The Benefits of having an Unplugged Wedding
What is an unplugged wedding and what are the benefits of having an unplugged wedding?
An unplugged wedding (where ever its held ) is where you ask your guests to turn off their phones, cameras, tablets, and other mobile devices during your ceremony.
Put simply its a chance for your guests to get away from technology for a day and enjoy the beautiful Cotswold scenery of your venue. As a Gloucestershire wedding photographer I of course use technology every day to capture fantastic memories, but when I’m not doing my day job I too like to escape into nature and leave technology behind.
What are the benefits of an unplugged wedding?
•There are many benefits to having an unplugged wedding, where ever you choose to get married albeit at one of the many stunning Cotswold locations or in a town, having your guests full focus on the ceremony will ensure they are able to really enjoy making their own great memories from your special day.
•When guests use their own cameras, there are many ways that this affects the photography that you’re actually paying for. Guests are often taking photos at the same time we are, and their flashes interfere with our cameras, leaving you blown out completely (and unsalvageable) images or weird shadows and lighting throughout the photos.
•Guest cameras can leave a red or green dot from their focusing mechanisms. These may show up in our images.
•If guests don’t turn off the noise on their cameras, this can be very loud when taking the photos. This can be very distracting to you and your guests.
•Speaking of distracting – let’s talk about iPads and other tablets used to take photos. They are HUGE and are very distracting. If we are taking a wide photo of your ceremony, your eyes go straight to the tablet and completely ignore the beautiful couple exchanging vows.
•Guests will often get in the aisle or stand in front of the professional photographers, blocking their shot. Sometimes, it’s too late for us to be able to get them to move, and we certainly don’t want to upset your guests by making them move.
•During family formals, guests will often stand around photographers to get shots of their own, which can create harsh lighting if they use their flash. Even if they don’t use their flash, it causes the group to constantly be looking around, leaving wandering eyes. It’s hard for the photographer to get a good photo with everyone looking at the camera when there are multiple people taking photos around you.
•Most importantly, if your guests are taking photos, they are not fully able to enjoy the moment. They are absent and distracted by their picture taking and posting.
I highly recommend having your wedding unplugged, but respect your wishes if you choose not to. After all as an experienced and well established Gloucestershire Wedding Photographer I am used to guests wanting to capture their own memories.
