Welcome to Wedding Wisdom! Every Wednesday, JET experts will help you plan your dream nuptials from engagement to “I do.” This week, wedding planner and bride-to-be Tami Smallwood, CEO of blush|WEDDING & EVENT PLANNING FIRM, discusses the benefits of an “unplugged” wedding.

Photo courtesy of Cellar Door Photography.

Brides and grooms have joined the social media movement by assigning a hashtag to the topic most important to them—their big day. Guests can snap photos with their smart phones, upload their pics and add a specially assigned hashtag for viewing on social media sites instantly. Sounds good, right?

Not so much. There are upsides to seeing your special day unfold through the eyes of the guests, but unfortunately they do not outweigh the downsides.

Here are four things to consider before you go World Wide Web on your wedding:

1.  Friends who weren’t invited as guests see all the fun the chosen few had after the date is over.

2.  The self-proclaimed photographer interrupts the retained professional and neither of them gets that special shot the couple is hoping for and paid quite a bit to see. Besides, who wants their first kiss photo-bombed by Uncle James.

3.  Flash from smartphones and pocket cameras wash out the professional photos and alter the photographer’s shot.

4.  Guests are no longer just that. They are all living out their dreams of becoming professional iPhone snappers and forget why they are truly gathered.

There are, however, some creative ways to ensure your big day is not a photo fiasco, but the unplugged day of your dreams.  Make sure the guests are aware of your wishes. (Adding a cute message in the program or a visible sign near the entryway to the ceremony should do the trick.)  The officiant can make an announcement before the processional begins. They should have everyone’s undivided attention by this time anyway.  Offer a fun alternative to smartphone photos like a photo booth. This wedding phenomenon is a great way to capture fun candid shots with your guests and see them right away.

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