Should you have a sparkler send off?

Its going to be one hell of a day and night. And you think you might want one last image to capture all of the joy and love of the night to close out your wedding album. Questions is, 'Do you have a sparkler send off?" That is a question that only you and your fiancé can answer for sure but I will share some HONEST pros and cons to this idea.

PRO - They look cool! The dramatic light and shadows and all of your nearest and dearest who stayed to the end will be there.

CON - They are not easy to photograph. Guest are often drunk and not cooperating as much as we might like. They often dont stand where they need to or light the sparklers too early leaving us with a disappointing result. Additionally light is limited and so it can be tricky to get an image that isn't too 'grainy'. Supplemental light can help but the image begins to loose the ambiance of the moment which may or may not be to your liking (typically it isn't to mine). Some photographers are okay with that or choose to do something a little more dramatic with back lighting or something else. Not a bad idea but again there is a lot left to chance and the behavior of those who have been drinking (such as standing in the way of the light that was set.)

PRO - It does bookend your album with a really nice, epic type of shot.

CON - It is an additional expense. The 12 inch 4th of July type of sparkers you can grab at the grocery store will not cut it. They burn too quickly, don't emit enough light, or create too much smoke. There are a bunch of companies who produce sparklers for occasions such as this but to make things easier, here is one option... www.brideenvy.com/

Alternate plans - Consider doing something smaller with maybe your families or bridal party or just the two of you. It won't cost as much or take as much time and your guest can continue to party while you step out for a quick 5 minute breather.

Words of advice...If you chose to have a sparkler send off go into it thinking of it as a bonus shot. If you get something good then it is all the better, and if you don't...well, thats not what the day was about and you still have a great story told in the rest of the images.

Hope it helps :)