You've had the night of your life.
You married your best friend.
You celebrated with all your closest family and friends.
The love in the air is physically tangible.
But, alas, it is time to end the night and you want to end it with a bang.
Quite literally.
Your Grand Exit
There are a few ways to have your Grand Exit that don't involve exploding pigeons (there's a reason people stopped throwing rice at weddings). The planning of a wedding takes hours and usually is only focused on the ceremony and reception. The end of your reception is often overlooked or forgotten about. If you have a strict end time, its a great way to signal to guests that the night is ending. It also avoids you standing alone in an empty venue as your guests dwindle out.
One way to end the night is to save one last dance for you and your person. You can either include your guests or just dance the both of you alone of the dance floor. It'll be one more moment between you both to enjoy. This can be done inside on the dance floor or under string lights on the property.
By having a last dance with you and your new boo, you are able to ask guests to make their way out of the reception at the end of the night. Its a great and polite way to let guests know the night is over. Your coordinator or Maid of Honor and Best Man can help usher guest and set them up for the exit. Whether it be with bubbles or sparklers, your guests will be ready once your dance is done.
This one is a fan favorite- and with reason! The lighting from the sparklers and the fun party vibe just screams celebration. And there's nothing more special than being surrounded by your friends and family cheering you on into your new life together.
The best sparklers are those that run 3-4 minutes and are about 36" long. You can find some great one here. Having more time will allow us to do a second and even third pass through. Each time trying different poses and fun prompts.
If your venue doesn't allow for sparklers, don't panic! Most venues allow them but it does happen, so be sure to check ahead of time! Light wands and ribbon Streamers are a close second! There are some great ones that light up here. These add that sparkly light that the sparklers add but with out the risk.
Shooting sparklers during the day just doesn't have the same effect. So if your grand exit is during the daytime, having you both run through a tunnel made by your guests is also a great option. You can get such fun, raw expressions while doing this because, who doesn't like running through a tunnel!? Another fun add on for daytime Exits is to add bubbles! This is also an environment-friendly option as it doesn't litter the venue or area. And it's almost guaranteed to put a smile on everyone's face!
Another daytime favorite is to pop some champagne over a tower of glasses. There's nothing more exciting than popping a bottle and spraying everyone! I'd recommend having your guests hold a filled glass before you pop the bottle champagne. Have fun with it! Blow it up and make some amazing images.
Other fun options....
- Fireworks or Flameless Sparks Machine, where permitted.
- Eco-friendly confetti throwing (bird seeds, sprinkles, lavender, or flower petals)
- Biodegradable, water-soluble confetti (check it out here!)
- Glow Wands and Ribbon Streamers
- Streamer Poppers
- Balloon Toss
- Release Sky Lanterns
- Throw Leaves for fall or Artificial Snow for winter weddings
- Smoke Bombs/Wands, again where permitted.
Once you have your Grand Exit with your friends and family, your Getaway can be just as fun! The Getaway is just that- driving off into the sunset with your love, figuratively speaking of course. You can run off however you want! Some fun options are renting a vintage car or a even a Vespa and riding off! If you're more of a motorcycle (or even bicycle!) kind of crowd, taking off on one can be show stopping! If you are getting married by a body of water and you have your sea legs, then rowing off in a rowboat or sailing off on a boat is another amazing getaway.
If any of these sound amazing, I am happy researching rental options so we can make this happen!