A wedding celebration is a lifetime memory. It is expected to be embraced just once. Some people even believe in throwing a grand gesture in order to make it unforgettable for them and the people celebrating it together on the day. Some, however, think of keeping it simple and intimate. They invite less than 100 people to minimize issues that could happen on the spot. Well, no matter which way each person gets to opt, there is a notion of the unplugged ceremony to be proposed particularly when the wedding ceremony involves holy rituals. The purpose is merely to produce good, momentous pictures.

What is an unplugged ceremony?
Unplugged ceremony is a term in celebrating a wedding where the guests are not allowed to take pictures with any kind of gadgets. This term is actually useful for the couples themselves to focus on the religious or sacred ceremony. Imagine when a lot of guests try to head to the altar for capturing moments. People on the altar might get distracted and cause an unexpected issue. It is possible to wreck the entire sacred moments and give a difficult time to the main photographer to do the job.

Why is it important?
Unplugged ceremony is also suggested by myriad of wedding photographers who find it as a bit of distraction when people compete with the photographer in taking pictures. Cases are people hanging their phone to the air for a perfect angle then blocking the photographers as the phones will be on the frames. It will turn out a bit messy surely. As a reminder, there is a reason why people hire wedding photographers: to catch the movements, expressions, emotions and the whole senses in the atmosphere. And only by having an unplugged ceremony, they will be able to work as expected, and finish the job in the maximum possible level to provide quality results.

How to do it better?
We know how much smartphone takes our daily lives. The tendency to share things live can sometimes lead to an uncomfortable scene for some people, especially if they need privacy. There are a few things that we can do to eliminate the trouble of this phone-phenomena. Make wooden signage with a note of something like this: “Welcome to our Unplugged Ceremony. We invite you to connect with us at this sacred moment. Please turn off your phones and put down your cameras. We are forever grateful for your presence here with your hearts, without the distraction of technology. Thank you.”

Does hashtag help?
Instagram always listens to their audience's needs, therefore it now gives us a feature of question and answer box. It can be useful for the upcoming bride and groom to ask their audience for hashtag ideas. After the decision has been made, write the hashtag inside the invitation and wedding signage. Make sure that the guests are aware of this so they can use it when searching for your wedding photos afterward. Last but not least, inform your photographer and wedding planner about this too, it will help you to have a beautiful gallery when the vendor uploads their works on Instagram.