wedding tips / should I have an unplugged wedding

One of the trends I've seen coming up the last couple years is the Unplugged Wedding - and I, for one, am a HUGE fan of this!

The concept of an Unplugged Wedding is inviting (requesting) your guests to put their phones + cameras away during the ceremony and/or reception, and simply be present + enjoy being in the moment with you during this special time. We have become a culture obsessed with our phones, and it has gotten in the way of us being able to enjoy moments simply by being in them. How much of life do we not fully take in because we are viewing them through the screen of our phones? Our society has become one that is consumed by the desire to be the first to post something and have it be the perfect representation of the moment that they don't allow themselves to truly experience it.

Not yet sold on the idea? Here are a few reasons to consider going Unplugged at your wedding.

Guests Interact More

In addition to interacting with one another more, guests will interact with the surroundings more as well. You have spent months planning this day, down to the last perfect detail. You want your guests to be able to enjoy all that work. Truth is, they are less likely to notice the little details if they're busy on their devices.

It Won't Compromise The Professional Photos

I cannot tell you how many shots I've taken, some of which cannot be saved, because a well intentioned guest has stepped right in my way, or the image shows 8 phones or tablets while others try to get a shot. It definitely changes the mood and emotion of the image when you have the distractions of devices in the frame with the dad giving away his daughter, or Uncle Bob in the aisle as the groom kisses the bride. People get so caught up in trying to document for themselves that they forget you've already hired someone to document the day! And that their attempts at documenting can actually interfere with + change the way that the professional is able to capture moments for you. Your guests are the background of your story that day - and if they are all on devices, trying to take their own photos, it definitely changes the mood. Not to mention sometimes people forget to silence the noises on their camera and shutter of their phones, which can be distracting during the ceremony.

Everyone's Privacy is Respected

Everyone varies on their comfortability with social media - some document each and every aspect of their lives to share with the world, while others do everything they can to stay off of it. Having an unplugged wedding allows for more control over what gets posted and when. I have also seen a few first look moments that have been shared with the world because someone posted a photo before the ceremony. I totally understand people get excited and sometimes just don't think about little aspects you may have worked hard to plan for a certain way so asking your guests to keep their phones and cameras put away until the reception (at least) definitely helps control what everyone else sees on social media - and when.

The First Images of Your Wedding Shared Are Professional

I pull between 20-50 sneak peeks for my brides when I get home that night so that if they want to post a photo from their day, it doesn't have to be an iPhone photo!  This way the world can see a gorgeous professional image of you as Husband + Wife instead of a quickly snapped, potentially blurry, iPhone photo. I know this isn't the workflow for all photographers, so make sure to check with your photographer to see if that is something they offer.

Make Gallery Sharing Easy

You can use your Wedding Website to let your guests know that you will be doing an Unplugged Wedding and that you will link the gallery to your Wedding Website once you get the images so that they know they will have access to view images as well. Knowing they will be able to have photos from the day might lessen the anxiety of them not being able to capture their own.

Other ideas for image sharing is using a custom hashtag if you are allowing photos during the reception. I have seen several weddings do Polaroid photo booths so that people have images they can take home with them as well.

If you choose to do an Unplugged Wedding, make sure you put that information on your Wedding Website so that guests have a heads up and know what to expect. You might also want to have a sign near the entry and have your DJ or Officiant gently remind guests of your request before the ceremony begins as well.

One day you, your kids and grandkids will look back on these images - just think about what you want to see in the background: beautiful smiling faces of those you love most in the world, or the backs of iPhones and tablets? I personally want to see faces and I promise your photographer's images will be all the better for it as well!

Want more information about going unplugged? There are a lot of resources online, or I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have!

wedding tips / choosing your team

Choosing the people that will be by your side on your wedding day is such an important thing - and not just your bridal party - your vendor team makes your wedding visions come to life! Just because it’s the person that your friend or your mom’s coworker knows doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right choice for you.

Here are a few things to consider:

Make sure they are people you trust. Ultimately, you are investing your money into these vendors and trusting them with the details of one of the most important days. You want to know that they will not only listen to you, but work hard to make sure everything is as stress-free and smooth for you as possible! And, no matter how much you trust them, or how confident you are in them (or your relationship if you know them personally) ALWAYS get a contract!

