Sparkler exits...gorgeous right!! We see them all over Pinterest and just drool over how flawless and romantic they are. The happy couple, insanely in love after the happiest day of their lives, leaving under a shower of white sparkle to probably board a plane to a hot place where they will spend the next week sipping drinks with fancy umbrellas while over looking the bright blue waters of an amazing beach! ahhhh!

While I do love sparkler exits, most people do not realize that there has to be quite a bit of planning and coordination to pull off a flawless sparkler exit. I am here to give you some tips and all of the nitty gritty details, straight from a photographer, to help you decide if a sparkler exit is right for you and your big day.

First of all, if you are at all thinking about doing a sparkler exit, PLEASE PLEASE check with your photographer first. Capturing a sparkler exit is very tricky from a photo standpoint and your photographer needs to be prepared for this ahead of time. Figuring out the right settings is very tricky (especially in the dark) and since we have a very short window to figure out our camera settings (basically once everyone has their sparklers lit, we then have seconds to get our settings set until the bride and groom are walking out) this can get difficult, so you need to make sure your photographer is comfortable shooting it and knows their camera well enough to avoid blurry photos.

Photo from: http://djuwant.wordpress.com/2008/08/

Secondly, most photographers finish up shooting shortly after open dance floor starts, after all of the traditional things are wrapped up. While I think most of us would be more than happy to stay until a sparkler exit for an additional fee, keep in mind that open dance floor photos quickly get very monotonous, so you are most likely paying the extra fee for them to basically wait around until the exit. There are only so many photos we can take of the same 27 people on the dance floor and the same 53 people sitting.

Ok, so your photographer is awesome and is all about the sparkler exit...sweet! Now what? Now it's time to get VERY organized.

Let everyone know there is a sparkler exit! There is nothing worse than 5 drunk people lining up for your grand exit that you had pictured. Also, spend the extra money and purchase the large, long burning sparklers so you have more than 20 seconds to walk out. This will also give a small time cushion while everyone gets them lit.

Appoint someone as the sparkler coordinator, whether it is a friend or the coordinator at the venue, this person is in charge of passing out the sparklers, lining everyone up evenly, and making sure the photographer AND the couple are set to go before the sparklers are lit. Once everyone is in place, remind them of fire safety! This sounds silly until your drunk groomsman lights your maid of honors hair on fire (no joke...this has happened!) Once safety guidelines are set, everyone is in place, and you are all set to go, have a large community flame that everyone can dip into at the same time. Get everyone back in line, let the photographer figure out their settings really fast, and then cue the newlyweds.

When all of this is done in an organized fashion, it should all turn out picture perfect without any trips to burn unit, and amazing Pinterest worthy photos of you an your new spouse!

Good Luck, and Let Love Sparkle! (Too Corny?)

To do or not to do...Sparkler Exits