The Best Unplugged Wedding Practices

12/10/20248 min read

Photo credit: Hannah Marie Photography

I personally hate the word "unplugged" (gag reflex), but that’s what people call it. In addition to being a wedding content creator myself, I am also getting married in the summer of 2025 and wanted to share my experience on the subject. Whether you are dabbling with the idea of going unplugged or are fully committed, this article is for you. If your goal is to have an unplugged wedding, here is my complete guide to the best unplugged wedding practices!

What Is an Unplugged Wedding?

An unplugged wedding is a time where guests are requested by the bride and groom to refrain from using electronic devices - like phones, personal cameras, or ipads. This request was typically for preventing guests from taking photos or recording videos, during the ceremony and instead, encouraging them to be fully present without being distracting. But this has also extended to the entirety of the wedding day.

What Is a Hybrid Unplugged Wedding?

I heard this term from another photographer, Emma Thurgood, and thought this was clever. A hybrid unplugged wedding gives your guests the opportunity to take photos and videos during your wedding ceremony, but are asked to remain seating. While not fool proof, it does prevent guests somewhat from obstructing your photo and video team to getting their shots.

I’ve also seen where the guests are given a minute to take a photo of the bride and groom before the ceremony begins. I think that is a super sweet deal between all parties involved! Your wedding guests get their photos of you, with your consent, and you don’t have to worry about any distraction thereafter.

💡Wedding Tip: Have your guests remain seated during the bride’s walk down the aisle. This gives your photo and video team the best advantage!

You Are a Private Person

I can be a very private individual. I really don’t like to be posted on Facebook by others if I can help it! If this is also you, an unplugged wedding can help prevent guests from sharing photos or videos prematurely online if you want to keep your wedding as private as possible.

You Value Professional Services

If you value professional services like photography, videography, or content creation, and want to get the most of them on your wedding day, go unplugged. It not only benefits you, but I would also argue that it’s considerate of these professions.

Another scary thought is, what if you didn’t care to make unplugged wedding efforts only to get your photos or videos back to realize you made a big mistake and actually didn’t want grandma Ethel, phone in hand, in your ceremony photos or videos. Your wedding day can be as perfect or imperfect as you would like. If this is a new fear unlocked, however, you may want to consider having an unplugged wedding ceremony.

You Want to Reduce Interruptions

The most obvious reason for having an unplugged wedding is to reduce interruptions and distractions. This is important because it keeps the focus on the bride and groom. Banning phone and camera from your guests can help avoid the noise of notifications, camera clicks, or flash disruptions during the ceremony.

You Value Etiquette

Have an unplugged wedding if you are someone who values tradition and etiquette. Wedding guests don’t know what they don’t know. Preparing guests for an unplugged wedding keeps guests respectful of your wishes and focused on the occasion.

You Prefer an Intimate Atmosphere

Having guests tuck away their phones for your ceremony creates for an intimate atmosphere. Without any screens to distract, a more personal, distraction-free environment is sculpted. Restrict technology usage during the ceremony at the least, if you want a more intimate atmosphere for your wedding day.

Best Unplugged Wedding Practices

A few challenges can arise when organizing an unplugged wedding. Here’s what you can expect when you opt for an unplugged celebration. If done successfully, an unplugged wedding can create a unique atmosphere that prioritized connection.

Unplugged weddings impact who exactly? Your guests. It affects everyone, yes, but it is intended for those not involved in the wedding per se, i.e. your guests. We best learn through repetition by using verbal and non-verabl elements. The first best unplugged wedding practice is to inform your guests in this way, using written words and verbal announcements, and more than once.

Inform Guests In Advance

Informing your guests in advance helps prepare them mentally in advance of the wedding. A great initial way to inform your guests of an unplugged wedding ceremony or wedding entirely is through your wedding website. You can announce it any way you like. I put this information in an FAQ form on my own site, but you can also use banners or other ways to communicate your message, or both.

Use Signage and Day-of Stationary

The second way you can use written language to convey your request, is through signage. Make sure it is visible and clear. Often it will be placed strategically right at the ceremony entrance for guests to see. Any day-of stationary can be used to tell your guests of your plans, like in your wedding program or through signs.

Make an Announcement at The Wedding

Unplugged weddings do not always go as planned. You can use signage and make announcements all you want, but there will always be those who do what they want and who simply don’t read the signs (guilty)! Consistency and repetition is how it should be done. Coordinate with the officiant or announcer to verbally remind guests to keep devices away.

Who Should Make The Announcement?

It’s important that you pick the right person to make the announcement. The officiant is often the best and least complicated choice because of their experience public speaking and fluently communicating the bride and groom’s wishes to the wedding guests. Having the officiant make this announcement is the most seamless way to go since he or she will be wedding the couple. Most wedding guests will respect this request with little resistance after asking.

