How to have an unplugged wedding: copy 'n' paste wording and templates
Wedding trends
By
on June 14, 2011
74
Yesterday we talked about why some couples are planning unplugged weddings, asking guests to put away their cell phones and cameras. Today, we're diving into the nitty gritty of how to make it happen.
So you want to have an unplugged wedding — maybe at least the ceremony. Encouraging your guests to put down their favorite devices can be a delicate dance… as one member of the Offbeat Bride Tribe snapped, "If I was told I had to leave my phone at home, I'd likely stay with it." Yikes! As with any special request you make of your wedding guests, you need to be sensitive and respectful.
If you're unsure how request unplugging in a way that won't piss off your guests, we're here to help. Below, we've got copy 'n' paste wording ideas for your officiant, wedding website, program, invitations — and even some pre-designed printable signs you can post at the venue!
Before the wedding…
Talk to your photographer
Remember: wedding guests take photos because they want to be able to re-live and share the experience of the day. If you're considering an unplugged wedding, you must commit to sharing photos with guests and make plans for how you're going to do so. Work with your wedding photographer to ensure you can make a small set of photos (even just five shots!) available digitally to guests within a couple days of the wedding. You can share them via email, your wedding website, or facebook — the method doesn't matter. Just make sure you've got it figured out with your photographer before your unplugged wedding.
Wording for wedsites & programs
If you're sharing wedding information online with guests via a wedding website, you can warn give them some perspectives before the wedding about why you're asking them to leave their devices off:
Unplugged wedding
We want you to be able to really enjoy our wedding day, feeling truly present and in the moment with us. We've hired an amazing wedding photographer named _________ who will be capturing the way the wedding looks — and we're inviting each of you to sit back, relax, and just enjoy how the wedding feels. We're respectfully asking that everyone consider leaving all cameras and cell phones off. Of course we will happy to share our wedding photos with you afterward!
You could include a short note in your programs:
We want you to be able to relax and have fun with us today! This in mind, we invite you to put down all your favorite devices and just be present in the moment with us. Please leave your camera in your bag (we've got photography covered!), and put your cell phone on mute (we promise they'll call back!).
We're happy to share our professional wedding photos later, but the greatest gift you can give us today is just being fully here with us in this sacred and special moment.
Offbeat Bride Tribe member Aron is including this text in her program:
The bride and groom have asked that you share in their wedding fully and not through the lens of a camera or cell phone.
Offbeat Bride Tribe member Audra included this text her her program:
The text reads: No Pictures Please
We are honored that you are here today and present with us during the ceremony. Two photographers are covering the ceremony. We request that you refrain from photography during the entire ceremony. We promise that there will be plenty of images at your disposal!
(You can read more about how Audra did things on her blog.)
At the wedding…
Enforcing unplugging
Appoint a member of your wedding party to help encourage other guests to put down their devices at the wedding. It doesn't have to be high-drama: all they have to do is sidle up to their fellow guest and say quietly, "The bride and groom have asked me to respectfully suggest guests to put down their electronics and just enjoy the day. Can I ask you to put your camera/phone away?" Whatever you do, don't rely on your photographer to be the heavy; it's not their job to make your guests behave. Plus, when the request to put away the camera or phone comes from a fellow guest, it's less likely to be seen as a grumpy encounter.
Wording ideas for officiants
The easiest way to remind your guests to power down their devices is to have your officiant make a brief announcement before the ceremony. A few ideas, ranging from the sacred to the silly:
Spiritual:
The couple respectfully requests that all guests honor the sanctity of this moment by turning off cell phones and cameras.
Emotional:
I invite you to be truly present at this special time. Please, turn off your cell phones and put down your cameras. The photographer will capture how this moment looks — I encourage you all to capture how it feels with your hearts, without the distraction of technology.
Ridiculous:
Ladies and gentlemen, prior to wedding take-off, all seat backs and tray tables must be in their upright and locked positions, all bags properly stowed, and all portable electronic devices turned off and stowed. This includes cell phones and cameras.
