Your wedding day is the first day of your marriage, and it is a day to party, have fun, and celebrate! Here are 10 ways that you can leave your wedding in style.

1. Second Line Parade

I’m going to start with my favorite (and arguably the most fun and high energy) exit - the second line parade! I grew up in New Orleans, so this tradition is part of my childhood. I got to photograph a second line parade at David and Whitney’s Bourbon Street reception a few years ago.

The modern second line parade is part of the cultural heritage of New Orleans. This exit involves being lead out of the reception by a live jazz band. The band plays while they exit the reception venue, followed by the wedding couple and all of their guests. The band and wedding party dance down the streets of New Orleans. It is so much fun!

2. Pom Poms

If you want to bring some sparkle to your exit and your venue doesn’t allow sparklers (or you don’t trust your guests with fire after a dance party filled with cocktails), have them wave pom poms! I love the movement and glittery color they added to Sean & Rachel’s exit from the Academy of Medicine in Atlanta!

3. Glow Sticks

This image from David and Jennifer’s Atlanta Contemporary Art Center wedding is one of the most shared images I’ve ever captured! It was even featured on HuffPost!

Glow sticks are a fun way to introduce color and movement to your wedding exit photos. I’ve learned from experience that the long, flexible, necklace-style glow sticks work best for these photos.

4. Paper Air Planes

This exit idea requires a labor of love, but it is so colorful! Fold paper airplanes in your wedding colors and have guests toss them as you leave. Don’t forget the sunglasses! Those paper airplanes can be dangerous!

5. Ribbon Wands

For a colorful and whimsical exit, have your guests wave ribbon wands! Using ribbons with different textures and complimentary colors creates a beautiful effect in your photos. The colors show up best during the day, so this is a perfect exit choice for an afternoon reception!

6. Bubbles

No list of wedding exit ideas would be complete without bubbles! Bubbles are widely available and affordable, and they create a fun effect during the day or at night. They can be used indoors and at venues that don’t allow fireworks or sparklers.

7. Saber Arch

The saber arch is a wedding tradition in which military officers and/or enlisted personnel salute the wedding couple using swords or sabers. This tradition is often performed at weddings for military service members.

8. Lavender, Dried Herbs, or Bird Seed

Having your guests toss lavender, dried herbs, or bird seed is a modern twist on the centuries old tradition of showering newly married couples with rice. These “shower” style exits are messy, but they create a really beautiful photo opportunity!

9. Rose Petals

For a classic, romantic wedding exit, have your guests toss rose petals or other flower petals. I love the way the petals flutter as they fall, creating a really lovely showering effect as the couple walks through their guests.

10. Sparklers

Last but most certainly not least is the sparkler exit! The sparkler exit is a classic wedding tradition that never goes out of style. Over the last 13 years, I’ve been burned, poked, and singed more times than I can count while capturing these photos, and they’re still my favorite! They’re romantic and whimsical, and you can’t go wrong with them.

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