Wedding photobooth

How To Have An Unplugged Wedding

While technology is undoubtedly a wonderful thing and often a fantastic addition to your wedding day, there is also a move toward what could be described as an ‘unplugged wedding.’  Think of it as the polar opposite of the techy wedding without hashtags, social media and photo sharing.

There’s certainly pros and cons to this sort of wedding and indeed it may sound a little draconian to some, but it can give the day a much more private feel and you’ll have control over your photos, plus it will allow your guests the chance to actually enjoy the day rather than watching it from behind their phone screen as they take snaps.

Of course, you can always have a hybrid of both, where you might decide to have the ceremony as ‘unplugged,’ and the reception as a selfie friendly zone.

If you’d like to chat about this or any aspect of your wedding day planning or décor, then please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.

 

Pros of an Unplugged Wedding

  • The ethos of an unplugged wedding is twofold. Firstly, you want your guests to disconnect from their technology which rules most of our lives on a daily basis and instead just enjoy the day to the full. Essentially you want them to switch off and not see the day through a phone screen.
  • The second major driver of this type of wedding is that you have much more control over what images are shared on social media. You may have waited a very long time for your wedding day and accordingly you want to make sure you are the one who gets to share the first snap of you and your new husband or wife and not some dodgy picture from a guests smartphone.
  • Also let’s not forget, couples fork out quite a bit for professional photographers, so why not really let them capture the day instead of having your well-meaning guests get in the way of the official photographer who is trying to get those all-important shots.

 

 

Cons of an Unplugged Wedding

  • The most obvious hurdle for an unplugged wedding is letting the guests know your wishes. So be clear from the off. Mention it in your invites, your order of service or have signage at the church or ceremony entrance. Or enlist a member of the bridal party to let the guests know about your wishes.
  • While an unplugged wedding is great in theory, it can also mean you miss some spontaneous shots which only guests can capture, as no matter how good your photographer is, they cannot be everywhere at once. Also once you photographer has left, often it’s the guests pictures which capture the evening time fun, so if you are enforcing your unplugged theme for the entire wedding, you’ll miss out on these pics.
  • Some guests might feel a little peeved about not being able to take pictures for themselves at the wedding day. Let’s not forget, most have taken time out to get themselves dolled up for your big day and would like to be able to take a few shots. A good way around this is to have a photobooth at the reception so the guests can have pictures from the day

 

What About A Hybrid Strategy?   

  • As you can see, there are pros and cons to having an unplugged wedding and sometimes it’s best to employ a sort of hybrid strategy. Why not have your ceremony as a tech-free zone, which will allow your guests to actually be in the moment and enjoy this very special time, rather than watching it from behind their screens. It also means you’ve got full control over your ceremony images.
  • Then after the ceremony, you could lift the tech ban and indeed encourage your guests to get snap happy and upload their best selfies and shots from the day with a hashtag. That way you’re going to get the best of both worlds and not miss out on some potentially great guest’s pics.

 

 

 

Alice in Wonderland Wedding Theme

From the queen of hearts, to the mad hatter, the March hare and all the fun that goes with it, choosing an Alice in Wonderland theme for your wedding day is a great choice. If you’ve always been a huge fan of the Lewis Carroll classic then there’s no better way to bring it to life then with some nifty wedding décor. Think playing cards, the Queen of Hearts, Flamingos, hats, sweet treats, colour, rabbits, clocks, magic and everything in between.

Of course you don’t have to go all out and make like you’re in the Tim Burton film adaption of the book either. You can always add subtle Alice in Wonderland style touches which can work incredibly well too. Whichever you go for, there’s so many fun and eye-catching ways to bring the theme to life.

If you’d like to chat about this or any other aspect of your wedding day planning and décor, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

 

Table Plan and Escort Cards
Playing cards would make ideal escort cards or similarly cards laid out on a board for a more traditional style of table plan would work fabulously well too. Think about maybe having a key for each guest with an Alice in Wonderland style label attached with the guests name on it, or a teacup for each guest as their escort card/favour.

Table Décor and Centrepieces
Tea pots, be they on their own or stacked work incredibly well as Alice in Wonderland themed centrepieces. Also think about antique style pocket watches and clocks draped on the table or as the main focal point. Why not have pages from the book itself or playing cards? Flamingos and mad hatters style hats also work really well and can look truly stunning if you feel like making more of statement.

 

 

Photobooth Fun
Whether you’re having a professional or a DIY photobooth, an Alice in Wonderland style theme lends itself perfectly to lots of fab photo fun. Have a big box of props on standby, like Mad Hatter’s hats, queen of hearts crowns and trademark red hair, the Cheshire Cat’s grin, Alice’s Hairband, ‘off with their heads’ signs and everything else in between.

 

Cakes and Food
It wouldn’t be an Alice in Wonderland themed wedding without cakes and tarts and all manner of sweet treats… let’s not forget the Mad Hatters Tea Party. Have fun with your wedding cake and chat to your cake maker about what sort of decorations and adornments they can do. If you don’t want to go all out with your cake then have fun with mini tarts, cupcakes and cakepops with ‘eat me’ stickers on them and why not dress up your pre-reception drinks with fun ‘drink me’ labels too.

 

Wedding Photobooth Fun

Having a photobooth at your wedding equals guaranteed fun and laughter! For many couples, their official photographer will be done and dusted by the time the meal is fully underway and the dancing begins. The beauty of a photobooth is that it gives you the chance to get different sorts of photos of your guests and pictures of different groups of guests when they are fully relaxed and ready to have some major fun! Props are a must for photobooths; from funny moustaches, to signs, to big lips, glasses, wigs and anything else you can think of that might elicit a giggle.

There’s several options for setting up a photobooth, you can chose a professional photobooth hire, or you can go for a DIY version. It’s completely up to you and your budget. Either way, a photobooth is huge fun and the snaps will definitely make you smile when you go through them during the post wedding weeks and months.

As well as being an award-winning wedding planner, I also run perfectphotobooth.com, so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like our photobooth at your wedding day.

 

 

Photobooths
They are just like the old fashioned booths where you might have gotten your passport photos taken, only generally bigger, with most wedding photobooths catering for a group of people at one time. There’s normally a start button and a countdown and then the happy snapping begins. Make sure to fill the booth with lots of fun props. The beauty of a professional photobooth is that everything about the process runs super smoothly and at the end of it, the guests are left with fantastic photos in their hands, plus most upload them to an online gallery so everyone can access them.
photobooth

 
DIY Booths
A professional photobooth hire might not be in every couple’s budget, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have the essence of a photobooth in your big day! There’s lots of ways to set one up and if you’re a DIY lover then this will really appeal to you. You can use practically anything that fits in with your décor, from retro screens, to homemade frames, to painted backdrops, to streamers, to an antique couch, to an old door frame and so on. The only limit is your imagination. You’ll also need to either set up a tripod for your camera or iPad, and leave instructions for the guests on setting up the timer, or go old school and leave out a polaroid for some selfie fun! And don’t forget the props!

Props
Props are super important for your photobooth, whether it be a professionally hired booth or a DIY booth, good props will make or break it. The old starworts like moustaches, lips, wigs, oversized glasses, funny hats, Elvis glasses etc, are always a good choice, but think about other options that will fit in with your theme or interests. For example are you total movie buffs? Then why not have some clapperboards and movie star inspired disguises. Or if you adore Alice in Wonderland for example then make sure you’ve got Alice bands, Mad Hatter Style hats and ‘Eat Me,’ ‘Drink Me’ Signs. Professional photobooth hire companies often provide props too, but it’s good to throw in some of your own as well.