How to Make The Unplugged Wedding Announcement

You should craft an announcement that fits you. I am not a very pushy person and wanted the tone to come off friendly, but firm. I also wanted to make it as simple and straightforward as possible, avoiding being overly wordy! Of course, if your a bride that literally doesn’t care how its said, you can just leave it up to your officiant to say it however he or she wants, but here are two templates I asked ChatGPT to write up, with a few of my own tweeks:

Unplugged Wedding Announcement Template One

This first template is more formal and polite.

Good [afternoon/evening], everyone, and welcome! Before we begin, the couple has a special request: they ask that you join them in fully experiencing this moment by turning off your phones and cameras during the ceremony. They’ve hired professionals to capture these memories, so your presence and undivided attention are the most meaningful gift you can give them today.

Unplugged Wedding Announcement Template Two

This template is a bit more relaxed and lighthearted.

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for being here today to celebrate this incredible couple. Before we get started, they’ve asked me to share a quick message: this is an unplugged ceremony. That means no phones, no cameras, no distractions—just your lovely faces and full attention. Let’s leave the photos and vidoes to the pros so we can all soak in the magic of this moment together. Thank you for helping make this day even more special!

Hire a Wedding Content Creator

If you are looking for a way to host a wedding that’s both personal and engagement for your guests, having a wedding content creator present is wonderful. People behave differently when they are watched. We naturally stand taller and engage more when we are in a room full of important people. We want to look our best and be our best when we know we will be in photos and videos. Wedding content creators help facilitate an unplugged wedding atmosphere beyond the ceremony by prompting these natural instincts to be the best version of ourselves. This means fewer phones out by guests, more intimate connection, and less random photos of you that you don’t want posted into the universe.

Enahnces The Guest Experience

Wedding content creators enhance the guest experience by capturing and sharing moments that make guests feel involved and celebrated. Wedding content creators can facilitate the goal of an unplugged wedding by professionally managing the short-form, sharable content. They allow guests to focus on the moment while ensuring memories are captured and shared later in a polished, thoughtful way. Guests leave feeling part of something memorable without the need for their own documentation. Depending on the vision of the bride and groom, many wedding content creators engage with guests creatively. Overall, wedding content creators enhance the guest experience and help promote the concept of an unplugged wedding.

Relieves Pressure From Guests

Before there were wedding content creators, brides would pass this duty onto whomever, a friend, a bridesmaid, and sometimes, the guests themselves. There are lots of clever and thoughtful ways to include your friends and family during the celebrations—that reflect your love, joy, and gratitude for them, without any added responsibilities. Digital guestbooks are a unique way for guests to share their photos and videos altogether in one digital gallery using only a QR code. I think this is really cute, but should never replace professional wedding services. For some, being asked to take photos or videos might feel like a chore rather than an honor. Not everyone is comfortable capturing content, and guests shouldn’t have to worry about whether they’ve gotten the “right shot” or missed an important moment. Wedding content creators ensure that this responsibility doesn’t fall on guests, allowing them to fully relax and celebrate with the couple.

By taking the pressure off everyone, wedding content creators not only capture the day’s memories beautifully but also create an atmosphere where both the couple and their guests can be fully immersed in the joy of the celebration.

Will I Be Doing an Unplugged Wedding?

Unplugged weddings can be very practical AND very cheesy. They can be very advantageous if you want to get the most documentation out of your wedding day. It also adds a layer of connection and focus between the audience and the bride and groom. For my upcoming wedding in 2025, I am opting for an unplugged wedding ceremony, with all guest remaining seated.

Unplugged Vs Plugged Wedding

Every couple in the middle of wedding planning comes face to face with this decision. Should or should we not go unplugged and does it make a difference? Unlike an unplugged wedding, a plugged wedding has no restrictions on guest phone usage.

Do Unplugged Wedding Efforts Make a Difference?

Unplugged weddings can be achieved with very minimal effort. If zero effort is made to emphasize this desire, you will have to put all your trust in your guest’s common sense. It’s pretty common sense to not interrupt important celebrations, whether that be answering a phone call, arriving late, or talking during key moments. But a snap of a photo? A quick shot could seem harmless to a wedding guest! Guests don’t know what they don’t know. You have to explain what you want clearly in writing and audibly. It’s best to not leave the unknowns and gray areas up to your wedding guests

Why Have an Unplugged Wedding?

Before we get into the best unplugged wedding practices, here are five circumstances to go unplugged to beginw with. There are several advantages to implementing an unplugged wedding or unplugged ceremony. You should go unplugged if...