What to do upon exiting the church?

[hoofbeats95]

A sticking point for me is what to have the guests do when we leave the church. Everyone does bubbles. Seems a bit over done. I want something that makes a pretty picture though. I liked the idea of bells - but that doesn't make a photo. Balloons do but that is environmentally unfriendly! I'd like to something that isn't the "norm". Ideas? Thoughts? TIA!

 

[Bleed Burnt Orange]

I think the best thing about bubbles is the lack of clean up afterward. Flower petals might look nice...and won't hurt when they land on you! That might be done a lot as well though.

Umm...is it at night? Sparklers might be nice...but I think people use those for when you're leaving the reception.

So...pretty much I have offered no help. Sorry!

 

[hoofbeats95]

That's ok. I like sparklers, but we won't be leaving the reception before the guests I don't believe. That isn't done around here as much anymore. We'll have to stay and pay vendors, load up gifts etc. What a pain!

 

[stephbolt]

What about ribbon wands or flags of some sort?

 

[vc10um]

What about ribbon wands or flags of some sort?

I love this idea, Steph! Just 2' piece of satin or grosgrain ribbon on a dowel should do it.

I had college friends get married that gave everyone a Dixie Cup of white sprinkles to toss. They just dissolve when it rains, so there's no real cleanup necessary, and they're easy to shake out of hair/dress/etc.

ETA: Just checked my photogs blog and in a recently posted wedding they used mini pom poms: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35661175@N08/5204938040/

 

[Future Mrs. Sterling]

I was thinking of confetti. Don't know if the church would allow it because of clean up. We're getting married in a park, so I'm not too concerned about confetti for us. Anyway, I would hope for a photo like either of these:

 

[Jennifer W]

We had dried rose petals. They came in a pack with something like 50 little paper cones. You assembled the cone, stuck it with a little gold sticker with your initials on it, filled it with a couple of handfuls of petals and done! I put them in wicker baskets for guests to pick up on their way out of the church.

 

[lulu66]

We had dried rose petals. They came in a pack with something like 50 little paper cones. You assembled the cone, stuck it with a little gold sticker with your initials on it, filled it with a couple of handfuls of petals and done! I put them in wicker baskets for guests to pick up on their way out of the church.

i didn't think of what to do upon exiting the church till a week and a half before the wedding, so i wanted something easy but that would look good in photos. i decided on rose petals in paper cones also. i called the florist, she saved rose petals for me for that week & charged $5. i made paper cones using paper from a book that i used for all our paper goods at the reception. someone (i'm still not sure who) handed them out to the guests as they left the church. it was super easy & super cheap. and, i think, made for a great photo.

p.s. i also love the idea of ribbon wands.

here's our rose petal exit:

 

[Future Mrs. Sterling]

Your rose petals picture is beautiful, lulu! BTW, there is eco-friendly confetti out there. It dissolves in water, so easy clean up with a hose or simply rain!

 

[vsc]

I haven't decided either what to do - my mom has suggested lavender flowers, which could be an option for you as well, especially if you have blue/purple in your colors. They are biodegradable, small, and smell good. Cleanup might be still required, though.

 

[charbie]

we did kazoos in black and orange (cincinnati bengal's colors...something special for DH) and it made for some super cute pictures. just remember if you're doing your church pictures right after the ceremony, you won't be leaving the church and needing anything. i realized this too late, and had all these kazoos, so we had the limo bus drive us around the corner and to the back of the church.