23 Unique send-off ideas

We’d like to state right here and right now that a wedding send-off is not a requirement for every wedding so don’t feel pressured to have one. Some brides don’t plan a coordinated send-off. They just say their goodbyes and exit the venue to cheers and claps from guests. Those are free and require zero planning!

Some brides plan a coordinated wedding send-off at a scheduled departure time at the end of the event. At this point, many of your guests may have already left the venue so you’ll want to prepare yourself for this possibility.

In light of this, other brides schedule a staged wedding send-off earlier in the event when the majority of guests are still present and the lighting is great for photos. After photos are taken, they go back to enjoying the event.

Bottom line, there is no right or wrong way to do – or not do – a wedding send-off. This is your wedding. Create your own magic.

Talk to Your Venue

If you’ve chosen to include a wedding send-off, the first step is to ask your venue what they do – and do not – allow. We actually know of a venue that caught fire when someone threw a match into the container holding sparklers. The reception was disrupted by the evacuation as guests watched fire trucks arrive to put out the fire. As a venue owner, I can tell you that’s a pretty scary scenario. So is owning a venue on acreage where the grass becomes brittle dry during particular times of the year.

In addition, cleaning up silk flower petals and confetti are very time-consuming so many venues don’t allow them either. Staff can spend hours – or days – picking up flower petals one-by-one, and I can tell you that confetti blows with the wind making it really challenging to get it all cleaned up. Due to a misunderstanding, one of our brides used confetti. Our Director of Weddings could be seen out on the property for many days the following week trying to vacuum up those glittery little demons with a hand-held battery-operated vacuum.

Wedding Send-Off Ideas

After thinking through the information above, what will you do? For those of you who have decided to include a wedding send-off in your timeline, here are 23 unique photo-worthy ideas we’ve rounded up for you! Most of them should be venue-friendly but check with yours just to make sure!

1. Bubbles

2. Cow bells

3. Lanterns

4. Wave Streamers

5. Big balloons

6. Release butterflies

7. Ribbon wands

8. Glow sticks

9. Light up balloons

10. Ring bells

11. Paper airplanes

12. Fan Palm Fronds

13. Wave Handkerchiefs

14. Wave Flags

15. Second Line Parade

16. Pom poms

17. Percussion Instruments

18. Jingle bells

19. Lightsabers

20. Marrocos 

21. Cazoos

22. Beach balls

23. Tambourines