Wedding season is in full swing across the Maritimes and just like in decades past, many guests are posing etiquette questions like how fancy should my clothes be? Can I bring a date? Or how much should I spend on a gift? Now, in the age of social media and smartphones, wedding dos and don’ts are evolving.
If you've been to a wedding recently then you've likely seen it - people on their smartphones snapping pictures. However, some brides aren’t big on the new trend and are starting one of their own, called unplugged weddings.
Cynthia Gagnon is preparing to say her I dos and on the big day she says there will be a big don’t.
“It’s a no phone zone, absolutely,” says Gagnon.
Gagnon is marrying Luke Leblanc, her beau of four years, at their property in New Brunswick. It’s a day they don’t want shared, filtered, and cropped on social media.
“I think it’s such a special time that you want to be the one who's going to put those pictures out instead of having everyone putting them up before even knowing about them,” says Gagnon.
It’s a complaint the pros at Cooked Photography have heard before.
“We shot a wedding a week ago and there was 300 guests and it was this beautiful church and this epic scene and if you look at the side, it’s people with their iPads or iPhones,” says photographer Jeff Cooke.
Unplugged weddings have been taking off in the last year, to the relief of some photographers. However, Cooke says he doesn’t worry about amateurs making his job obsolete and works around the smartphones in the aisle.
“I'd love it if no one had cameras out, cameras in their pockets,” says Cooke.
If the wedding you're attending this summer is okay with posting to Instagram or Facebook there are certain things you can do to stay out of the way and on the brides good side, like refraining from posting unflattering photos online.
“No one wants to be tagged in an unflattering photo, so maybe run it by the bride before you post something,” says photographer Jenn Nauss. “But really just try to stay out of the way and don’t get in the bride’s face. You're not the photographer for the day.”
The wedding planners at Elegant Productions say some of their clients are embracing social media when it comes to tying the knot.
“Lots of couples are coming up with their own hashtag and encouraging guests to take pictures throughout the wedding day,” says wedding planner Katelyn Hipson.
Hipson says every couple is different when it comes to etiquette for their big day, but one wedding don’t that is here to stay is to avoid wearing white, unless of course you’re the bride.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelly Linehan