Thanks to Offbeat Bride Tribe member Rockwell for this one:
As Shakespeare once said, please turn off your cell phones.
Offbeat Bride Tribe member Cat named mouse shared this anecdote:
At my best friend's wedding, the rabbi asked the bride to turn around and face the audience after her parents walked her to the alter. At this time he said, "Everyone, get the photo you really want now, because we ask that your cameras remain off for the remainder of the ceremony."
Jessie Blum of Eclectic Unions
uses this template:
Good afternoon! It is my pleasure to welcome you to the wedding of Name and Name. Please take a moment to silence any cell phones or other noisy electronics. If you would also take a moment to put your cameras away, Jody and Steven have requested that no photos be taken during the ceremony today — thank you so much for your understanding. The ceremony will begin shortly.
Printable signs for ceremony venue
We teamed up with indie invitation designer Lenore Tucker-MacLeod from A Small Bird to offer you downloadable signs to print and post at your wedding venue. Lenore cranked out several different styles, perfect for a range of wedding styles.
Circles
Flowery
Steampunk
Modern
Gatsby/Vintage
After the wedding…
Share your photos!
Make sure you share a few images with your guests within a couple days of the wedding — for a Saturday wedding, Monday or Tuesday is ideal. The wedding is still fresh in your guests' minds, and it's a great way to carry some of the wedding day job into the work-week. As soon as all your wedding photos are available, make prints to include with each thank you card. If possible, also make wedding photos available to guests online.
So, are you having an unplugged wedding?
We'd love to hear from you about how you're respectfully asking guests to turn off their cell phones and cameras. Leave a comment below!
About Ariel Meadow Stallings
Author of Offbeat Bride: Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides, Ariel acts as the publisher of all the Offbeat Empire websites. She lives, loves, and dorks out hard in Seattle, WA.
Sarah said
I'm kind of torn–I like the image of everyone just observing the ceremony, but I also want a whole mess of pictures, including the grainy candids from my friends' cellphones and shitty cameras. One thing I *will* make sure that the officiant asks for, though, is NO FLASHES. They're super distracting.
Ariel Meadow Stallings said
Good luck with no flashes — that assumes that guests like, say, your grandmother know how to turn their flash off. In my experience, most folks don't know how to change the settings on their point 'n' shoots.
Sarah said
We're actually going to be blessed/cursed with an absence of elderly family members and guests. I think our list is techno-savvy enough that we can manage it, but yeah, I'm not hoping for 100% compliance.
Fate said
I'm doing this too and that is the very thing I like about this option. I'll have several pro photographers in the crowd, if they want to keep shooting they will turn their flashes off, but hopefully those with less experience will give up and chose to just watch instead.
RC said
As a bride I thought I would have loved a million photos (which I did get because I didn't have an unplugged policy) – but in the end it just made me appreciate the good quality, well exposed professional photos even more. The grainy, low res awkward photos (and poor quality videos) didn't remind me of how pretty and happy and in love with my husband and friends and family I felt on that day (the way I felt when I looked back on the great photos). Some of the amateur/friend-taken photos were just awkward and made me feel awkward about how I looked talking or getting up. Or they were just poorly composed, poorly exposed duplicates of what my professional photographer had already taken.
This all applies to the ceremony. And even with all the photo taking, I wasn't bothered by it because it was a daytime wedding outside and no flashes went off. I was also nervous being up in front of everyone (shy introvert!) so I just looked at our priest and my husband for the majority of the ceremony.
I did definitely appreciate my friend's extra photos from the reception though.
Anie said
Yes to the amateur photos at the reception! Our photographer(s) spent so much time taking pictures of *us* that if it weren't for the photos of friends and family I wouldn't have very many pictures of our guests and decor. I still have fewer than I would like. Also, there are at least a couple pictures from the ceremony itself where the amateur pictures filled in a few small gaps from the professionals. I wouldn't go entirely unplugged, personally, but would encourage people to keep picture taking to a minimum.