Do they fit your style? This can be anything from decor styling, makeup work, videography or photography capturing and editing styles. From dark and moody to light and airy - posed, editorial or candid and storytelling, whatever style you’re drawn to is what you should have! Find vendors that not only are capable of doing what you’re looking for, but that are experts in it.

What do people have to say? Don’t just take the word of a single person - check their reviews! If they don’t have testimonials posted on their website or Google Reviews, don’t be afraid to ask! Providing reviews to you should be no problem. Everything should be clear and upfront - and if you feel like this is something you can’t ask them - that’s a red flag - you should always be comfortable asking your vendors anything, at anytime. See their work outside their Instagram/Website - ask to see full galleries from your photographer, videos from your film team, photos from your hair, makeup and styling teams.

Know the back up plan. Something that should be covered in your contract is what the plan is if disaster strikes and there is an emergency that affects them serving you on your wedding day. You should know who would be taking their place and make sure it is a replacement you approve of. Ask your photographer/videographer what their process is for backing up and protecting your images. Don’t simply assume they have one in place - know what it is and make sure that they are protecting your images the best way they can - multiple copies, multiple places.

They feel like a friend… Some of your vendors will be with you pretty much the entire day - your photographer, videographer + coordinator should be people you love being around + that feel more like friends celebrating with you than just a vendor working for you. They should also be approachable + accessible to you! make sure they are responsive - and that you are comfortable asking questions or reaching out whenever you need anything - even if it's just some reassurance.

Their experience + Your budget. Do you know what their experience is? How many weddings have they worked and to what capacity? Make sure that you know these things and are comfortable and confident in their ability. And while your budget should not be the end all - it is something to consider. Is there a vendor you HAVE to have? Even if they are outside your budget, it can definitely be worth your time to reach out and be willing to adjust the allocation of your funds. Remember - you get what you pay for, so make sure to prioritize the things that are important to you, and balance your budget accordingly.

Your wedding day is about YOU + your love. choose a team that not only sees your vision, but that supports it + works hard to serve you well. you deserve to have stress taken off of you, be loved on + pampered every step of this process.

questions to ask: what is your backup process?

If you’re engaged and looking for a photographer (or just looking for a photographer in general), there are several things to consider and ask. The issue is, a lot of people don’t even know what questions to ask. So I’m going to cover a few of them in the next couple weeks for you!

First one (because I think it’s one of the most important) is WHAT IS YOUR BACKUP PROCESS?

You are investing money in this photographer, as well as trusting them with your irreplaceable memories. It is so important that your photographer have a process that will protect your images and memories, no matter what.

So what should you be looking for? You want them to have multiple copies of your images and that they keep the RAW files indefinitely.

Here is my backup process:

1. First and foremost, the cameras I use are set to read to TWO SD cards simultaneously - so I have 2 copies right off the get. (ask your photographer if they are set to do this - if an SD card malfunctions, there is still an extra copy right there. otherwise, all those images would be lost)

2. As soon as I get home, before anything else, I back up all the RAW files onto 4 separate external hard drives and online cloud storage. This brings my total to 7 copies of your images.

3. When I am on the go, I work off of a travel drive which is an additional copy - not in place of, so then I would have 8 copies.

4. One of those hard drives lives in a fire proof safe and the others are kept in separate locations. Worst case, if there was a fire, or things got stolen, there’s always extra copies kept safe.

5. Once the gallery is complete, I back up all the final images onto all 4 external hard drives and cloud storage, upload to my online gallery and send to my clients.

6. Only after the gallery is delivered, and all final images (with the RAWS) are on all 4 hard drives and online cloud storage, do I format and delete my SD cards. So even after all is said and done, I will have 5 copies of your images and I never delete the RAW files, ever.

I purchase new hard drives every year (and as needed throughout) so that I never need to delete anything. It is worth the extra business expense of a few hundred dollars, to know that I am protecting your images and memories with everything I can. SD cards malfunction, hard drives corrupt and fail - but with multiple copies, even if that happens, I’ve got you covered.