Unplugged ceremony sign wording: 20 ways to ask guests to put their phones away

An unplugged ceremony sign asks guests to put their phones away for the twenty minutes it takes you to get married. The usual reason is the photographs: your photographer gets one shot of you walking down the aisle, and a guest leaning out with a phone ends up in it.

Here are 20 wordings you can copy, where to put the sign, and what your officiant should say.

Why couples ask for it

1. Cleaner photos. Raised phones and lit screens cannot be edited out of the aisle shot or the first kiss.
2. Faces, not phones. When you look out at your guests, you see them rather than the backs of their phone cases.
3. Your photos first. Otherwise the first picture of your wedding online is a blurry one from row six, posted before you have seen a single frame from your photographer.

The sign itself does not need to explain any of this. Make the request, give one reason at most, and stop.

What "unplugged" covers

Spell it out, because guests do not know where the line is. Usually it means:

• The ceremony only, from when guests sit down until the recessional.
• Not the reception. Phones come back out for drinks, dinner and dancing.

A popular middle ground: phones away for the vows, then everyone is welcome to photograph the recessional. Giving guests one moment they are allowed to capture makes the rest easier to ask for.

20 unplugged ceremony sign wordings

Keep your sign under about 25 words. Long signs do not get read.

Warm

1. Welcome. We invite you to be fully present with us. Please turn off your phones and cameras for the ceremony. Our photographer will capture everything.
2. The best view of today is the one from your own eyes. Please keep phones and cameras away during the ceremony.
3. We have waited a long time for this moment, and we would love to see your faces in it. Phones away, please.
4. Today we are having an unplugged ceremony. Sit back, be with us, and let the photographer do the work.
5. Please be our guests, not our photographers. Phones and cameras off until after the ceremony.

Funny

6. We paid a professional. Please let her do her job. Phones away for the ceremony.
7. Unplugged ceremony. If your phone is out, you will be in the photos looking at your phone. Forever.
8. Nobody has ever framed a photo of the back of somebody's head. Cameras off, please.
9. Please silence your phones. The only ring we want to hear today is the one on her finger.
10. We promise our photos will be better than yours. Phones away, and thank you.

Short

11. Unplugged ceremony. Phones away, please.
12. No phones. No cameras. Just us.
13. Be here with us. Phones off.
14. Please put your phone away and enjoy the ceremony.
15. Cameras off. Hearts on.

Formal

16. The bride and groom respectfully request an unplugged ceremony. Kindly switch off all phones and cameras until the conclusion of the service.
17. Out of respect for the couple and their photographer, guests are asked to refrain from photography during the ceremony.
18. We kindly ask that all devices remain silent and put away for the ceremony. Photographs will be shared with every guest afterwards.

Religious or neutral

19. This is a sacred moment for us. Please keep phones and cameras away and be present with us as we make our vows.
20. Please join us fully in this ceremony. Devices silent, phones away, all eyes here.

Change "bride and groom" or "her finger" to fit the two of you.

Phone-free events that are not weddings

The same sign works anywhere you want faces instead of screens. Five wordings:

1. Party: This is a phone-free party. Put your phone away and enjoy the night with us.
2. Recital or school show: Please keep phones and cameras away during the performance. Photos will be shared afterwards.
3. Memorial or funeral: Please silence your phone and keep it away during the service. Thank you for being here.
4. Baby shower or gift opening: Phones down while we open gifts, please. We will share the photos.
5. Dinner party: Tonight is phone-free. Leave yours in the basket and we will text you the photos.

For a memorial, keep it short and leave out the jokes; a small sign at the door is enough.

Where to put the sign

• At the ceremony entrance, at eye level. This is the spot every guest walks past. An 18 by 24 inch sign on an easel does most of the work.
• At the start of the aisle, where programmes are handed out, so it is the last thing guests see before sitting.
• On the order of service, as one line at the top. Guests read it while they wait.
• On your invitation or wedding website, weeks ahead. This is the one that actually changes behaviour, because guests know before they arrive.
• Not on every chair. Twenty small signs feel like nagging; one big one feels like a request.

The free unplugged ceremony sign lets you edit the wording and print it on a Letter sheet from your browser. A free Paper&Seal account adds poster sizes up to 24 by 36 inches for the easel.

What the officiant should say

The sign sets the expectation; the officiant's announcement is what makes it stick. Ask them to say this once everyone is seated, just before the processional:

Before we begin, the couple have asked that this be an unplugged ceremony. Please take a moment to silence your phone and put it away. Their photographer is here, and the photos will be shared with all of you. For the next twenty minutes, just be with them.

Two things make it work: it comes after everyone has sat down, and it promises the photos.

Tell guests how they will get the photos

Most guests raise a phone because they are worried they will never see a picture. Say on the sign or in the announcement that you will share the professional photos, then do it. A gallery link in a thank-you email six to eight weeks later is typical; telling guests roughly when helps.

At the reception, invite the photos instead. A photo sharing QR sign on each table or at the bar points guests to a shared album. If you use Paper&Seal, its photo wall gives guests an upload page and can show their photos as a live slideshow at the venue.

Quick checklist

• Decide whether unplugged means the whole ceremony or only the vows.
• Add one line to the invitation or wedding website.
• Put one large sign at the entrance and one at the aisle.
• Add a line to the top of the order of service.
• Ask the officiant to make the announcement once guests are seated.
• Promise the photos and give a rough date.
• Welcome phones back at the reception, with somewhere for guests to share what they take.