Planning out your wedding day factors in a lot of “firsts” that you won’t experience until the actual day of the wedding. The first look, the first kiss, and the first dance are just a few of the first things you experience as bride and groom. But another important thing to plan is the last thing you do at your wedding.
The exit.
Wedding exits with sparklers are hands down the best way to finish off your day. You add magic, sparkle, and the best photo opportunity of the day for your guests. There are some important things to know about sparklers and we wanted to provide you with all the information you’ll need to have a fantastic sparkler exit. Let this guide be a resource for you, your wedding planner, photographer, and venue for a seamless finale to your beautiful day!
Choosing Sparklers
It’s highly important that you choose a quality sparkler for your exit. There are many places to purchase sparklers, but we recommend you know exactly what you’re ordering from a brand you trust. You also want to know how much time you have with the sparklers. Our 20″ sparklers have an easy-light tip, burn for about two minutes, and have a beautiful gold sparkle. Our 36″ sparklers are the largest sparkler available and burn for over three minutes!
20″ Sparklers captured by Emily Powell Photography
Our customers love that these sparklers give ample time to take plenty of pictures. You’ll have the chance to run through the exit several times to get the shot you want.
Customer testimonial: Used for outdoor pictures for my wedding in December. They lit quickly and burn for a few minutes allowing for several poses and pictures to be taken. Pictures turned out awesome, photographer loved the light they provided. ~Bob
36″ Sparklers captured by Lindsey Davenport Photography
Customer Testimonial: These were great for our wedding. They were delivered even sooner than promised and they worked wonderfully, even in the cold drizzly weather. They were as smokeless as possible and the photos turned out great. They lasted as long as promised, which was long enough to make our exit through roughly 200 people and then some. ~KP
Lighting Sparklers
Sometimes couples opt for cute matchbooks to pair with sparklers, but we want to encourage you to keep the matchbook favors separate from your sparklers. Sparklers should be lit from wind-resistant, torch-style lighters. The next best thing is a long-stem grill lighter. Once you start getting some sparklers lit, you should use the sparklers to light other sparklers. A sparkler will light up almost immediately from another sparkler.
Photo by Martine Beher
Make sure your guests understand this so they don’t pull out lighters or have any confusion during the sparkler exit.
Also, make sure you hand out your sparklers before lighting them and only light one at a time. Don’t try to save time by lighting a handful all at once — this is very unsafe!
Disposing Sparklers
As with anything involving fire, you want to have a safe way to dispose of the sparklers when you are finished using them. Since the sparklers will still be warm you don’t want to toss them in trashcans. You can place the discarded sparklers in buckets of sand for them to cool before throwing them away.
Photo by Tux and Tales
Have buckets positioned in an easy-to-see place at the exit.
Scheduling Sparklers
Scheduling your sparklers is an extremely important part in your wedding itinerary. You want it to be at a time when you have plenty of guests on hand, but you definitely do not want to “exit” your party too early. Your wedding planner will be your best resource in determining what time you schedule the send-off.
Photo by Maggie J. Designs
Let your guests know when you plan to do sparklers so that everyone who wants to be there stays for it. Your photographer will also need to plan for that time and can help you decide the best place to stage the send-off. You want a large, open space clear of low ceilings or brush. Hire a driver to pick you up in your chosen getaway car.
Customer testimonial: Great sparkler for the price. Our wedding guests loved them and joked the sparklers must’ve come from Texas due to their size and the fact they seemed to burn forever. Great for that wedding sparkler exit! ~DS
Photographing Sparklers
You want to be prepared and informed to capture a sparkler exit, or any sparkler photo. There are some technicalities involved that are better handled by a seasoned photographer. That said, if your first time shooting sparklers is at a customer’s wedding you should have a practice round before the big day. For answers to the more technical questions including information on lighting and ISO check out our post How to Photograph a Wedding Sparkler Exit.
