Wedding Send-Offs, Without the Rice
Music swells as you walk down the aisle to meet the love of your life. It’s the reason we’re all gathered here today. But after your ceremony or at the end of the night, are you and your hunny just strolling back up the aisle or walking out of your venue (in style, undoubtedly) or are you going to make a grand exit like you made a grand entrance?
Not only are grand exits the perfect way to close your ceremony and get the party started, or close out the whole amazing day with your guests, they’re just so stinking gorgeous to photograph. There’s something about a couple running headlong into the rest of their lives together, whether they’re headed off to their honeymoon, to an after-party, or just home to be with one another. And come on, doesn’t that sparkler exit from Alison and Gus’s wedding just look so epic!?! They’re the perfect end to your wedding and tie up the story of your wedding gallery with a visual flourish. And when done after the ceremony leading into the reception, they’re a great way to get guests involved and get the party started. Just be careful with the bubble exits if your wedding isn’t 18+, you might have some parents trying to keep kids from spilling them all night.
You may know of the tradition of throwing rice at a wedding, but did you know that this practice dates back to the ancient Romans, who showered couples with wheat or oat seeds symbolizing prosperity and the birth of a new life.
While you may not want rice pelted at you, there are lots of ways in which you can honor the sentiment of this tradition. The rice is meant to be a symbol of good wishes for the future and a joyful life for the new spouses. Some of my favorite send-offs for couples are the sparkler exit, pictured above (which is always super fun for guests, be sure to get the long-burning kind and not the standard length), and the bubble exit. Releasing butterflies can also be a beautiful little ritual. Please please please do not do paper lanterns, even if the lanterns themselves are “biodegradable” (the amount of time these materials take to degrade naturally can still be a very, very long time) they are still litter, not to mention a fire hazard. Biodegradable confetti can also be very photogenic and fun for guests to pop off, but if you choose to go the confetti route, forego plastic and try to use recycled materials that can be easily cleaned up by your venue and that will not become litter. Balloons are just an environmental nightmare. Do not release balloons. I don’t care if this blog post is judgy, I’m judging you if you think littering is cool. At a fall wedding, gathering fallen leaves and tossing those would be fun, not to mention free. Flower petals or dried herbs like lavender or rosemary is also a unique, and fragrant, option.
Whatever way you choose to end your wedding day, it will surely be a wonderful time spent with loved ones. And if you hire the right photographer, the photos will be wonderful, too.
