Who doesn’t love a good wedding exit?! For what seems like forever, sparkler exits seem to have dominated the trend of “how to have an amazing wedding exit” and understandably so! When sparkler exits are executed well, they are absolutely stunning! However, whether you’re looking to do something different or maybe your venue doesn’t allow fire-sticks (sparklers), here are six ideas for a wedding exit that don’t involve sparklers.
6 Unique Ideas for a Wedding Exit
- LED Light Balloons: This might be my favorite option in lieu of sparklers! These LED light balloons give a similar feel to sparklers, but take up more space – which is a great thing! I love how full these balloons make the image, giving a very ethereal feel to the photos!
Not only are they incredibly beautiful, they are SO easy to get ready. Simply turn on the switch at the bottom, and you’re ready to go – no fire needed!
You can find these LED balloon lights on Amazon or Etsy.
2. Getaway car: A getaway car is a great option for an exit if you.. lets say, truly want to exit the party!
Even after an end-of-night exit, couples can get stuck mingling with guests or cleaning up. When you have a getaway car, you can literally get away! This is a great option for couples who might already have access to a cool car like this Ford Mustang, or are open to hiring a driver who has a vintage car.
3. Fireworks: Ok I know this might seem like a huge line item in the wedding budget, but there are major work arounds that you can have a firework show at the end of your wedding night!
Kayleigh and Melissa ended their New Years Eve celebration with the firework show that takes place in New Orleans over the Mississippi River. They obviously did not have to pay for this show, but they did do some arranging to make sure their guests were in a prime spot for the show at midnight!
If you’d love to have a wild firework celebration at the end of your wedding, consider having your wedding on a holiday where there are fireworks already taking place – New Years Eve, Forth of July, etc. And if a day like this is out of the question, there is always the opportunity to hire a qualified profession for a firework show if the budget allows 🙂
4. Second line Celebration: First, what is a second line anyway? Here in New Orleans, a second line is a tradition where a brass band plays incredible jazz music while guests dance in a street parade, often around a mile in length. This tradition stems from deep history rooted in the liberation of African Americans and enslaved individuals here in Louisiana. If you’d like to read more about the history of Second Lines, take a look at this article here.
Since their inception, second line parades have now become a quintessential part of New Orleans weddings. Second line parades can be great tradition to incorporate into your New Orleans wedding, whether it is immediately following the ceremony and leading guests to the reception, or, as your evening exit to lead you to your favorite local bar.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with a second line exit for your New Orleans wedding.
5. A Private Last Dance: This is one new trend that I am absolutely loving – a private last dance with just the two of you! So much of the wedding day can be spent running around, so to end with this private moment together where you can soak up the day is a great option for a non-traditional exit!
#6 Ceremony Exit: The reason that ceremony exits have their own line item as an umbrella idea is that in my opinion, they are significantly underutilized!
If getting an “exit” photo is really important to you, but the logistics of doing a formal and coordinated exit at the end of the night sounds daunting, then doing one as an exit to your ceremony is a fantastic option!
When doing your ceremony exit, your guests are still all present, in one place, and most of the time the adult beverages have not been consumed at this point, making it a less chaotic experience overall.
The light also tends to be better (and present in general) when exiting the ceremony, which of course will lead to better and more in-focus photos!
Some of my favorite ceremony exits have used:
– Biodegradable confetti (bird seed, leaf confetti, etc)
– Ribbon wands
– Spirit tunnels
– Bubbles
And finally… let’s talk about Sparklers..
While I know this post is about wedding exits that do not involve sparklers, I couldn’t write this without at least discussing them. Here are some of my thoughts on Sparkler exits.
Sparkler exits can be absolutely beautiful if they are executed well. This biggest hangup that I typically see when a couple wants to do a sparkler exit is not having a designated person who is responsible for the setup of the exit. Typically by the end of the night, many adult beverages will have been consumed and organizing people will be, quite literally, like herding drunk cats. Giving said drunk cats fire sticks can also be problematic.
Since sparkler exits take A LOT of coordination and execution in order to happen safely, having a person to help with this at the end of the night is crucial.
Another aspect that helps with sparkler exits is the presence of external lighting. If doing it outside of the venue, being able to position the exit line by the lighting on the outside of the building will help tremendously. In order to take a photo a good amount of light needs to be present, so while these incredible photos you see of sparkler exits *look* like it’s pitch black outside, there is usually always some presence of pre-existing external light that helps light the photo.
Interested in having me shoot your night time wedding? Check out this gorgeous evening wedding at Capulet on the Bywater.
