I’ve previously shared a Bridal Business post about wedding day exit options… If you’ve had a chance to read it, it’s clearly no secret that I personally love daytime exits.  I think they allow for more variety and, of course, ensure beautiful light for your images. I’ve even had clients opt to do an entrance instead of an exit so that they could take advantage of the daylight! But, at the same token, I completely understand why so many of my clients are drawn to night exits as they just have that magical essence to them.

The one downfall of a nighttime exit is that your photographer has often left before it actually happens! Most of my clients choose to front load their day, coverage-wise, as open dancing photos tend to get a bit repetitive after a while! I always stay for all the main reception events but find myself packing up my bags about 30 minutes or so after the dance floor has opened. The work around for this? A Controlled Exit!

 

What is a a controlled exit? I thought you’d never ask!

 

A controlled exit is when you coordinate for your wedding party and immediate family to join you and your new spouse outside for a set of photos with your exit “weapon” of choice, whether that be sparklers, glowsticks, or another item of your choosing.

 

Sounds great, but what are the benefits of this?

 

1. The photos turn out absolutely perfect! We can redo the exit and kiss as many times as necessary to ensure the photos are exactly how you want them!

2. By having your wedding party and family join you, you’ll know that you can see those you love most in the background of these photos! No worries about having that random drunk guest photobomb you or run in front of the camera right before the kiss!

3. Your guests will all be inside enjoying cocktail hour or the reception, so they won’t even realize you’re missing! 

4. Let’s be honest… sometimes the end of the night isn’t so pretty if you’ve been getting down on the dance floor! 

5. And finally, it can save you a ton of money! Wedding days are expensive and photography is just one small piece of that investment; having to add additional coverage just to keep your photographer onsite for the exit may not be the best use of your budget!

If you’re still not convinced, I urge you to take a look at my blog posts and try and guess which ones were real and were ones were “controlled”… I bet you won’t be able to tell the difference!