Apr 24, 20203 min read

The Exit | Wedding Preparation

Some of the most frequently asked questions that I get from Brides and Grooms are about Wedding Exits. When you exit your wedding reception, you are entering the world for the first time as Mr. & Mrs. and of course you want to do it with a bang. ( Cue the Fireworks and confetti poppers ! )

There are so many questions and ideas revolving around exits, and I totally get why. I am going to answer them all, but first and foremost lets talk about when to do your exit. It seems like common sense to exit when your photographer is scheduled to leave or your venue time ends, but what if I told you that there was away to have it all. You want this exit to be documented, you want to celebrate with friends and family all night long, and you don't want to pay for 10-12 hours of photography coverage. I have the perfect solution, have a controlled exit. I know this isn't for everyone but hear me out.

What is a controlled exit? A controlled exit is a reception exit for the bride and groom that only involves the bridal party, parents, and grandparents. It happens before the reception ends to allow the bride and groom to continue celebrating with friends and family.

The Reasons:

1. Older guest start leaving as soon as soon as the cake is served! This always leaves the exit to your closest friends and family anyway!

2. You won't have to add more hours to your photography coverage. I always have dancing pictures for days of wedding guest, and if I am being honest once you hit a certain hour of the night, its the same people dancing in every photo. So if you're worried about me missing a shot no worries. I promise you will have so many fun reception pictures even with your early exit.

3. The party doesn't stop! Your guest continue to dance, eat, drink while we sneak away with your bridal party to capture some awesome shots. I

4. It allows us to be more creative with your sparklers, bubbles, confetti, or whatever fun exit tradition you chose!

5. It saves you money! You don't need a sparkler/ bubble tube/ or confetti popper for every guest that you invited. Just enough for your bridal party and maybe a few extra to get creative with.

The only downside: There is no celebratory grand exit at the end of the night, and some believe that it feels fake. But in our opinion it is definitely something to consider doing when it comes to exiting!

To be honest it never fails that we have to end most wedding nights early because of the guest leaving anyway, and it always disappoints the bride and groom because they want to continue the party! Controlled exits allows you to have your epic exit pictures and keep the party going!

Now the we know the when, let's talk about how you should do your exit.

There are so many options when it comes to exits! You can have anything from the traditional birdseed to an epic sparkler finale ! You'll also want to consider if it will be daylight outside or night time when you exit!

My thoughts: Pick something that is either bio-degradable or easy to clean up Also be sure to check with your venue on what type of exits are allowed!

Here are some of my favorite daytime exit items:

+ Flower Petals

+ Bubbles

+ Dried Lavender

+ Confetti Poppers

+ Paper Airplanes

+ Ribbon Wands

+ Streamers

+ Flags

+ Feathers

+ Sparklers