At a soup and sandwich bar from Heirloom L.A. catering, color-blocked paper wrapped sandwiches on the buffet.
With a smartphone in nearly every guest’s purse or pocket, wedding-day photos are almost guaranteed to appear in real time on social media sites. But more and more couples are politely restricting smartphone usage during the ceremony using cleverly worded signage (displayed at the venue’s entrance or printed in the ceremony program), as well as verbal reminders from the officiant.
“We’re going to see more and more ‘unplugged’ ceremonies in 2014,” says Renny Pedersen, owner of the Chicago-based wedding planning company Bliss Weddings & Events. “Nothing is worse than seeing a beautiful photograph of the bride walking down the aisle marred by a bunch of cameras and iPhones. This way, the wedding photographer is able to get the most important shots, without any unobstructed views.” Bonus: Guests will also be more present during the ceremony.
Pictured: A printed chalkboard sign by DesignSmithPaperArts asked guests to keep their smartphones and cameras in check.
Photo booths are practically de rigueur at receptions. But for couples who want something new: Enter the slow-motion video booth. It’s the same idea—guests take turns posing with props like confetti and neon sunglasses. But the station is set up with a video camera; after the wedding, the footage is edited into a slo-mo mini movie trailer and set to a catchy pop tune.
“The result is a keepsake video that captures the fun of the wedding day in a totally different way than stills,” says Rebecca Grinnals of wedding industry consulting firm Engaging Concepts.
Pictured: Production company Super Frog Saves Tokyo creates slo-mo booths.
