Photography: Paul Brown/Rex
The Pokemon Go craze has descended on our little red dot and landmarks such as malls, parks and train stations have been turned into Pokestops or Pokemon Gyms. We would not be surprised if the church or hotel ballroom you booked is surrounded by several Pokestops and Gyms.
Your guests will arrive for your wedding ceremony and end up trying to catch 'em all, so here are some tips to keep your Poke-friends from stealing your thunder on your special day!
Unplugged wedding
The easiest way to keep your guests from swiping at their phones as you exchange wedding vows with your other half is to have an 'unplugged' wedding. Place a sign at the entrance of your wedding ceremony venue explaining that you'd love if everyone could catch 'em all, but it would be great if everyone could be in the moment and enjoy the wedding, so phones and other electronic devices should be kept away. After all, if you can't catch the Pokemons yourself, no one else should be given the chance to catch them either.
Set a time to catch 'em all
Not all couples want to forcibly separate their guests from the game though, and that's when wedding day itinerary planning comes in. Guests will have more incentive to stay focused on the wedding when you designate Pokemon Go playing as part of the wedding programme. It's a great way for guests to mingle as well — not everyone will have the game on their phones or tablets (especially for the elders), so have your guests pair or group up and share on the fun.
Turn off Pokemon notifications
Remind guests to turn off their Pokemon notifications at the door, because the last thing you want is to be alerted to the presence of a Pokemon nearby. If one notification goes off, you can be sure that more than a handful of your guests will check their phones. You may be tempted to check your phone as well, because what if there truly was a Dragonite or Gyarados nearby?
Get your Poke-shot
Have your guests document the presence of wild Pokemon on your wedding day and you can even use these 'real' Pokemons as photo props for your social media posts.
After-party trip to catch rare Pokemons
We all know that rare Pokemons emerge in the rare hours of the night or morning, so if you are keen on an after-party celebration, ferry your guests to several locations where you can all have a drink and also keep a lookout for Pokemon. The ride itself will let your guests hatch their 10km eggs and refill their Pokeballs as you pass by Pokestops.
