Discover what it means and why couples choose to
So, there’s a lot of chat about unplugged weddings, but should you choose to go this way for yours?
There’s so much advice floating around on how to organise your wedding, right? Is this just another fad or distraction? Or an addition to your already creaking destination wedding to do list?
I’m Hazel, your author and a professional Wedding Celebrant on the Costa Blanca in Spain. I work with couples from all over the world, planning their dream Spain wedding and so, I know a lot about Ceremonies! My job is to advise the amazing couples that I work with on the options available to them for their Spanish Wedding and whether to go unplugged or not is almost always a discussion point.
Ready to hear how I reply to couples considering going unplugged? Then let’s get started and once you’ve read this, you’ll know what all the fuss is about and your decision on which way to go will be easily made!
Firstly, What is an Unplugged Wedding Ceremony?
Choosing to go unplugged simply means that you ask your guests to switch to silent and pop away their phones and cameras for the duration of your Spanish ceremony. It’s that simple!
So, Why Might You Want to Make This Choice at Your Spanish Wedding?
Firstly, and most importantly you should keep in mind that it’s your wedding and you have options.
Learn as much as you can and then make the choices that best suit you and the day you are planning.
Unplugged might be for you and it might not, but let me run through some of the possible upsides of going unplugged, here goes!
1) Remove Distractions – Have Everyone Be in the Moment With You
Let’s remember that your wedding ceremony is about celebrating your relationship. Sharing the commitments you publicly make to each other with your friends and family who you love dearly.
It should very much be about them being there with you, focused on you in that most special of life moments.
Do you really want people distracted by looking at their phones, or missing your vows as they try to take a photograph? What if they can’t resist looking at a text that’s arrived, or worse an email from work? Or would you prefer that they are focused on you, what is being said and the atmosphere of this most romantic of moments?
2) Eliminate Device Noise – Beep Beep!
You may wish to avoid getting married to a soundtrack of clicks, beeps and bings. How distracting could that be for you?
The noise from messages and taking pictures can be distracting, diverting your attention away from where you want it to be. Yes, we all live online these days and there may be VIP’s on your guest list but is it too much to ask for half an hour with phones off and away? Just for you?
3) Reduce Movement – Create Stillness for These Few Magical Moments
Imagine a scenario where in search of the perfect snap of you both, Uncle Bill is attempting to creep about amongst the guests. Maybe in his seating row, or maybe in the aisle or towards the front of the ceremony space?
Now, we all love Uncle Bill and bless him for putting so much effort into trying to get the money shot, but believe me when I say, I’ve seen this happen! It’s never without noise, a chair scrapes, a foot step and excuse me or a sorry as they work their way through! It can be distracting for your guests, for your wedding celebrant and most importantly for you.
4) Clear the Line of Site – Avoid Obscuring the Key Moments for Your Guests
Your guests have probably put in real effort and travelled from afar to be with you at your Spanish Wedding. They’ll be blown away by the setting and the backdrop that Spain effortlessly creates for your day and be super excited to watch the two of you as you make your commitments to each other.
So, they may appreciate being able to focus intently on you as you say your I do’s without the prospect of Cousin Janet’s phone popping up unannounced to live stream it to Instagram and blocking that moment for them as you smile at each other. Then they’ll move to see better and then the guests behind them the same and before you know it a Mexican wave of stretching and straining to see happens!
Ok, I exaggerate, maybe a little, but trust me when I say I see these things happen and I’m sure that you can see in your mind’s eye what could occur.
5) You’ve Hired Professionals - Let Them Work Their Magic
You might think it unlikely, but I’ve regrettably seen it first-hand. A professional wedding photographer waiting patiently for that symbolic exchange of rings moment, ready to capture it imaginatively for the couple to frame after the wedding, only for a mobile phone to pop up right in their sightline.
Whilst they can do their best to edit it out in a creative way afterwards, sometimes that may not be wholly possible. Now, of course people are excited and no one means any harm, but you may be disappointed afterwards if you perhaps don’t get the key pictures that you were hoping for. Especially if there is something that you might be able to do in advance to help.
6) Save Something Just For You - Exclusive Content
If you opt for an unplugged ceremony at your Spanish wedding you save a little of the day for yourselves, in terms of photographs. You can then choose if, what, how and when to share them. It’s sometimes nice to keep a little something back just for you.
Some couples like to be the first to share images of their wedding day. It’s likely that some friends or family can’t be there in person at the wedding in Spain and you may prefer that they see it first from you rather than from a college mate on Facebook.
In an instant online age, having an unplugged ceremony gives you the couple choice of what is shared of this one special moment in their wedding day.
How do we go about making our Spanish Ceremony Unplugged?
If you decide that you like the idea of an unplugged element to your wedding day. Here’s how to set it up.
1. If you’ve not yet sent out the invitations you could include a line on the invitation
2. Start dropping hints and mentioning your wish for it to be unplugged and your reasons why when you speak to your family, friends and guests.
3. If you’re using one tell your wedding planner, they wil be able to advise on ways that they can help you achieve this
4. Mention it to your Wedding Celebrant in Spain. This is something can ask your guests at the welcome part of the ceremony before your entrance. I do this in a really soft way, with a little humour and I’ve yet to have any complaint from the guests.
5. Another popular way of communicating this is with a welcome board that guests will see as they enter the ceremony space
6. Order of Service, if you're having these it could be mentioned at the beginning
7. Let your photographer know they’ll likely be delighted to hear this.
Don’t forget this is one the biggest days of your lives, you’ve invested so much energy thought and often money into making your dream wedding in Spain a reality, it’s not a big ask for guests to pop their phones and cameras away for 30-40 minutes of a day.
Don’t forget to spend lots of time as a newly married couple posing for selfies and pictures afterwards to keep everyone happy and share the love !