You’ve already said your “I Do’s” and the wedding day is winding down to its end. When planning MY OWN wedding, I was SUPER excited about this part of the wedding day! We opted for a sparkler exit, and although I didn’t want to leave our reception earlier than everyone else, running through those sparklers to make our way towards our car (…& ultimately spending the VERY FIRST night together in our new home!) it was a memory I’ll NEVER forget! (Actually, one of my favorites from the wedding day!) Those sparklers were absolutely gorgeous!
However, there are PLENTY of different options you can choose to do that don’t involved flame or fire! 😉 (Heaven forbid you use those Chinese Lanterns… Y’all think about it. Your guests have been drinking at your wedding, now lets hand them an open flame and a big paper balloon….THAT’S going to go over REAL WELL! Hehe!)
Some venues don’t allow sparklers, so of course, there needs to be different options. After shooting +40 weddings and planning for my very OWN wedding…I’ve seen A LOT of EXITS. I want to answer some of the most common questions I get from my Emma Loo Brides about Wedding Exits!
When does the exit have to take place? GOOD QUESTION! I want to make this absolutely clear! NOT ALL EXITS HAVE TO BE AT THE END OF YOUR WEDDING! That’s right loves! You don’t HAVE to make an exit right at the end of your wedding day. Sometimes, even depending on what your venue will allow or what you plan on using, the earlier you make your “exit” the better! I’ve seen fun things like confetti or lavender get tossed at the Bride and Groom when walking back up the aisle after their first kiss. Or a line of bubbles for the Bride and Groom to walk through after leaving their church ceremony. Don’t think you HAVE to have a sparkler exit or something super formal at the very END of your night! You can plan for those fun shots throughout your wedding day.
What should I consider when planning for our exit? Consider the time! It takes a little while to get ALL of your guests in place to capture these super fun shots! I’m there to help make sure your guests stay in place, but as I’m getting ready for the shot, I can’t get them corralled the entire time. Consider taking at least 5-10 minutes for “setting it up” making sure that everyone is in two lines making a narrow path to wherever it is you’re running to (car, bike, rickshaw, or even a horse drawn carriage!) Have your DJ or your Event Coordinator make an announcement to your guests to line up in two tight lines, to stay out of the middle of the aisle so I can get a clear shot of you two lovebirds running through it, and to not start the toss or the sparklers until told to. (You won’t believe how many times I’ve seen early lit sparklers WAY before the Bride & Groom run through!) Also to consider is WHEN you should make your exit. If you’re wanting the send-off to be at the end of the reception, try to leave a little earlier than your reception ends. This way it ensures that you have a lot of your guests still in attendance during your exit and your exit is full with your wedding party and guests. Believe me, I wanted our own wedding to last until 10:00pm, don’t get me wrong. But by 9:30ish people were starting to leave and I knew that I wanted our sparkler exit to be a LONG line of people rather than just the guests that were dwindling down by the minutes. So Phillip and I chose to leave a little earlier than expected, and you know what…it was the BEST! We had a great line for our sparkler exit and many people LOVED seeing us drive away (with me hanging out of the sunroof, of course!) Phillip and I LOVED getting away earlier because that just meant that WE got to BE TOGETHER earlier and I don’t regret it at all! Even though we weren’t there for our entire reception, everyone had a BLAST and loved seeing us wave goodbye at a decent hour! 🙂
What if our Wedding Day Photography Coverage doesn’t go until the end of our reception? GREAT QUESTION! Lots of my Brides and Grooms want to save money in any way they can! If that means a shorter photography coverage time then so be it! (Hey! Weddings get expensive! Don’t worry! I completely understand!) Like I said earlier, you don’t have to do an “exit” to have those fun types of shots. You can have a “toss” shot or a running through sparkler shot at ANY time during your wedding day. If you’ve only hired me to shoot your wedding day in a 6 hour timeframe and that means I would be missing the last hour of your reception, consider doing an “exit” after your ceremony or maybe you can plan for an “entrance” shot when you make your entrance to your reception. I’ve also seen really cool confetti toss shots while the Bride and Groom are having their very first dance. Giving your Bridal Party something to toss at different times throughout the first dance is SUPER COOL. Or if you’re a Winter Bride, give your guests “fake snow” to throw while you’re making your exit from your ceremony.
Here’s some Emma Loo Couples & their wedding exits:
Grace+Mike decided to have CUPCAKE SPRINKLES thrown at them during their exit! SO SWEET (pun intended!)
Kitt+Jake had a lavender toss when they said ‘goodbye’ to their guests! 
Jackie+Darral opted for a glow stick exit! Really cool! 
Then comes the classic sparkler exits like this one by Chelsea+Derek! 
Love this right outside of Separk Mansion! Michele+John’s Wedding Day couldn’t have ended more perfectly! 
Amanda+Steve said farewell as they ran through a sparkler line AND got on a rickshaw! SO COOL!
Here are some different ideas (other than sparklers) that you can use for your wedding day “exit” shots:
-Tossing Popcorn!
-Using glowsticks! (Just make sure to buy the thicker ones!)
-Fruity Pebbles Cereal! (YUM!)
-Bird Seed (such a classic!)
-Lavender for the lovely smell! (This is SO great for after outdoor spring/summer ceremonies!!)
–LEAVES! (If you’re a Fall Bride, have your guests toss fake leaves at you guys!)
-Rose Petals
-Ribbon Wands (like these!)
-Balloon Release (SUCH a COOL idea!)
-Bubbles!
-Walking through golf clubs, light sabers, or even under raised knives for a Military wedding
-Or…Don’t want to throw anything?! Have a GUEST TUNNEL! SO COOL!
Hope this has helped! Thanks so much for reading! Happy Wednesday! XO! -Emma Loo
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