A bride sparked an online debate after demanding her wedding guests put away their phones.
In a viral Instagram video posted by Australian videographers Khyla Nixon and her husband Andrew, bride Anna Reuss could be heard berating her wedding guests for taking out their phones to film the ceremony.
The videographer wrote in the overlay text: “The bride should NOT have to say this during her big moment.”
As she walked down the aisle, the bride could be heard laughing and asking people to put away their phones, sweetly trying to keep people present on her big day. “Put away your phones,” she said kindly. “Come on!”
The videographer captioned the clip and wrote, “How do you feel about phones during the ceremony?”
In the comments section, people took the bride's side, with some noting that it seemed like the bride was hiding her disappointment from some of her guests.
“She is smiling but I know she is very upset. Honestly, I would feel very disrespected,” wrote one user.
“My wedding was yesterday and our officiant announced he was putting the phones away,” someone else added. “I did NOT spend thousands of dollars to look at phones!”
Some advocated taking out their phones during a wedding.
“I want memories, TAKE OFF YOUR PHONE because I'm not recording anymore,” one person commented. Another added: “I understand it's annoying, but if that's what you focused on during one of the most important moments of your life… I don't know.”
In a pinned comment, the account explained that guests had been asked to put away their phones during the March 23 ceremony in Queensland, Australia. Khyla explained to Today The bride had a “chill” mindset and strove for a “relaxed feel” throughout her wedding, which meant guests had to disconnect from their devices.
“They just wanted a really relaxed, fun day,” he said. “Nothing too over the top and stressful.”
With 100 people present, only 10 were called for being on the phone. “It was quite a few from the front rows,” Nixon added. “So, the immediate family.”
“The celebrant actually asked all the guests at the couple's request… to keep their phones away,” Nixon continued, adding that the officiant told the guests something to the effect of, “They have paid professionals. “They want you to be in the moment.”
Nixon noted that it was the first wedding ceremony he had filmed in which the no-phone policy was so blatantly ignored. He added that the moment was nothing more than an incident on a beautiful wedding day, and did not mention it again.
He decided to post the footage after stumbling upon it while editing other clips and thought it might encourage people to be more present at wedding ceremonies.
Increasingly, she finds that more and more guests are recording wedding ceremonies on their devices, and she predicts there will be no end in sight.
“We've seen people living behind their phones during these times,” Nixon said.
