Wedding Sparkler Exit 101

So you want to have a wedding sparkler exit? Okay, cool. They are super trendy and they do make really cool photo ops. But here’s the catch… there are very important things you need to consider before having a sparkler exit as your grand faire goodbye on your wedding day.

6 Things to Know Before Your Wedding Sparkler Exit

One: You can’t buy just any ole sparklers.

Yep, those sparklers you purchase for your 4th of July celebration, really aren’t the best option for your wedding day. Why? Because they are not smokeless.

Of course, there is no such thing as a true “smokeless” sparkler, but wedding sparklers tend to have less white smoke associated with them. This is handy to note because the last thing you want is for your exit to turn into one big gust of white smoke. And, naturally, with smoke comes the smell of smoke and you don’t want your pretty dress or tux rental absorbing the odor.

We recommend purchasing 20-inch sparklers, by the way. And there is no need to add any fancy signage to each sparkler.

Two: You have to consider the clean up.

If you are going to proceed with a wedding sparkler exit, you must also consider the clean-up. Venues often require a bucket of sand to be present for disposing of sparklers after the send-off is complete. Otherwise, guests tend to leave sparklers on the grounds which can cause you to lose a portion of your damage deposit.

Some venues will provide you with sand buckets, while others will require you to bring your own. Make sure to communicate this with your venue when finalizing your wedding day details. We recommend a big galvanized bucket. If you have a larger guest count, buy two.

Three: Have a designated person in charge of your wedding sparkler exit.

If you do not have a wedding planner/coordinator (which you should, but more on that later!)… then it is imperative that you have a designated SOBER person who will be conducting the sparkling send-off rules. This person or two persons should be responsible for lighting the sparklers. Do not let your guests light their own sparklers! This is just a no-brainer for obvious reasons.

Now, you can let guests light their sparkler off other sparklers once the person in charge has said to do so. But giving guests individual matches to light their own, is just a big ole no.

Four: Drunk people and fire do not mix.

If you know for certain that your guests are prone to getting a little rowdy when they’ve had a couple beers, then a wedding sparkler exit may not be the route to go.

This is why point three is so, so important. By having a designated person or two who, again, are sober will help eliminate guests who do not need an open flame during your grand exit. Because here’s the thing… you can’t control a drunk guests’ actions when it comes to fire. BUT you do have to be held reliable for any damage they cause per your venues contract.

And, naturally, you don’t want anyone to have an open flame near your pretty white dress or overly hair-sprayed hair. Just sayin’.

Five: Let your wedding party capture that magical-ness of a sparkler exit.

Believe it or not, you can still get an amazing sparkler exit picture by just having your wedding party involved. Sneak away for 15 minutes with your wedding party once the sun has set with your photographer and videographer. This not only allows you to have a better handle on those involved with literal sticks of fire, it also allows you more “run-throughs.” Plus, you can even join in on the sparkler fun as a couple!

P.S. This doesn’t mean you can’t still have an additional grand exit, but it just doesn’t have to be sparklers.

Six: Confirm with your venue that you can have a sparkler exit.

Some venues have ruled out wedding sparkler exits all together. Before going through all the hoops, confirm with your venue if you’re allowed to have one. And, if they do accomodate sparkler exits, be sure to ask them of any official rules that you need note. For example, some venues will only allow sparklers on paved or gravel areas of their property.

Now that you have all the deets on sparkler exits, where do you buy sparklers?

Two sites that we recommend are GrandWeddingsExit.com and WeddingDaySparklers.com. We have reached out to see if they’ll offer our WBB readers a discount code, so stay tuned!

And, if you aren’t wanting a sparkler exit, we’re compiling a full list of other alternatives to share with you very soon!

Photography Credit: Kayleigh Ross Photography | Instagram | Facebook | Website | WBB