How to Have an Unplugged Wedding

Planning & Advice

Are you thinking of going social media-free on your Big Day? Today we’re talking about why you should consider an unplugged wedding and how to pull it off.

Featured image: Liopetro Venue, Beziique Photography – Nick and Aimie Wild, Katie Williams – Marry Me Cyprus

Quick links {Planning and Advice} {Invitations and Stationery}

What is an unplugged wedding?

The goal of an unplugged wedding is for everybody to enjoy being in the moment. We live in a screen-obsessed world and it can take enforced rules to really switch off and pay attention to what’s really important. An unplugged wedding can be anything from asking guests not to take or post photos during your ceremony (and reception too, if you wish) to requesting that guests don’t pull out their phones or tech devices at all throughout the festivities. The rules are up to you! You get to decide how much or little technology you want to include in your wedding.

Some couples choose to keep just the ceremony unplugged, some allow guests to take photos but request that nothing is shared on social media, while others prefer banning all tech for the day.

The pros of an unplugged wedding

  1. Everybody gets to be fully present for your wedding day.
  2. Nobody will be in the way of your photographer or videographer, as they capture the moments.
  3. There’s less pressure with fewer cameras pointing at you.
  4. As you walk down the aisle, you’ll be looking at guests’ faces and not the backs of their phones.
  5. You won’t need to worry about phones beeping, ringing or distracting everybody.
  6. You get to decide which images of you appear on social media.

Special Days Wedding Stationery

How to enforce your unplugged wedding rule

Your invitation and website

When you first share all your wedding details, tell guests about your unplugged wedding. Let them know ahead of time what will and will not be allowed. There are ways to do this as an FYI and not a big announcement amidst a perfectly curated wedding invitation set. If you’re worried about sounding bossy, chat with your stationery designer to see if they’ve got some creative wording suggestions for you.

Something like “We are having an unplugged wedding. We would like you to be fully present with us during our ceremony, so we will be asking you to turn off all phones and cameras. Thank you!”

Creative signage

Speaking of clever wording, you can incorporate pretty signs which clearly spell out your requests. We recommend strategically placing a sign at the entrance to your wedding ceremony venue.

Spread the word

You can get the message across verbally by asking your celebrant/solemniser, ushers or trusted guests to spread the word. We recommend doing this in addition to your written requests to really enforce how serious you are about it. If you have a friend or family member who is particularly authoritative, you’re less likely to have guests arguing with them about it.