iDont's (iphone etiquette at a wedding)

Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE… LOVE… LOVE my iPhone!  Honestly, how did anyone get anything done before this thing was invented?  It’s like a personal assistant that can also take great pictures and share them with all my friends on the spot.  We’ve become and information society and that’s great in a lot of ways, but there are also limitations and weddings (and other life moment events) are at the top of that list!  I really recommend leaving it in the car.  But if you need to have it on you in case a patient or the kids call, here are some basic rules to follow.  I know they seam like common sense, but trust me I am speaking from experience.  We are so used to being attached at the hip, we all forget sometimes.

• Mute your phone!  Pretty basic but so easy to forget to do.  Check it twice.  Even if you have it on vibrate, if it goes off during a quiet moment (usually the most emotional), people are going to hear it.
• Don’t take a call unless it is essential!  If it’s during the ceremony, we define essential as life or death, and by that we mean life or death! 
• Pictures!  We all love phone pictures and I have been at weddings where every other guests has iPhones out, up in the air, stuck into the aisle, where ever they can get the shot.  I have seen guests stand up, kneel into the aisle, you name it.  If you must take pictures, please be discreet!  First off, it’s distracting to other guests.  Secondly, there are professional photographers hired by the couple to capture the day.  A long shot of the vow exchange from the back of the room with 100 iPhones in the air is…… Well, you get my point.  The other important thing to remember is the photographer is there to get those shots, do not get in their way to grab a quick phone image.
• If you do take photos with your phone, don’t post them to social media without the couples permission.  Let them be the first to post pictures from their big day!
• It’s so easy to just pop onto facebook to check what’s going on with all your friends.  RESIST!  Keep your phone in your pocket and enjoy the friends, old and new, you are spending the day with.

So put the phone away for a bit and enjoy the day.  It can all wait a few hours while you spend some time laughing and conversing with Aunt Betty.  Of course, I don’t think anyone will mind if you pull it out for a ‘selfie’ with your best friend that just got married.

Tip:  Here’s an idea we love shared by a father of the bride.!  Once the couple is at the alter, the officiate is going to going to welcome the guests and welcome them to take pictures for the next couple of minutes, then ask them to please turn off their phones so everyone can fully focus on the joyous moment they are all there to celebrate.