More and more, wedding guests are standing in the aisles and simply "getting in the way of the wedding photographers that were paid to take the gorgeous photos at the wedding". What's a bride and groom to do? . . .

. . . Photo Etiquette Cards to the rescue

With so many smart phones and digital cameras in the hands of nearly all attendants, wedding photographers are finding themselves competing with amateur guest photographers to fulfill the photography order they were hired to shoot for the bride and groom. Since the verbal "unplugged" requests aren't always respected, Diana Lewkowicz, a Falls Church, Virginia-based photographer, has come up with Photo Etiquette Cards. She has designed six different small cards that can be used at weddings {or any other event where you would like guests to refrain from taking photographs}. These cards politely ask guests to put away their digital cameras and cell phones during the ceremony and to be present while enjoying the wedding live.

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To see any of the cards above larger, you can simply click on them. I love what the cards say - but since they are asking guests to put away their camera and/or smartphone, it seems to me that the camera image shown should be more modern and not so dated. 

What do you think? Would you hand these cards out at your wedding ceremony?

Guest Blogging with The Good Life Event Specialists

Today I'm joined by Aleah and Nick of The Good Life Event Specialists who will be sharing with you the skinny on Save the Dates. Many often wonder if you still send out your invitations 6-8 weeks prior and what do you include on them. Well, here's Aleah and Nick with their top 5 tips:

above Save the Dates from Marit Hanson Weddings

1. Save the dates can come in the form of a postcard or an invitation-sized announcement. Save the dates simply lets guests know that you have set a wedding date well in advance so that they can....well, save the date. For destination events, we recommend mailing them out about 10-12 months in advance if possible. For in-town events, 6-8 months should suffice.

2. Many clients make their save the dates super fun and different from their more formal invitation. It's a time when you can have fun with it. Use a silly engagement shot and ham it up.

3. If you have a wedding website, it is acceptable to put your link on the save the date. This should be how your guests are privvy to lodging information and other wedding details and updates that you will not include on your invitation or insert (like registry information).

4. You do not need to address Save the Dates formally and send one to each and every invited guest. You can keep these simple. There's no need to formally address and mail one to each invited guest. Rather, mail one to each household or family as opposed to each member of the Smith family who might be invited but not live at home.

5. If a guest indicates they can't attend after received their save the date, you should still send them an invitation. Since the Save the Date is not a formal invitation, you will need to send a formal invitation to each and every guest whom you'd like to attend {even if they have casually mentioned they might not be able to make it}.

About The Good Life Event Specialists: Known as the dynamic duo, husband and wife Nick and Aleah Valley plan and design weddings and events along the West Coast, nationwide, and abroad. With a company in Seattle and one in San Diego, they've been bringing their strengths and resources together since 2003 to create truly amazing events. Visit Aleah and Nick online here: The Good Life Special Events in Southern California and Fine Line Management & Events in Seattle.