I wanted to use them too, but everyone warned me not too because a spark could accidentally land on my dress or in my hair and light me on fire or just give me that little hair burnt smell. I liked the idea too because we would be leaving the reception at about midnight. I wish I could help you out more, but maybe some of the other girls will be able to tell from experience.

Since I can't use the sparklers we're going with everyone blowing Kazoos as a send off. Now that's going to be leaving with a loud bang, sort of , heee heee

The stray sparks are what would worry me, too.

At DD's wedding we used the bubbles. I was unsure about them, but they worked great, and the bubbles looked wonderful in the pictures.

I love the idea, but fiance has some very imature nephews, and the posiblity of them catching me on fire, or even themselves is enough to make me not want them any ways close to our reception.
Penny

Ugh. Hateful things! They give off carbon thingies into the air that land on clothing and burn teensy holes!
I speak from experience from a wedding we attended.
Don't do it, Sweetie! Yes...nice in pictures....however the next picture would be of everyone standing there in singed dresses! Sorry....maybe glow-sticks?

there was a girl who used to post here named julia who used them, and she showed us her pictures and it was really pretty. We kind of wanted them, but didn't really envision having a send-off. We stayed at the same hotel as the out-of-town guests and we ended up staying up until 5 am with the guests, so it wouldn't have happened anyway. If we'd had an outdoor event, I would have had them anyway just for people to play with.

I think the Sparklers are very pretty BUT I have had a REALLY bad experience with the long ones. A couple of years ago on the 4th of July, we were outside--you know drawing pictures with the sparklers in the air and all of a sudden the next thing I knew, my bangs were on FIRE!!! OHHH YES!!! Let me tell you...NOT something you want to have happen let alone, SMELL...all of the hairspray in my hair just blew up. I was lucky that the only thing that burnt was my bangs. That is why, we are sticking to bubbles and birdseed!!!!

Goodluck!! Springbride04

Ack, springbride that's awful! I'm using bubbles and now I'm sure I won't use anything else!

i think it would be beautiful... but if you thnk you'll have a problem with the kids playing with fire, maybe you should get bubbles for them instead.
~Cassi

I agree with all those who think that sparklers are dangerous, especially the long-burning ones, but let me tell you of a nice way of using them at a wedding.

My youngest sister got married in Switzerland last year and her bridal party surprised her with a sparkling send-off at around midnight. All guests were called to the dark garden, and saw, at a distance, sparklers floating in the air and flying up, up, and away... The trick was that each sparkler was attached to a balloon and when those were released the sparklers seemed to be flying on their own!
The sparklers were lighted carefully by responsible adults, away from any building, and from the guests. They were of the kind that did not last too long, so there was no danger they could fall to the ground and ignite. They just slowly disappeared in the air and left us all wowing and applauding.
I intend to have the same thing for my daughter who is getting married this July. Good luck to you all,

Ximena

I am sure the balloon thing looked awesome but releasing helium balloons is basically littering. They pop eventually and fall to earth... could be anywhere, in the ocean, beautiful forest, etc. Animals can eat them and choke.

Thank you all for weighing in on the sparklers question. The stray sparks had concerned me from the beginning but I had not even thought about hair and the dangers of hairspray. I was only thinking of clothes. I think I won't be buying them for DD.

Having said that, in the event she decides to buy them herself, was I wrong in my thinking that the longer ones (36" long) would be safer than the shorter ones? I think the other 2 sizes they have on the website I was looking at is 24" and 10". They have a photo gallery on their site and they really are pretty with some photos showing the guests giving the couple a very wide berth.

If we go with bubbles, will they even show up after dark?

Sort of OT, but I honestly don't understand the love of bubbles. I hate them. They are sticky and I hate to have sticky hands...plus they can stain satin.

I like the sparkler idea, although people who use them should heed the stories here and take care.

Apart from the obvious dangers mentioned above, what are the logistics of getting a large number of people to light sparklers all at once, especially if they're only 10" long? I would imagine it's more trouble than it's worth.

I am firmly against balloons. Anita is right... they're a threat to animals and are essentially litter.

I consider releasing doves and butterflies to be very cruel. I've heard stories of those poor butterflies dying in the envelopes companies provide.

I think the bubbles won't show up in nighttime pictures, but they'll show up in person.

JMO!
Andrea :o)

Are we talking farewell aftert the ceremony or after the reception? I thought the original post was about the reception, AutumnBride's seems to be the ceremony...I've seen many farewells (on tv) as the couple leaves the ceremony - bursting out of the church. So is there supposed to be a farewell at the ceremony and the reception? I wasn't planning on one at all.

I can't remember the last time I saw any kind of "send off." I have heard of using bird seed instead of rice, as rice can choke birds (I think that was the reason). But I would think that people would slip on bird seed (or rice, for that matter).

The pealing bells idea sounds absolutely wonderful to me. If I were a guest, I would find that thrilling. So magical and not at all gimmicky. And no mess for clothes or nature.

