see all your pictures– which is great! With that being said, we see your ceremony from the Officiant side and the Photography side. Recently, the Huffington Post published an article, “Why You Might Want to Consider an Unplugged Wedding” about how guests taking pictures can sometimes ruin the professional photographers pictures….check out the images they shared in the article. We couldn’t agree more with this article. From the Photography side, we have noticed that guests taking pictures do sometimes ruin what would have been a wonderful picture– and from the Officiant side, we notice that guests are so absorbed in taking pictures or video recording they are not actually paying attention to the ceremony and enjoying the moment.
We know guests LOVE to take their own pictures, even if you have hired a professional photographer. We’ve attended weddings as guests and totally want to take pictures too!!! It’s a tough situation to ask guests NOT to take pictures during the ceremony but it’s something to consider when planning your wedding.
One ceremony I officiated the couple asked me to kindly say the following before the ceremony:
““Good afternoon and welcome! As we will be beginning shortly I would ask that those of you with cell phones, tablets, and cameras to please turn them off and put them away.”
At first when the couple asked me to do this, I thought it might be a bit weird and not taken too kindly by the crowd. But, as soon as I said the words everyone was totally okay AND they all watched the ceremony with smiles and tears in their eyes. It was a great experience for all!!!
Here’s a picture by Photos by George Sr. where you can see guest taking picture during ceremony ruined what would have been a nice ceremony shot.
Another idea would be to put a little sign up asking guests to refrain from taking pictures during the ceremony OR write it in your ceremony programs. I’m sure with the help of Pinterest you could find a crafty thoughtful way to ask your guests to refrain from taking pictures during the ceremony.
The memories you and your guests have from your ceremony are what matter most…not who posts the first picture of the new Mr. and Mrs. on Facebook….so we hope you will consider our suggestions and the information from the Huffington Post article on having an “unplugged” wedding.