Maggie said
This is why it's so important to hire the right Photographer and to be specific about what photos you want taken IN WRITING. Thank God your friends got the photos you wanted! Many of the important details of our wedding were missed by or Videographer, and we can never get those moments back. The ceremony itself doesn't require amateur photos in my opinion, but the reception is not quite as formal, and friends taking photos are much less intrusive at that time.
sophie said
I appreciate the post about the amateur photos. As a bride to be, it's only in my budget to have ONE professional photographer, with no second shooter for the ceremony or reception. I thought maybe guests will fill in the potential blanks, but at this point I'm willing to leave that to the reception. The ceremony itself will be fairly traditional, so it shouldn't be too hard, or too much to capture?
Colleen said
Amazingly enough we didn't have this issue. Then again, the first few rows were our closest family and friends, and they all knew they'd be getting copies of the professional things. Plus our families are pretty horrible about remembering to take pictures most of the time because we're busy enjoying the moment, so that factored in as well. It was kind of an issue at the reception, though. I realize everyone wants pictures of the bride and groom, but the bride and groom want to enjoy themselves and have been posing for pics all day long! I wish we would have had a "No camera, just party" sign at the reception.
Bernie said
We did one like the ridiculous one. We asked people to put their seats up and put their tray tables up was well. It worked out really well for us. Started the wedding out with a chuckle.
Becky said
I have to admit that the photos filled with everyone looking through their cameras have always bothered me, though it never occurred to me to ask people to not use their cameras.
I thought that at the very least, I'd be able to log onto facebook as soon as I got home from the honeymoon and see all the awesome amateur photos. So when I logged on from the airport on my way home, I was very disappointed to find that only 1 photo had been posted from my wedding.
My professional photos are full of people with their phones and cameras taking pictures, none of which got posted, and only one person has bothered to send to me.
Judie said
This is one of my favorite posts ever. Every so often, a couple will have family and friends all over them during the ceremony taking photos. As an urban officiant used to crazy situations, it does not bother me too much. But it is awkward. What a pain for the professional taking the images — and the videographer.
Allison said
I'd suggest that couples who do this make SURE to have a plan for guests who just don't give a shit. My cousin's wedding was the first one I went to with a no-phones-or-cameras request. What did my mom, ie the groom's aunt, spend the entire ceremony doing? Taking blurry, grainy, dark pictures with her camera phone from the second row, most of which she deleted afterwards anyway. There was a sign in the lobby, and a note in the program, and the minister mentioned it at the beginning of the ceremony, and I reminded her about it, but no dice. Some people just think the rules don't apply to them, whether because of their relation to the couple or just their general sense of entitlement (or, in my mom's case, both!), so seriously, plan.
M Design Boutique said
Great ideas. Another fun idea would be to have the bride call the groom before walking down the aisle to tell him that he should ask people to shut down their phones. Ha…
Ariel Meadow Stallings said
I LOVE THIS!
CogGirl said
Win
curmudgeon said
I'm thinking mass-text to all guests reminding them to turn off their phones before the ceremony
kayfay said
Good people, we request respectfully that you refrrain from using your cameras, cell phones, smartphones, laptops, pagers. (Are there still such things as pagers?) and other electronic devices during the ceremony. WE have several photographers with whom we have already arranged to document the proceedings, and we would far prefer to know that you are here experiencing the ceremony than to have that one extra photo.
And if you're still not convinced, your device will be taken away and handed to a small child, who will also be given a large popsicle and possibly some ketchup. You have been warned.
Cortney said
"And if you're still not convinced, your device will be taken away and handed to a small child, who will also be given a large popsicle and possibly some ketchup. You have been warned."
Words can not express the amount of joy & giggletude I felt while reading that.
