Wedding In Progress...Hold Please

The judge says, “Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” As the bride opens her mouth to respond, the poignancy of the moment is suddenly shattered by the ringing of a phone. The ringing goes on and on and everyone is turning their heads, craning their necks to see who forgot to put their phone on silent or turn it off. Surprise, it was the best man!
While this may just be a story, it has happened at some weddings. It would seem that not everybody knows their mobile phone etiquette. They can spoil what should have been the most romantic part of the ceremony though it will often seem funny years down the line.

In an increasingly gadget filled world, here are some pointers to keep the electronics from spoiling the wedding:

Either put the phones on silent or turn them off. Guys this simple consideration. At any gathering where attention is needed, no one else needs to know when you get a phone call or a message. Most phones come built in with a silent mode with a vibrate option. Switch it to silent mode and you won’t miss anything but you won’t interrupt the nuptials either.

Brides, grooms and members of the entourage may want to leave their mobile phones with relatives who aren’t involved in the wedding and can take care of any calls that come in. That will leave them all free to focus on the wedding without distractions. Usually the bride leaves her phone with her maid of honor.

Leave the music players at home. Most music players now are really small. Nobody can see anything but the earphones unless you take it out and display it. Still, you are at a gathering and that is not the place for solitary activities such as this. It is impolite considering that the bride and groom have tried to create a party that is meant to be enjoyed and remembered. It is also rude to your family and friends who may not have seen you in a while and would like to spend time catching up with you.

Take the spy gadgets off. We use headsets to have the handsfree option. While they are useful they do make you look anti social - or like a bodyguard. Take them off unless you are actually talking on the phone.

Lights, Camera…Batteries! Most couples won’t mind if you bring along your own digital or video camera. In fact most will welcome it. It is important however that you make sure that you have enough juice in your battery. Some venues charge extra for use of electricity for cameras. It doesn’t matter the amount. It will still be charged to the bride and groom and that is not something they should be burdened with if the photographers they got aren’t plugged in.

Laptops stay off the table til after the meal is done. Some of us carry laptops or notebooks all the time. Sometimes it is because of work. Other times, it is just something we are used to having around all the time. If you do bring your laptop with you, keep it off the table til after the meal and program is done. Focus your attention on what the bride and groom have planned for you and you won’t be bored.

A PSP is a handy tool to keep the kids entertained and out of trouble in a mainly adult event but make sure that they either keep the volume down or wear headphones. Better yet, simply leave the kids at home if you think that they cannot handle the niceties of such a social event yet. Both they and the bride and groom will thank you for letting them be comfortable at home.

Something to keep in mind about all these gadgets is that they were made for our convenience. We are not meant to become enslaved to them. They are useful but there are proper places to use them and a wedding isn’t the place for most except cameras. So unless your brand new piece of technology can enhance the wedding, leave it at home.
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