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Brides and grooms divided on trendy 'unplugged wedding' policy

In a society where technology is becoming omnipresent, living in the moment has become a challenge for many people. On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and an ever-growing list of other social sharing sites, we are constantly updating our "online lives." But there is a time and place for everything, and weddings aren’t always it.

There are a growing number of couples requesting guests to follow a strict "unplugged" policy during their wedding ceremonies – in other words, refraining from the use of technology including cameras, smartphones or any other digital distractions during their big day – a rule celebrities live by. But is this necessary for the everyday couple?

Help the photographer do his or her job – by not helping

Mo Govindgi, founder of Mango Studios and Wedly, a wedding and photo sharing app, says while he is not for or against the presence of gadgets at a wedding completely, he is against the use of them during special moments of the ceremony.

Govindgi says his shots have been ruined a number of times over the years – from camera flashes ruining the perfect lighting to guests jostling for positions, especially at "cultural weddings,” Govindgi says, “where it's common for guests to come up to the altar mid-ceremony and fight for the better photograph of the couple."

While the couple is sure to enjoy your photos of their special day, chances are they won’t be as impressed if your shot comes at the expense of the perfect picture they could have had from the photographer they paid to be there.

Rather than completely banning technology from the ceremony, Mo suggests couples enforce phone etiquette where guests are asked by the priest or officiant to put away their devices at special moments during the wedding, "and that should come with common courtesy," says the veteran photographer.

Okay if you're the groom, you definitely shouldn't be on the phone during the wedding. (Thinkstock)
Okay if you're the groom, you definitely shouldn't be on the phone during the wedding. (Thinkstock)

The unplugged wedding

Wedding and event planner David Vallee says guest photographers are often disruptive and cause a shift of focus to the activity of the ceremony. He recalls a wedding he recently attended where "everybody was watching the wedding from their devices." This is a special moment he says, "why attend the event if you'll be living it through your 8-inch LCD screen?"

"I strongly recommend to all my couples' to ban their devices and to turn them off during the ceremony, that way you don’t get accidental messages or calls." He suggests a simple announcement prior to the ceremony is crucial.

"Before social media and before we could record videos on our phones, there was an expectation that a wedding was a very private occasion. The more that we ‘mediafy’ those experiences, the less personal and the less private they become" he says.

I do... to technology

Not all brides agree that tech-free is the way to go, however.

"One of my favorite pictures from the wedding was a genuine moment caught on my friends' cell phone," says 28-year-old Natalia Sarafyn who tied the knot to her fiancé in Toronto this past December. Sarafyn prompted her guests to bring their cell phones in order to connect to Wed Pics wedding app, where she had registered to make photo sharing easier and to compile everyone's photos in one place.

Govindgi’s app Wedly also lets users gather and organize photos and keep them in one place so you can immediately see what photos your friends and family snapped.

If you opt to go app-less and rely on guests hashtagging their photos of your wedding on social media, Govindgi advises doing your research beforehand to make sure you’ll be able to find your photos.

"Some of the biggest challenges my wife and I faced at our wedding ceremony was Instagram hashtags, we thought that our hashtag: "#mangowedding" was original and clever only to realize fifteen other couples were using the same hashtag, leaving us to dig through dozens of other peoples weddings."

Although Sarafyn permitted gadgets at her wedding, she says she can definitely see how a ‘no gadget’ policy may appeal to some couples.

"But I didn’t have that issue,” Sarafyn says. “I think my guests were respectful of my photographers' shots," says the newlywed.