Phones at Ceremony

View Quoted Comment I completely understand what you’re saying. I also think every group is different to some degree. Some never attend weddings and other get together so it’s a rare thing, while another group will have them pretty often. However in my personal experience as a guest many times over, I have never seen anyone with their cameras and phones out because it’s not the right time or place until the reception at least. Someone else’s group may not understand that. So it’s not a one size fits all but “know your crowd “

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I gotcha, and you're fortunate that it wasn't a problem, or that it wasn't noticed by you because so many people have had the opposite experience. So much that requesting ceremonies to be unplugged has become a normal occurrence. I just personally can't see why a guest would take offense to it.

I was thinking of having the priest just make a polite request to not take the pics. I don’t know yet. I’m hoping people have enough sense to not get in the photographers way, but you never know! There’s always one....

I am probably in the minority here in that I couldn't have cared less if people took phone pictures during our ceremony. Yes, a good photographer should have no problem working around obstructions or even telling someone to move if they're in the way. None of our guests were rude with their phones. I've been to weddings with huge "unplugged" signs where people obviously didn't pay attention and still had their phones out. We actually got some really awesome photos of our ceremony from friends, which we enjoyed while we were waiting for our professional pictures to come back. We even realized afterwards as we were looking through some pictures that my husband's uncle was able to FaceTime his grandmother, who wasn't able to travel to the ceremony due to her age, and we were sooo happy she was able to "see" the ceremony. We had other family members that wanted to send pictures to other relatives who weren't able to attend. To each their own though!

We are going to have a sign and have our JP make an announcement. I don't want to look back at our wedding album years from now and see peoples phones. They will look at the photos they took once or twice and then they will be forgotten on their phones. Now that we don't have to hide behind a mask we want to see everyone's smiling faces not their devices. I think everyone can put their phones away for 30 minutes and enjoy the moment with us. If anyone wants photos we will be happy to share. That's is why we hired a professional photographer. We are not inviting our guests to the wedding to take photos of us.

I truly thought a sign at the entrance would sufficient but I would definitely recommend an announcement. I've had people send me video or photos they took during the ceremony thinking it's nice and I can see at least 8 people with phones out. It's so upsetting, we spent so much money on a photographer and the last thing I wanted was phones in peoples faces in our photographers pictures.

From my experience, it really depends on the crowd and the atmosphere of the ceremony. If it's a more formal affair, guests are usually more mindful about not using their phones. However, without any explicit request or reminder, there's always a chance that someone might get carried away and start snapping pictures, potentially obstructing the professional photographer's shots or distracting from the ceremony's intimacy.

I don't think it's rude to request an unplugged ceremony. It's becoming quite common and most guests understand that the couple wants to ensure the solemnity of the event and the quality of professional photos. Having the officiant make a gentle announcement can be effective, as it reminds guests right before the ceremony starts.

Your mom has a point that a skilled photographer can work around phones, but they can only do so much if there's a sea of smartphones in the air. Plus, having an unplugged ceremony isn't just about photos; it's also about encouraging guests to be fully present and engaged in the moment, which is a beautiful thing.