Good morning, friends!

I’m starting a new advice column that I’ll be posting every week, called “Wedding Wednesday.” This will be an advice column for brides and grooms, and I’ve got so many topics to shed light on – just for you! If you’ve got questions – I’ve got answers!

This week we’re tackling something that’s become sort of a taboo subject for modern day weddings:

UNPLUGGED CEREMONIES

We’ve all been there before: the bride’s favorite song pops on over the speakers, everyone stands up, the doors open … and then Uncle Bob gets up, and stands in the middle of the aisle to get a shot of the bride with his cell phone. Or Grandma does it with her iPad. Or I’ve even seen someone actually record the whole thing with their phone, watching the ceremony from their screen rather than actually witnessing the vows and first kiss.

It happens to the best of us, and it happens way too often.

As a photographer, I could drone on and on about how guest’s cameras ruin our shots and force us to spend extra time in photoshop removing those darn selfie sticks that pop out into the aisle and how their flashes totally mess up our Kelvin settings. But I won’t – because that’s not my concern. My concern is that your guests are not being present for your wedding, and they are missing something important.

So how do you get your guests to actually sit back, let us do our jobs, and be present for your ceremony?

Tell them it’s what you want. We’ve seen some Wedding Invitations that actually include a line or a card about your ceremony being “unplugged.” You can tell guests that you want them to enjoy themselves and not feel the pressure to record the ceremony, and that you promise your awesome photographers will be happy to provide all of the photos they could possibly want.

Remind them on their way in. I love my DIY brides, and what’s more fun than making a cute sign? We once had a couple create this cute sign that sat out with the programs.

Have your officiant mention it. During the “hellos and welcomes” introduction speech given by the officiant, we’ve had some awesome officiants mention that the bride and groom would just LOVE for everyone to enjoy the ceremony, so please turn off all electronic devices.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m definitely not saying that cell phones, iPads and cameras shouldn’t be present during weddings – because they absolutely should. There’s nothing better than those special moments, inside jokes and hilarious dance-floor-selfies!! But during the ceremony, c’mon guys – put your phones down. Listen to the words. Respect the vows. Actually watch the bride walk down the aisle. Actually witness their first kiss as husband and wife. I promise you – you’ll get copies of any photos we take!

Do you have a question for me? Send it in and you might have it featured here on Wedding Wednesday!