Emma said
That is brilliant
kayfay said
We understand that some of you are at an age where you have trouble with controlling your flow of tweeting. You may feel the need to tweet at frequent intervals, or the urge to tweet at an unexpected moment. You worry about having an accident, or not being able to tweet when you have the opportunity. We repectfully request again, please do your best to resist these urges…. and if you still find that you have STFU (Serious Tweeting Frequency Urges) please take not of the warning above relevant to small children and popsicles…. If you find that this is not a sufficient treatment, be aware that the aforementioned small child may be placed on roller skates as well.
Nadine said
I think we'll try to put a no pictures please note on our programs for the ceremony, but let people know it's okay to take pictures during the reception (yes, I want to see my friends dancing like nerds if I'm not right there!).
Lindsey said
I think this is such a brilliant concept! My fiance and I were talking about allowing pictures for the processional, then for a few moments up at the front to get their fix. Then no cameras except the ones we paid to be there…and then let them take pictures of the kiss and the recessional. Sounds like a good happy medium to me! We'll probably put something up on our website and have our officiant announce it as well. We're definitely mulling it over, but it makes so much sense!
(Although I WILL admit to being a total "Uncle Bob" at other weddings, clicking the whole time though. For the most part, I think I got great shots, but I can also understand that it might have been really annoying to the people getting married–not to mention the other guests who got to hear my camera shutter going off the whole time! Oops. Hindsight is 20/20!)
Melani Lust said
Please do keep in mind that the photos ruined most by guests are the processional and recessional. There are often so many arms, and now, even full bodies, that stand in the aisle to get the shot, that the professional photos of the processional and recessional are filled with arms holding cameras and we often have to crouch down to the floor and shoot up to get in between these arms. Us pros are also not allowed to use flash in churches, however, the guests use flash and their green and red flash sensors leave green and red marks on the bride and groom, which our sensitive cameras pick up, leaving no choice but to convert to black and white.
Erin said
Oh my gosh, thank you for this! I was recently at a wedding where when the bride walked down the aisle, it seemed like I was literally the only one not taking a picture. I had forgotten my camera, and I actually felt guilty for a second, until I realized it meant I could relax and just completely enjoy the moment. I am so doing this!
Lisa said
I've thought about this for hours and still can't really get it at all. i wouldn't say anything and i wouldn't let it ruin anyone's day, but this could really offend me. i would caution the wording with this. as a photographer, i DO experience life through a lens in what to me is a meaningful and fullfilling way. The wording that suggests that i wouldn't be present if i was taking pictures is offensive to me as it suggests to me that my life style somehow isn't good enough for these people. i'm not really trying to change anyone's mind on doing this. as much as i feel that way is it someone else's day and they get the say. i'm just trying to put some perspective on why this would rub some people the wrong way.
And to hte commenter with the snarky tweet section… i understand this is all meant tongue in cheek, but i really wouldn't post that at a wedding. it's a offensive and quite frankly i'm sick of being picked on because i like twitter. i would just ask people to leave their cell phones in their pockets or purses, that sends the message across just fine. there's no reason to make fun of people , this message is completely filled with an air of superiority to me, even though i'm sure it's unintentional.
Emma said
You make a good point, but I still think there are other reasons to ask people to put their cameras down. (For me, mostly reasons of feeling intensely awkward in front of cameras where I don't have control over what pictures become public.)
I think a number of photographers have said that they feel that their camera forms an extra layer between themselves and what is happening, which makes it difficult to experience the emotion of the time. I suspect if I had professional photographers in the family I might feel differently about this, but I just don't want people to be fiddling with cameras rather than listening to my vows and it happens all too often.
I like twitter too, and I do think the commenter above was joking, but I can see how it would be upsetting.
Pro-Photog said
Thank you Uncle Bob/Aunt Lisa.
Don't forget though, the day is about the Bride & Groom, not the you. You are there as a guest and should abide by their request, the same as you would want others to do so for you. All i ttakes is one guest with a camera to get in the way of the paid, professional shots to ruin the shot for the Bride and Groom.
