Wedding Sparkler Exit Tips and Examples

Wedding Sparkler Exits are one of the most memorable (and popular) ways to end a wedding. They are not only beautiful but they are also a great way to get all of your guests involved in the send-off. If you are considering using wedding sparklers for your exit, there are a few things you should keep in mind and some examples for your inspiration.

Ensure Safety For Everyone

Wedding sparklers can be very dangerous if not used properly. Here are a few safety considerations for wedding sparkler exits:

1. Make sure everyone who will be using them is a responsible adult. This excludes small children and the guests who may have had too much to drink.
2. Be sure to have a designated area for people to dispose of their used sparklers and have a water bucket handy in case of emergencies.
3. Ensure that your wedding venue allows sparkler exits, and do not do them in areas that are prone to wildfires.
4. Make sure that the walkway between the guests holding the sparklers is wide enough for you to walk through without you getting burned.

Understand the Cons of Grand Exits

Sparkler exits, like all other grand exits, signal the end of the party. If you have plans to party all night long, then the sparkler exit might not be for you.

Take Your Time

Don’t rush through the experience. Couples that run quickly through their wedding sparkler exit may not get to “soak it in.” Also, speeding through the experience presents additional challenges for your photographers and videographers, since they are some of the more challenging events to photograph on a wedding day. The the low light and the changing exposures require an experienced photographer, such as the incredible wedding photographers listed on our site.

Consider walking through the exit, making eye contact with your guests and enjoying the moment!

Kiss, Dip or Do Something Memorable

During your wedding sparkler exit, consider stopping for a kiss, a lift or a dip. This presents a great opportunity for your photographer to capture an iconic image with you in the middle of the “sparkler tunnel.”

Wedding Sparkler Tips for Photographers

Here are a few tips to pass along to your photographer to ensure great photos of your wedding sparkler exit.

• Watch Your Flash! – Be sure to control your flash so that you don’t wash out the entire scene and overpower the light from the sparklers.  There are plenty of ways to do this, from putting a grid on your flash to using a constant light.
• Consider Using Ambient Light Only – The light from the sparklers might be enough to light up your couple.  This depends on the number of sparklers and the brightness of the sparklers. To be safe, if you have multiple photographers, one photographer should shoot with flash and the other should shoot without.  Just make sure your settings are optimized for low light without motion blur.  A good starting point would be a shutter speed of 1/125, aperture of f/2.8, and ISO of 3200.  Be sure to shoot in RAW format to maximize your dynamic range and recoverability in post production.
• Watch Your Exposures – Your exposure will change significantly, usually around 1 stop, between when the sparklers are lit and when they are not.  Be sure to prepare for this.

Conclusion

Walking through a sea of sparkling lights is a moment that many brides and grooms dream of on their wedding day. If you’re considering a wedding sparkler exit, be sure to remember the tips that we presented in this article.