No photos or social media please!

Becoming increasingly popular in weddings, is the request that guests not take any photos or upload to social media.

This is a personal opinion and choice, however I have found it to be the norm in weddings that I have officiated at in recent times, and weddings that I have coming up.

The reason? Firstly, yes candid shots can be great, but they can also be quite unflattering. With the images that a professional photographer captures, they are examined with a fine tooth comb after the wedding, and then the couple have the opportunity and choice to decide which photos they wish to publicly display on either social media or on the walls adorning their home.

Next, the person with the phone or IPAD can often get in the way of the official photographer or videographer and it only takes a split second to spoil that moment that could have been captured, had someone not got in the way.

Another reason, and we can all relate to this, is if you have two or three people standing in front of you wanting to take a photo, who do you look at? Couples, I am sure, do not want to get photos back from their photographer where one person is looking directly at the photographer, and the other is focused elsewhere.

And when it comes to social media, it is often the choice and request of the couple to announce their marriage to the social media world. From my perspective and observations as a celebrant, if people are on their phones throughout a ceremony, they are not truly partaking in the actual ceremony, which is a real shame as it is an important part of the day.

The couple have chosen their words and certain aspects of the ceremony and want their guests to be a part of it - not sitting there tagging themselves and others in facebook, twitter and instagram posts.

Not everyone agrees with this, and it really is up to the couple as to whether these announcements are made prior to the ceremony. Some even have a board made up that is on display when guests arrive.

The common theme throughout my posts is " It's all about choices" and this is no different! I do whatever the couple ask me to do.