Would you rather be remembered for being there, enjoying the day and their celebration and union, of would you prefer to be remembered as the one who spent the day playing with their toys and disturbing everyone? Just put down the cell phone and Rebel and enjoy the day. Take a Ritalin if you have to, but if you are invited to an unplugged event, respect the wishes of the couple. Also realize that many professional photographers, myself included, have an exclusivity clause in their contract stating that no other SLR of DSLR cameras and no cameras with flash be allowed because a flash from another camera can interfere with the professional shots.
My cousin got married not too long ago. I left my camera in the car, where it belonged, and enjoyed the day with them.
MEI said
Pro-Photog, I think responding to Lisa's post in a more respectful way would have made your point more effectively (calling her "Aunt Lisa" and suggesting she needs Ridalin are just uncalled for). For example, you could have responded to her specific critique. You will note that Lisa did not say that couples should not have an 'unplugged' wedding, nor that she as a guest would ignore their wishes to do so (in fact, she stated the opposite). She provided an insightful critique of the wording chosen by Offbeat Bride in their suggested language from the perspective of a person who "feels present" through the art of taking photograps. I had not thought about it from that perspective, so I appreciate Lisa's comment. It lead me to brainstorm other ideas for how to word the language such as "The Bride and Groom respectfully request that guests do not take photographs of the ceremony." Easy peasy, and puts it on the bride and groom instead of sounding accusatory that guests aren't really participating or being present if they are taking photographs.
Lisa said
Thank you, very much MEI.
In summary of my point, if i saw any of those signs above or a note in the program that said "The couple kindly requests you leave your cellphones, cameras, and other electronic gadgets off for the day" the point would be made, i'd put away my phone and STFU about it. If i saw a message in the program like Pro-Photog, i would be offended and it would probably make me enjoy the wedding a lot less. I just really wanted to point out that.
Though i cant' deny that the idea of giving something to a small child with popsicles and ketchup isn't very funny. I feel like you could totally add that to the end of a simple request to drive the point home that you're serious and while still making people laugh.
angel said
I facebook from my phone all the time and I fully intend to make major fun of people who feel they need to do it during my cerimony.
And like anything else on offbeat bride its a free exchange of ideas and you wont please everyone. What works for me wont work for everyone.
CCCBride said
Lisa: Hi! I really appreciate and respect your comment, it's awesome to get lots of different points of views, I wanted to add my thought if that's ok, about "as a photographer, i DO experience life through a lens in what to me is a meaningful and fullfilling way. The wording that suggests that i wouldn't be present if i was taking pictures is offensive to me as it suggests to me that my life style somehow isn't good enough for these people" I LOVE photography and to me, I see professional photographers, like this this second nature, you ARE in the moment, cause it's like breathing, you live it, you love it, you breathe it. But us "professional amateurs" we are like
*snap*
Oh that flash looks horrible
scrolls through camera
click
click
click
*snap*
Darn now it's blurry without the flash
scrolling some more…
It's not like breathing for us, we can do it, but it's like speaking another language you just learned, you stumble, bumble, mispronounce… and for professionals it's like a second language you learned WITH your first, it's natural, you don't think about it too much… I don't think they meant to offend at all, but the "Uncle Bob's" they can't connect as well because they have to detach to "speak the language" but professionals, of course you live it, and love it, and experience it! And it's awesome and fantastic! I hope I can get there one day! I hope I didn't offend you at all, I just wanted to add that thought, cause I really don't think that comment was meant in quite exactly that way… and it IS awesome that you connect! It's what you love! That's where I hope to be career-wise one day, where it's like second-breathing
SBG said
Re: Your viewing life through the lens – I don't think you would be the target of the signs, and I suspect that anyone inviting you would know that, and would be likely to contact you in advance… I intend to include all of my shutterbug friends on the "Shoot away!" list, and suspect that would be true for most folks. You are not the one being targeted, it's Cousing Alicia, who's fourteen and sitting by herself playing with her camera 'cause Aunt Jennie's the organist, and Uncle Steve who is about 3 drinks in and "Wantsh a Closheup of the Sheremony"
As for the "Tweeting" jape: my apologies. It's meant to be a parody of a bladder control commercial. I am looking at having a *LOT* of cell-phone obsessed pre-teens and teens who respond best to humor. I am totally O-kay with twitter, but find the idea of someone sitting onthe aisle, phone in hand tweeting "At my stupid cousin's wedding, OMFG I am so BOARED!!!* to be a little off-putting. You, again, are *not* the target of the commentary. You are a well-spoken, thoughtful, considerate individual, and therefore not the target audience for any of the above.