When it comes to staging sparkler photos, the possibilities are endless! Traditionally, guests form a sort of tunnel for the bride and groom to run through. These photos are fun because you get to see all the people who stayed to the end of the wedding.
Photo by McCune Photography
Customer testimonial: These were absolutely everything we wanted for a Super Sparkly send-off for my daughter’s wedding!~Angela
Capturing a kiss at the end of the tunnel also makes for some of the best photos. You can also combine a sparkler exit with confetti cannons for the ultimate display of fun.
Photo by Martine Beher
You can also do close-ups of just the bride and groom with their sparklers. These make for a more intimate photo and are easier to capture since you can control the light.
Photo by April G. Photography
Get the wedding party in for a close up! This is a fun way to get all your friends into one unique shot.
Photo by April G. Photography
Customer Testimonial: Everyone at my New Year’s Eve party loved these sparklers. I was worried that I would be left with too many of them, but people wanted to light them over and over. What a great addition to any celebration. ~Jane
Wedding sparklers are a beautiful way to finish off your big day. We hope this guide helps you understand how best to use them and gives you some ideas for your photos. If you use our sparklers at your wedding we would love to see the photos! Feel free to tag us on Facebook or Instagram and use #superiorcelebrations for a chance to be featured.
How long will the sparklers be good for before using. If I buy now for fall 2019 wedding, will there be a problem with them lighting?
Sparklers will last many years as long as they are kept dry, so you should have no problem with them working well for a wedding next fall. Let us know if you have any other questions!
Are the 36″ sparklers considered “cold sparklers” we are only allowed to use cold sparklers at our venue.
There’s not really any such thing as a “cold” sparkler, so they might just be trying to nicely say “no.” If you don’t mind, ask them what they have in mind, specifically, and whether they’ve ever had anyone bring them an approved “cold” sparkler. We’re genuinely curious if they have seen something specific that they will allow.
Can sparklers be sent to Hawaii
We don’t offer shipping sparklers to Hawaii. They are considered hazardous materials when shipped by air, which has specific requirements and is very expensive.
It would be great if you add the DJ into the mix for those responsible for the sparkler exit, as well as the entire evening. After the Last Dance, I then announce the sparkler send-off, ask the guests to join me outside to get lined up, sparklers handed out and subsequently lit, and during this time, I put on a favorite song of the couple, take the volume down about halfway, and let them enjoy a few minutes alone, for the first time that night!
A great DJ should be instrumental in not only planning, but executing the entire evening, making it the perfect evening with memories to last lifetimes!
This is great advice – thanks for sharing!
We are looking to buy sparklers for our wedding exit. We’re looking at the 20 in and 36 in sparklers. What would you recommend for an exit for a wedding with 150+ guests?
Either choice can work but the 36″ size will give you more flexibility on the timing since they last 3+ minutes. If you opt for the 20″ size, just make sure everyone is organized to light sparklers together with a lot of lighters distributed through the line for everyone to be able to light their sparklers quickly. Be sure to coordinate with your wedding planner or photographer to see if they have a preference as well based on their previous experience with sparkler exits.
If I want the photographer to capture us writing our last name with the sparkler, is there one in particular you would recommend?
This is an exciting idea! The 10″ Gold Sparklers are the shortest duration but are also very inexpensive, so you would be able to try it plenty of times to make sure you get the perfect shot. Our 20″ Wedding Sparklers will work great as well, and the extra duration should also give you plenty of opportunities to get the perfect shot without lighting sparklers over and over. The 20″ size should also have a slightly brighter sparkle than the 10″. We wouldn’t recommend the 36″ sparklers for this, though, because the wire will flex a lot more if you move it around because of its length, which can become a safety issue and also make it harder to get the right effect for your photo. We look forward to seeing how it turns out!
Are these smokeless sparklers?
They aren’t completely smokeless, but they are considered “low smoke” since they are made with a wire core and the formula doesn’t include any additional color compounds. Wood handles and colors both add a lot more smoke to the effect and are best avoided for wedding exits. Our sparklers are perfect for the occasion, though!