How are you exiting?

[zoebartlett]

How are you leaving your reception? I can''t figure this out. Our reception will end at between 4-4:30. According to our venue, usually the photographer (depending on whether he/she wants to do this) takes a group shot outside. This is kind of the signal that the party''s over. If we do this group shot, how do we leave afterwards? Do we go in to change first and then make some sort of grand exit? This seems silly. Do we leave in our fancy clothes straight from the group photo? How do we say goodbye to everyone?

Any way I look at it, it just seems awkward somehow. We''re not hiring a limo or anything, since we only have a 2 mile drive back to the hotel. We considered renting a trolley for everyone, but that''s too expensive. It just seems funny to just get into FI''s car and drive off.

 

[winston26]

When we were considering that type of reception, I asked the venue the same question. Her answer was that they will stop serving food and drinks when it''s nearing the time to close up and people then start to leave and just know. Are you putting a time frame on your invitations also? Maybe there''s a way to do those so that it sticks in their mind before they even go that it''s until 4:30 or whenever.

 

[zoebartlett]

No, we haven''t put a time frame on the invitations but a few people have been asking. We''ve been telling them, if they ask, that the reception ends around 4-4:30. I''m not worried about having guests know when to leave, but I''m wondering how my husband and I should leave. Any scenario I''ve thought of just sounds awkward. I don''t want the grand exit with bird seed thrown at us (or something along those lines). I do keep thinking that it would be weird to end the group photo just saying "bye, thanks for coming" and then head to our car.

 

[lucy.lucy.80]

we are having a helicopter land in the middle of the dance floor....just kidding! That would be kind of cool though!

What we will be doing is the before the last song is played give a speach and thank everyone for coming collectively. They will play the last song (something of sentimental value to us) and during the last song we will work our way to the door, which gives people a chance to say their personal goodbyes and isn''t too abrupt. It will also give the guests a clue that the party is ending.

If you are going to take pictures afterward the people you will be taking pictures with could follow you out the door or and then you could give them their personal goodbyes prior to leaving.

 

[bee*]

Our wedding won''t end until about 4am the next morning in the resident''s bar, so we''re just going to go up to bed with whoever else has stayed up.

 

[allikatac]

Our wedding also ended around 4pm, but we didn''t have dancing to have a final dance or anything. I think that helps to signal that it is over. Our invites did not have an ending time, but the guests were able to tell when things were winding down. We had a quartet and when they quit playing the guests started leaving. We also didn''t hire a limo or anything since we were only a mile from home and we felt it would be silly to just jump in my parents van or hubby''s car and drive away. (We didn''t plan any of this out until the day of though). We decided to stay around and say good-bye to the guests as they left and it actually turned out to be fun. Our parents and immediate family were the only ones left at the very end and it was nice because we actually got to have a piece of cake and some cookies!

 

[Courtneylub]

We will be doing the traditional exit. The DJ will announce the last song and then everyone will gather outside with sparklers. It will be around midnight, so hopefully most of friends will have stayed. I''m sure they will! FI is taking care of the getaway vehicle, so I''m not sure what it is. I think we just may borrow a convertible from a friend or something.

 

[winston26]

What if......you move the group photo up? A group shot as the last item just seems odd only because there''s always someone who would have left already if it''s the last thing you''re doing. I think it would be better to take the photo early on?!?! That''s your choice, doesn''t matter if the venue says that''s what other people do.
Is there a microphone where someone could announce "Zoe and new DH will now be leaving for their (honeymoon or whatever). Please make your way to the (patio?) to bid them farewell." Have someone hand out bubbles or sparklers if you want for some cool photos! I''d wear my wedding dress personally since you just simply don''t get long enough to wear that beautiful gown!!!
Just throwing out ideas......honestly the day went by so fast there was no way I was leaving before the guests so we were the last to leave and I liked it that way. I assigned certain people to do clean-up, box up gifts, etc. They did all that as I was saying goodbye to the last guests and it seemed to work. By the time I said goodbye to the last person, all I had to do was get in the car. Some photographers told me they stage the "getaway" with the bridal party just for the shots since other people don''t want to leave early either. We had also used things for the centerpieces that did not need to be returned to the florist so we gave them away as people left, which didn''t leave much to be carried out, and the flowers didn''t go to waste.

 

[mimzy]

Date: 6/20/2008 8:55:05 AM
Author: Courtneylub
We will be doing the traditional exit. The DJ will announce the last song and then everyone will gather outside with sparklers. It will be around midnight, so hopefully most of friends will have stayed. I''m sure they will! FI is taking care of the getaway vehicle, so I''m not sure what it is. I think we just may borrow a convertible from a friend or something.

i have a question about this! after the dance,while everyone is gathering outside, what are you going to do? this is probably what we are going to do, but i thought it might be a little awkward standing around waiting for everyone to get situated outside. are you going to disappear to gather your things or say goodbye to your parents? are you going to wait behind the door, waiting for your cue that the sparklers are lit (like a horse at the gate?)?? i''m probably thinking way too much into this haha

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 6/20/2008 1:01:21 PM
Author: mimzy

Date: 6/20/2008 8:55:05 AM
Author: Courtneylub
We will be doing the traditional exit. The DJ will announce the last song and then everyone will gather outside with sparklers. It will be around midnight, so hopefully most of friends will have stayed. I''m sure they will! FI is taking care of the getaway vehicle, so I''m not sure what it is. I think we just may borrow a convertible from a friend or something.

i have a question about this! after the dance,while everyone is gathering outside, what are you going to do? this is probably what we are going to do, but i thought it might be a little awkward standing around waiting for everyone to get situated outside. are you going to disappear to gather your things or say goodbye to your parents? are you going to wait behind the door, waiting for your cue that the sparklers are lit (like a horse at the gate?)?? i''m probably thinking way too much into this haha

Yes we will gather our things with our parents while the venue coordinator gathers everyone outside. That''s how it''s worked at other weddings I''ve been to also. My mom can hold my stuff and slip in the car with us.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks everyone! I like the idea of being one of the last to leave and say goodbye to our guests. I know most of the time(?), the couple leaves first but I''ll run this idea by my FI and see what he says.

 

[Sabine]

I''ve actually been to quite a few weddings where there was no exit, and the bride and groom were the last to go with their parents/immediate family/bridal party.