Melissa D said
Those signs look lovely! Great job, Lenore.
Andrea M said
Ran the idea past my mom, she thinks it's fantastic. Ran it past the MIL and got "oh well, you'll never be able to stop grandma x." Yeah well, it's my wedding and quite frankly if I politely request something and grandma x thinks she's so special as to not have to follow the rules, I'm gonna be extremely unhappy with said grandma. It's not like we won't have a photographer or intend to bogart all the photos. Sure he's your grandson, but I happen to be marrying him, therefore I overrule.
ktdid said
I LOVE this post. Whenever we go to weddings my friends always bust out their cameras at the ceremony and I have even had a friend hand me a camera to take pictures because I had a better view. I refused and she got really mad at me. I think it is incredibly rude. You should be enjoying the moment with the bride and groom not watching it from behind an LCD screen. The reception is a totally different story in my opinion. Plus, church weddings? Who in their right mind things it's appropriate to take flash photography during a service??
I always wondered how I would approach the situation if/when I get married. I love the advice here and it gives me some great ideas.
CCCBride said
I HATE when my dad/mom/sister hand me their cameras, what because I'm an "artist" (I hesitate to even call MYSELF that and I'm starting a business with my art!!!) that entitles me to be a total rude ass?!? And then they get MAD at us??? WTF??? My sister ALWAYS shows up with her camera, video camera, and phone, and while I love her to death, her photos are ok at best, so why not just enjoy, and I say this being that "Niece Candy" but I always stay away from the photog (like he's taking shots outside, I capture the awesome snack table before it's all gone and no more photo opportunity left! That way it's respectful, and appropriate
Stacy said
First of all I am in love with the "As Shakespeare once said" one! That is just the best
I have actually seen at a lot of traditional weddings where they have blocks within the ceremony where they ask that you don't take pictures if that makes any sense. Like they allow people to take them when everyone is entering but then perhaps not during the readings? I can't remember how it all got broken down – but it was written in the programs and the officiant even announced that ok this is the part where you can't take pictures, ok you can take pictures again now. It's always seemed to work for the weddings I've seen and no one ever seemed to be offended, I can't see why it wouldn't work – it's a nice sort of compromise
Missy said
Gotta say this is a definite win category where Las Vegas weddings are concerned…the majority of which make their living on photography and will not allow any photos taken except by their photographer. I won't debate whether they price gouge or not (some do, some don't), whether a candid would be better than pro photo or not or even whether they take good photos (some do, some don't) but it does help my guests be in the moment without a camera between me and them.
ellie b said
I was the maid of honor for a French wedding in France recently. The fact that all of the attendees did not treat the event as one giant photo shoot, rather than a party, was so refreshing. It was one of the most fundamental differences between American weddings I have attended and this one. That said, the bride really appreciated the 20 or so candid shots I later posted on flickr.
