Weddings "Unplugged"

January 03, 2015  •  1 Comment

Family and friends anxiously await the entrance of the bride - the music starts - the bride appears - and as if synchronized, every person in an aisle seat raises their Cell Phone to capture that magic moment with their telephone cameras.

In the meantime, at the front of the aisle, the wedding photographer waits to capture that same moment.  The bride is glowing, on the arm of her father, smiling beautifully at all of her family and friends - surrounded by that "telephone paparazzi"  The photographer is successful in capturing all of the beauty - but at the same time, he/she captures every make and model of cell phone, framing the aisle as the bride continues her journey to meet her groom.

The Bride's entrance is just the first of MANY moments during a wedding ceremony that are clouded by the ugliness of cell phones risen in the air!  The exchanging of rings, the unity ceremony, the first kiss, and the recessional - these are all becoming moments that are getting more and more difficult for the photographer to capture.  It is important that the bride, groom, and their families understand that it is not the fault of the photographer when these blemishes occur in their photos.  With the number of people in society who so prominently use their Cell Phone Cameras every day, for every/any occasion - there is just so much editing that we can do.

Many Brides and Grooms are asking that their ceremonies be deemed "Unplugged".  In doing so they ask their guests to refrain from taking photos during the ceremony.  This gives the professional photographer free reign to do the job that they are being so well paid to do.  This enables those who view the photographs to see the joy that the bride shares with her friends and family as she proceeds down the aisle.  You can see the love as the groom places the ring on his bride's finger, without Uncle Johnny's bald spot shining as he leans into the aisle to get that same photo.  You can see the pride on the faces of the parents and grandparents of the bride and groom without what looks like cell phones growing out of the back of their heads.  It makes a true difference in the quality of the photographs that the Bride and Groom will depend upon to document one of the happiest days of their lives.

On the flip-side, Weddings Unplugged can create a lot of anxiety as everyone, including the bride and groom, wait to see the photographs taken by the professional photographers.  Although Fryesphotos is not one of them, many photographers take several months to get the photos to the Bride and Groom.  With Social Media the way that it is today, people want and expect that photos will be available and posted before the day is done.  To relieve some of this anxiety, perhaps the guests could focus on taking many photos at the reception, and use those photos to share with family and friends.  This will not only provide the Bride and Groom with a nice collection of fun "candid" photos, but also a collection of photos that the photographer may not have been able to capture!  It's these photos that can be immediately enjoyed by family and friends via Social Media.  I would however remind guests that there are still a few moments at the reception where they should be considerate of the professional photographer - the cutting of the cake, the specialty dances, etc.  Those are the photographs that consistently find the beautiful bride and the charming groom with Aunt Judy and Sister Susie in the background with their cell phones held high in the air!

We at Fryesphotos always give the Bride and Groom the choice of being "Unplugged" or not - but we do always ask that they remind their guests to be considerate of the professional photographer - we have a job to do - a job that we are being paid to do!

 


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Jane Gordon(non-registered)
Well said Randy
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