To Do or Not To Do: A Grand Exit at Your Wedding
There’s something magical about leaving your wedding, all dressed up, surrounded by your best friends and family members, blowing bubbles, holding sparklers, or waving ribbons. But is it really? For some, having a grand exit to their wedding is like the culminating event of their biggest day of their lives. But for others, it seems forced and restrictive. Here are all the things to think about as you plan your wedding timeline and consider whether or not you want a grand exit!
Do you want most of your guests to participate in the grand exit? If you have a lot of children and older people at your wedding, they may leave earlier, and if you have a late exit planned, you may not have as many participants. (One time I photographed a wedding, and by the end of the evening, the only people left were the bride’s dad and the groom’s mom! Those photos were…a bit anticlimactic.)
Do you want to leave your wedding at a certain time? Maybe there is a specific time that your venue requires the party to end. But if not, you might want to stick around and hang out more with your guests.
Do you want to change clothes before you leave? If you are headed off to a honeymoon or have a long drive, you may want to change into something more comfortable before you officially leave your venue.
A great alternative to a grand exit is a false exit! This can be done earlier during the reception, when more of your guests will be present, you are still wearing your wedding attire and don’t look as bedraggled (and yes, no matter how good your hair and makeup artist is, by the end of the day, you will look quite disheveled!), the lighting may be more ideal for the type of exit you have planned (ribbons, bubbles, confetti), and it allows you to go back into your reception and continue celebrating with your friends and family!
Ultimately, it’s up to the couple to decide what they want for their wedding day—don’t let family members, friends, a coordinator, or even a photographer talk you into doing something you really don’t want! It’s your day, and you should plan it how you want.
Below is a slideshow of some memorable exits I have had the joy of photographing:
Kelsie and Nathan had a summer wedding, and it didn’t get dark until much later in the evening. So they had an earlier exit with sparklers; I loved how you could still see all the details of the venue and guests, as well as the light from the sparklers!
If you have a good photographer, it won’t matter if you have to exit when it’s raining…Lanae and Dustin got married in the middle of a hurricane and still had their sparkler exit, underneath a walkway!
Courtney wore her wedding dress for most of the day, but she changed into a dress she had made from her grandmother’s dress for her exit, and then after rose petals were tossed for their grand exit, she and Dalton rode away on the back of their family’s antique tractor!
One of my favorite exits was when Blakely and Jordan had a candy toss at their Hallowedding before all the families with young children departed. All the kids rushed to collect the candy like a piñata had burst, and it was quite hilarious! But we did learn one thing—candy, when pelted at you from a few feet away, can hurt!
Canaan and Kyle opted for a bubble exit from their ceremony, which was in the middle of an open field on a sunny day. I loved how the sunlight reflected all the light and colors of their wedding and created little rainbow orbs around them!
Miranda changed out of her dress into an amazing jumpsuit, and because she and Joe got married on their own property, they returned to their reception after their grand exit and danced the night away with their friends and family.
Kimberly Cauble…
…is a teacher and wedding & portrait photographer in the Charlotte, NC area who has been photographing families, seniors, and weddings since 2012. She has photographed over 90 weddings and loves people, the art of photography, and sharing what she has learned with others!
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