Rachael said
I had never even thought about this in terms of weddings before. A few weeks ago, I went to a really gorgeous exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. I tried to immerse myself fully in the surreal world that the blown-glass flowers surrounding me created, but kept getting shaken out of it when I realized that every single person next to me was staring at their iPhones. I couldn't help wanting to yell at them! GUYS! HOW MUCH DID YOU PAY TO COME HERE? BE HERE! BE REALLY HERE! DON'T EXPERIENCE LIFE THROUGH A SCREEN!
After that experience, I was understandably in favor of the unplugged ceremony when I saw the mention of it here! I think I would happily allow picture-taking during the reception (most of my friends aren't camera-obsessed, so I don't think it would take over), but I would hate to look up at the audience during my ceremony and see the same thing I saw at the museum: everyone's face turned toward a tiny screen, nobody seeing what's really right there. These suggested wordings are excellent! I plan to have a website, so maybe I'll put a designated page explaining my choice there so people understand. Thank you so much for this post!
shana said
YMMV, of course, but i have to say – i am SO GLAD we didn't do this for our wedding. yes, it was definitely a ceremony that was outside and more casual than a quiet churchy affair. we had one team captain photographer (a pro photojournalist who actually worked his way through a shot list – family, brides w/ bouquets, getting ready shots) and then encouraged our other friends with nice cameras to shoot and upload anything they wanted as long as they tagged it so we could find it. (one excellent video shooter who attended politely declined, actually, because he didn't want to feel like he was working – which was totally fine.) my favorite images of the night were the least expected and were only available to us because we had so many people taking as many pictures as they wanted.
as for the attention deficit question: i can barely remember anyone but my wife that day. there could have been bears dancing in the aisles and i would have just kept staring at her.
Ariel Meadow Stallings said
As I said in the article I toooootally expect that not all couples (or even MOST couples) would want to go this route, but I do want to clarify one thing: most of the people who I see expressing interest in it aren't going for "quiet churchy affairs." Specifically, I've heard from a couple Pagans who were very clear that they wanted their guests actively participating in the ritual of their wedding ceremony.
My point here is just to discourage assuming that this is a "quiet chuchy" thing. Many churches have rules about camera use — it's the folks getting married outside churches who have to establish their own rules.
Martin Plant said
As a professional wedding photographer I'm no longer surprised, when reviewing photos, to see parents of the bride or groom in the background taking photos during the ceremony. How can they possibly be appreciating the moment?
Unplugged wedding? Genius
bruiseviolet said
And before the days of cameras and phones, people would pretend to read the program or stare out the window, or at the floor, or at their feet. If they chose to 'not appreciate' the moment, that's their problem. We can't go around being the police- besides who are we to assume that because someone is taking a photo they aren't appreciating the moment? Something obviously inspired them to want to capture the moment in front of them.
Audrey said
Isn't there a problem with the font? My eyes hurt because of the oversize font starting from "talk to your photographer". Am I the only one having this?
Ariel Meadow Stallings said
What browser are you using? If I had to guess, I'd say ie6.
Nik said
I had the same problem yesterday, and I'm on IE8. It's fine today.
Ariel Meadow Stallings said
Oh man, I wish you'd said something yesterday! There was a header tag that wasn't closed correctly, but most browsers (Firefox, Chrome, ie9) compensate for that. I didn't realize ie8 was naughty in that particular way. Regardless, the issue has been fixed — next time you notice broken formatting, please let us know!
Jen said
I find this whole request really strange. We didn't have any problems with ringing phones or people taking photos of people taking photos. A lot of our guests had really nice, professional cameras and we set up a flickr page for them. I've not seen a single terrible guest-taken photo on it. Our photographer even stepped aside and said "okay, you guys have 2 minutes to take photos and then they're mine" and people abided by this rule just fine.
Honestly, we were so busy chatting with every person at the wedding I didn't even see ANYONE taking photos (and when I saw photos of myself everywhere from that day, friends and photographer both, I didn't even realize they'd been taken).
Vicky said
I was looking at a friend's wedding photos the other day and there isn't a single picture of their family of four looking at the same camera- one of them is always looking at grandpa!