How can you make sure your wedding photos are free from distractions?

Getting photos taken of your wedding day is a great way to remember your celebrations, but also a chance to share your day with those who didn’t attend. As such, you’ll want them to be the best quality they can be and free from distractions – which is why couples spend a significant portion of their budget on a professional wedding photographer.

Unfortunately, the excitement of your guests can often play havoc with getting your perfect shot. Most people will bring a phone or camera with them to snap their own mementoes of the day, but this means that your ‘official’ wedding photos will be full of guests holding up devices at the key moments. So how can you avoid this? Here’s how can you make sure your wedding photos are free from distractions? Let’s take a look at some of your options.

Unplug your wedding

Whilst your wedding photographer can do some magic to remove the odd phone or two in the editing stage, they’ll be hard-pressed to make it look like everyone is standing normally if their hands are holding their devices up in the air. One way to make sure that you don’t run the risk of having this problem is to opt for an unplugged (phone-free) wedding. 

It might seem dramatic to ask your guests to leave their phones in their bags all day, but research shows that this approach is popular with an increasing number of couples, with three out of four saying they’d be interested in the idea. If the whole day feels like too big an ask, you could always request no phones for the ceremony only.

Give guests certain times to take photos

If you’re happy for people to take photos, but don’t want phones in every image, then consider giving your guests a set time to take their images, before your chosen photographer steps in. For example, you may give guests a chance to snap a shot outside your venue after the ceremony, or open the floor for photos after your photographer has taken the official photo of you cutting your cake.

By carefully curating the times when your friends and family can take their own photos, you remove the risk of phones interfering with your professional shots – but you also give your loved ones a chance to capture their own memories of the day.

Consider how you’ll entertain children

Whether or not to have children at your wedding is a subject in itself. Some people can’t imagine their day without all of their loved ones there, including little ones, whilst others want the day to be a calm, adults-only affair. If you do decide to have kids present at your nuptials, then you’ll need to consider how you’re going to entertain them. Whilst children in tiny dresses and suits can be adorable, they have a short attention span – meaning that the photos of your wedding breakfast, speeches and even the ceremony may feature grumpy-looking children or distracted parents. 

If your budget allows it, getting a childcare service for a few hours can mean that younger guests don’t have to sit through the parts they find boring. Then, instead of photos of unhappy faces and tugging at sleeves, your little ones can feature in your official wedding photos with big smiles and laughter.

Be in the moment

We’re all so used to having our phones to hand and snapping pictures of every moment that it can feel radical to consider a change for your wedding day. But not only does removing digital devices help your wedding photographer, it allows your guests to truly be in the moment, and celebrate your special day with you.

I hope these tips help you with making effective decisions on how can you make sure your wedding photos are free from distractions?