<p>It’s called “Corey Talks • Why You Should Have an Unplugged Wedding”</p>
<p>If you google it, it should be the first thing that comes up.</p>
<p>I completely agree, oldfort. </p>
<p>And that blog post was educational. How awful!</p>
<p>I haven’t been to a wedding in a few years, but I can see this being a problem. Was at a concert the other night and the younger women in front of me held up their smartphones to record all of their their favorite songs…which put said phone screens between me and the performers. Yes, it was a wild and loud rock concert, not a wedding, but it was an annoying distraction…plus then they had to post each video…more lit up screens. And pass phones back and forth so they could all read the comments on each other’s phones. I guess it’s not real until you tweet-instagram-Facebook it for the world to see…</p>
<p>There will usually be one dedicated photographer at a family event and w/o wanting to sound obnoxious, I take better photos with a better camera than anyone in my family. Further, I share those photos immediately in full-sized files that anyone can easily download. Consequently, it drives me CRAZY when family members insist on having someone use their camera to take a photo, especially after I have spent far too long organizing all of the children into a group. The resulting photos have each child looking off in the direction of his parent’s camera, spoiling the effect of the group photo. </p>
<p>As to the wedding…I am not sure why anyone thinks a good shot can be snapped at a distance inside a church with minimal lighting on an iPhone. I love my iPhone but I would never use it in those conditions. I agree that the residual flashes make the real photographer’s job much more difficult as his ISO/shutter/f-stop settings will not have contemplated the additional light of phone flashes. A decent DSLR will not need a flash inside a church. End of rant…</p>
<p>I read the NYT article earlier today (or yesterday?) and was taken aback but can see it happening.</p>
<p>Eemaheevul–so unfortunate for your SIL. My latest camera has a second memory card slot so that files can be recorded to both simultaneously. Having never had a problem, I now think I may place a second card in that slot to record a back-up.</p>
<p>I don’t think I would ever ask guests not to take photos. In fact, last year we had two professional photographers at my son’s wedding, yet my absolute favorite shot of the day was taken by a guest with an iPhone. I can definitely see asking that guests not post any photos on social media. It really has become too much and very intrusive.</p>
<p>S1 and DIL’s photographer’s contract specifically says that there are no other professional photographers allowed. (He had an experience where a professional attended a wedding as a guest and the guy got in the way of everything.) I will have my DSLR there and we are probably going to have something that allows folks to send the B&G their pics. Am sending the happy couple these links about being unplugged, since the topic has already come up in our conversations.</p>
<p>I will make a point of staying out of the photographer’s shots. I plan to focus on the details and candids.</p>
<p>My sister’s photographer forgot to load film and the only pics she had were mine.</p>
<p>Thirty plus years ago, the photographer we hired for our wedding had a last minute conflict (no longer remember what it was, but something along the lines of a death in his family) and sent a really poor substitute. The “official” pictures were not good.</p>
<p>A friend’s wedding gift to us was the multiple rolls of photos she shot with an excellent camera during the entire day. We were all recent college graduates, nobody had much money for expensive gifts, and she wasn’t even a close friend… But that gift was by far the most significant, most appreciated gift we received. We treasure those photos.</p>
<p>However, I am bothered by one particular photo used to illustrate an article I read about unplugged weddings. It was a photo of the bride and father walking up the aisle towards the altar, taken from the altar. Instead of being surrounded by the faces of smiling friends and family, those faces are obscured by a sea of phones and cameras. Nobody is living in the moment of the wedding, everyone seems to be too busy documenting the moment.</p>
<p>At D’s wedding this weekend, we had a friend who is an amateur photographer take pictures for family portraits, etc and during ceremony and start of reception. She did this as a favor for me, the I insisted on giving her something as it was a huge help to us. Then we relied on guest pictures for the rest of the pictures. SIL is setting up a site that they can upload to, and he and D will use those to help them make up their albums.</p>
<p>No phones were at all obtrusive during the ceremony (which was short and outside, so no worries about flashes) or reception. I never saw anyone on them, though I suppose someone must have been at some point. I guess in some crowds it might be an issue, but for us it was not.</p>
<p>Our two professionals were from the same studio like those at NorthMinn’s D’s wedding. I would not have professionals from multiple studios.</p>
<p>We didn’t notice anybody with their phones out at SIL’s wedding, either, which is part of why my mind was immediately closed to discouraging guests from taking pictures-- it didn’t seem like a real issue to me. It was a fairly small wedding, family and close friends only-- probably less than 100 people if I had to guess. Very few photos surfaced on social media even after the bride asked for them when her photographer messed up, she only got a handful.</p>
<p>I can certainly see how competing flashes would be a problem for the professional photographers, but I guess I just don’t attend events with the kinds of people who get in the way like that!</p>
<p>Forget good idea, I think this is an excellent idea. I would let guests pick their phones up on the way out of the ceremony so they could have them for the reception. But I can see where a ring-free ceremony would be desired and not unreasonable to ask for.</p>
<p>I don’t anticipate this as a problem at most weddings, but if your kids or you run in circles where taking pics and posting them to social media is a big deal thing, and you know that the persons involved are not likely to listen to any requests not to do so, I can see where you would want to ask for the phones and other electroincs.</p>
<p>I was at a wedding where the request was made, but was not obeyed, as there were celebrities in the mix, and people just could not resist. If you have a relative or friend who is celebrity status at the wedding, or a number of such folks, such a request is reasonable. I can see a lot of abuses from such temptations.</p>
<p>I think this is an AMAZING idea. I would not take phones away because I don’t want the responsibility and inevitably someone’s phone will go missing. But I do like the idea of asking to turn it off for the ceremony. I want a small enough wedding that I think my close friends/family would understand. </p>
<p>When I first read the article I was reminded of being an Orientation Leader; we would take our students’ cell phones when they were in the computer labs and registering for classes to stop them texting their bff back home who is also coming to the same school asking what section to take so they can have classes together. Or, more often, to stop mom and dad from demanding they take Biology instead of Astronomy.</p>
<p>The point of a wedding is for my friends and family to celebrate with me; if they want to take a photo or two, I’m not going to demand that they refrain. However, I’m more concerned about the already raised issue of messing with the professional photographer as well as people not actually being present. But, if someone wants to be on their phone the whole time, it’s their loss. Not mine. Just, for heaven’s sake, put it on silent.</p>
<p>During the reception, please, take all the pictures you want.</p>