To plug or to unplug your wedding that is the question

When I married my husband a year ago today – I loved our guests having their phones because I enjoyed seeing the images that everyone captured. It helped me to see the day through their eyes.
But equally I know that some couples prefer to ‘release’ the official photographs when they want to, which is of course their choice too. Either way I thought it would be good to look at plugged (with phones) and unplugged ceremonies (without them) as it is such a hot topic of discussion in the wedding industry at the moment.

As a professional photographer, there is nothing worse than a guest stepping out in front of you to get an image of the bride and groom when they walk back down the aisle.
It can ruin that split second you have to capture a special moment. That moment that becomes forever lost behind the suit jacket of a well-meaning guest.
Everyone who owns a decent smart phone now believes they too are photographers. With Instagram filters and touch of the button editing, it’s easier to create some truly breath-taking images on a mobile. But there is a reason why a couple have invested their money in a professional photographer when it comes to their wedding.
The understanding about composition, posing and above all else light, means that the images stand the test of time. These are the ones that are framed, or end up in the wedding album for generations to come. The pictures that reflect a couple’s special day as they dreamt it would be.
I have been to wedding ceremonies where there has been a ban on all cameras except mine. I have also been to weddings where I have had to contend with guests in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Whilst I really liked looking through the images my friends took at my wedding, I hope they didn’t make it too difficult for the photographer to do their job on the day.

We’re lucky in that we have a beautiful set of photographs to treasure.
But I hope that our guests actually experienced the wedding in person, and not just from the view finder of their camera phone.
Having a plugged or unplugged wedding has to be your decision. It’s just worth having a think during the planning stages about what will work best for you.