As I begin to plan my wedding for next year, there are a lot of decisions to be made. What colors are going to be featured in our wedding? Where will we even HAVE the wedding? What about the honeymoon? What color will the tablecloths be? The list goes on for an eternity.

The one thing I knew when I started planning the wedding was that I wanted an unplugged ceremony and it's exactly what it sounds like. Basically, we do not want you to use your phone/iPad/tablet/camera/etc during the wedding ceremony.

Why?

Because we hired a professional photographer for a reason AND we want our guests to be fully present in the ceremony, not staring behind a phone screen. We also don't want to get our wedding pictures back a few months later and see a bunch of pictures with guests having their phone in their face trying to take a picture.

Think about it. Nowadays, everyone always has a phone in their hand and in their face. Yes, including me. We almost always have our phones in our hands and it's almost like we can't go without it. All that I ask as the bride is that you go 20-30 minutes without your phone. I promise that your calls, texts, and emails can wait, too.

And before you call me a narcissist for saying that I would like for my guests to be present in the moment, there's nothing narcissistic about it. The ceremony IS about us (the bride & groom). The ceremony ISN'T about the fact that you forgot to respond to a text message or the fact that you're in the aisle trying to get the "perfect picture."

Now, the reception is a different story. I actually encourage guests to take pictures of everything and anything during the reception. We're all dancing, eating, and having a good time. The photographer will be there as well to capture some fun shots, so we'll have those, too.

Truthfully, if you can't be off of your phone for 20-30 minutes while the ceremony takes place, please just don't come.