Hey Bride to Be! I know there are a LOT of things you’ve got on your wedding to do list and things you’ve added to your wedding Pinterest board when it comes to: your outfit, your theme, your reception, flowers, and #allthethings. But have you thought about your ceremony? And specifically, having an UNPLUGGED ceremony?

Because I’m here to tell you, sweet Bride, that of some of the wedding day decisions you want to make, this is one of the most fantastic things you’ll want to say yes to!

An unplugged wedding, to put it simply, is when you decide to have a wedding ceremony that is free from cell phones and other electronic distractions (think iPads, handheld video cameras and of course your well meaning Uncle Joe with his digital camera)

Let’s think about it from your partner’s and your point of view:

Imagine yourself in your partner’s shoes. They’re standing at the altar, looking down the aisle to find you, in all your absolute gorgeousness. You just started walking down the aisle and then a cell phone pops into their view. Then an iPad. Then 3 more cell phones. And soon they’re leaning over, trying to look at you instead of the arms and hands of your very excited guests holding out their phones into the aisle trying to grab a photo of you to post on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat.

And walking up the aisle, you definitely don’t want to see all these cell phones instead of a complete view of your soon to be spouse! Now with an unplugged wedding, before you even arrive to the aisle, your guests can see a sign saying to put away their phones and to be present in love and joy with you, for all phones to be silent and tucked away until after you’ve had your first kiss as a married couple.

You’ll walk down the aisle with nothing to block your view of your future spouse, and nothing to block their view of their soon to be spouse (well, except for the happy tears in their eyes!)

And from your photographer’s side of why you definitely want to have an unplugged ceremony:

I know how excited guests are when they’re about to see the bride. It’s a day to celebrate you and your fiance’s love and they’re here because they absolutely love you both! They’re excited and trust me, I’m excited too! There’s nothing like the moment when the bride walks down the aisle and how your partner’s reaction will be.

That’s what I’m here for. I’m capturing those sweet moments for you and your family, to enjoy and relive for years and years down the road, long after the wedding has passed! So I angle myself in the back to capture your partner’s reaction when they see you walk down the aisle. And my second photographer positions herself towards the front, aiming to capture your walk down the aisle and your beautiful beaming smile. We’re both positioned where we’re not in each other’s way or in each other’s images more importantly.

Thennnnnn the cell phones pop out into the aisle. Not just one, just usually multiple, accompanied by the guest who brought their digital camera and is stepping into the aisle!! Now myself and my second photographer are snapping away photos quickly, because your walk down the aisle isn’t a long drawn out moment and now we’re also trying to angle our cameras to avoid as many of the cell phones and cameras and ipads as we possibly can.

It’s my job to make sure you get the best images I can possibly deliver to you, these moments that we can’t just redo when a guest steps out in the aisle. An unplugged wedding gives me the greatest chance of giving you amazing photos of your wedding ceremony without any guest distractions. I’ve had to ask guests politely to step back into their seat so my view is unobstructed. I’ve had brides who had wished they’d had an unplugged wedding after spotting several guests with their phones out during the ceremony or when a guest’s camera flash causes my image to be blown out or funky highlights to appear.

I know guests are just super excited for you and they mean well but when will their blurry iPhone photo be printed and hung on the walls of your home? Or to look over into the crowd during your ceremony to see guests are distracted by taking photos and videos to upload to social media before the ceremony is even over?

I want those incredible and emotional ceremony images of you walking down the aisle with your dad. The moment your partner sees you coming their way. The perfect photo of your very last First Kiss and the sheer joy moments after being pronounced married for the first time!

All of those frame worthy, wedding album ready portraits… undisturbed by a cell phone.