Re sparklers: we had them (the long ones) on our wedding cake (we got married on July 4th). It looked great, BUT it smelled like a marshmallow roast as the sugar in the frosting reacted to the heat, and there was a pale gray dust over the frosting. Neither was a disaster (the campfire smell was kind of fun, and probably only those of us right there could smell it anyway; the cake was sliced immediately afterward), but these were certainly things we didn't foresee, so I'm passing them along in case anyone else has a similar idea.

Final decision has been made regarding the send off for the bride and groom after the reception.

They will have already changed out of their wedding clothes for travel, so we don't have to worry about stains from bubbles on her satin gown.

However, the wedding party and other guests will still be wearing nice clothes so it might be a concern for some people. We have decided to have both bubbles and bells. The guests can choose which they want to use. We will probably line everybody up according to whether they will be blowing bubbles or if they will be ringing little silver bells. And we will make sure there is at least "elbow space" between each person.

That's the best idea I can come up with to avoid the dangers of stray sparks and for the ones who don't like the sticky feel that the bubbles leave behind. Hopefully, no one will have a problem with the ringing of the bells!

Thanks for all the input. :)

i like the bell idea but you need to be careful with those too. i know who wouldve thought that bells would be dangerous. I went to a wedding in december where the bride and groom had everyone line up in 2 lines and ring them as they ran out of the reception hall. As they were getting into their vehicle everyone followed outside to wish them luck and some people(having good intentions) tossed the bells into the car for luck, only problem was some people threw them too hard and hit the bride a few times. I could hear her yelling and she was trying to shut the door, but her dress was in the way. That's why I'm just sticking to the kazoos, and the little streamers that are in capsuls that the guest throw, but the capsule sticks to a ribbon around the guests finger and only the streamers come out.

At most weddings I've been too nowadays there is only one send off and that is at the reception since the bride and groom usually have to stay for pictures. Good luck with what you decide to use.

"rice (blows up in birds stomachs)

this may have been the reason you were given for not being able to use rice, but it is categorically, emphatically, not true. Birds love rice, and it doesn't hurt them. Ask a rice farmer.

Rice ONLY expands under heat.

But rice DOES leave a little white cloud all over the lawn; and it's hard underfoot so people can slip.

I went to a cousin's wedding and they had sparklers. it was fun and nice. There weren't a TON of kids, and the kids that were there had attentive parents. We all lit our sparklers on the MOH's word, and it was nice. We all held our sparklers out at the ends of our arms, etc.

The only one of those send-offs I like at all, as a participant, is rice. But as a bride, I'm glad only a very few people tossed it--we just officially skipped it, but my MIL and an aunt are very traditional and wanted babies right away. it was kind of uncomfortable on the receiving end.

Here is a link that might be useful: Snopes weighs in on birds and rice

As a wedding coordinator, I find sparklers to be a real pain. By the time the last one is lighted, the first ones are burned out and there is the issue of sparks as well as smoke. If you have guests who have lung problems, the smoke can be a real problem.

What we are using most often is flower petals. You can get petals from the florist and then fill paper cones. A couple of children can hand them out as guests exit the sanctuary or ceremony location. You can also purchase silk petals if your facility doesn't allow real flowers. The silk ones can quickly be picked up afterwards.

Some couples are also using dried rosemary. They tie it in small pieces of tulle, like the circles meant for bubble bottles. It leaves a nice odor in the church and it is totally biodegradable.

oh yeah, dried lavendar too, my mom said she saw a couple use that. How nice it would be to be showered in dried lavendar and rosemary (well, too much rosemary might make me feel a little bit like a leg of lamb).

I wanted to do dried lavender until I found out that my mom is allergic to it! (Explains why it was never around when I was growing up :P )

We're going with rose petals... sparklers seem too dangerous!

-DuckyHead

Toying with the sparkler idea... don't know yet. Our church is REALLY picky and if we use anything that is thrown, they charge us a bunch to clean it up. Might go with the streamer capsules... Decisions, decisions...

I photograph a lot of weddings where sparklers are used for the exit. Here's a couple hints.

Buy them off ebay or amazon for the best deal.

Make sure you get the larger 36" sparklers.

Have someone bring a small hand torch to get them going

Be careful lighting a bunch of them at once with people standing around, the smoke that'll blast off of them when they ignite will knock someone out.

MOST IMPORTANT (and required by the FD) have a bucket of sand or water people can put the spent wire into after the burn out.

Gave the bride and groom a good runway space to come down under the canopy of sparklers. The Brides hair is still VERY flammable.

A newer trend since this post originally appeared is the use of glow sticks. They are safe, inexpensive, and fun.

You certainly have to be careful when using them, but done right (and safely) they can be pretty incredible.

The trick is getting them all lit at the same time. Here's how to do it:

http://blog.weddingsparklersdirect.com/30-seconds-to-light-100-wedding-sparklers/

good choice https://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelwmiller/these-graphic-photos-show-how-dangerous-sparklers-at-wedding?utm_term=.yr74GqDJ3#.dymjLZ9nk 

Good oldfashioned rice! Doesn't grow into weeds like bird seed does, bio degrades in a day or 2, and certainly does not hurt the birds at all! doesn't burn or smoke, like sparklers, doesn't leave sticky goo like bubbles and it's traditional!