Let’s talk about Exits. I know you’ve imagined the best way to end your wedding day with a fun Grand Exit surrounded by your friends and family cheering, waving sparklers or blowing bubbles or throwing confetti (biodegradable of course!)

Except… you just don’t have enough coverage time for your photographer to stay until the end of the wedding day! Now you’re faced with the struggle of deciding whether to cut out those getting ready photos of you with your girls and the sweet moments of your mom zipping up your dress, a first look with dad and the beautiful detail photos OR cutting your reception coverage short and missing your exit photos!

BUT you don’t have to miss out. A Controlled Exit is basically what the name calls it. It’s your Exit, controlled so that we move it up in the timeline during the reception to get those fun exit photos while your photographer is still there!

You might be confused by the timing of all this or even why you should consider it so here’s a quick reception flow WITH a Controlled Exit and some reasons why you definitely want to think about having one!

SAMPLE RECEPTION FLOW OF EVENTS:

• Introduction! You, your partner and your wedding party get introduced into reception for it’s official start!
• First Dance & Parent Dances
• Dinner Break!
• Toasts
• Cake Cutting
• CONTROLLED EXIT! We’ll grab your guests, bring them outside for your exit then back into your reception to continue the party!
• Dance Floor opens for the night!

That’s just a sample of a Reception flow of events and of course you can rearrange things like Dances, Toasts and Cake Cutting as you need to but I recommend that the Controlled Exit happen BEFORE the Dance Floor opens for the night so your party doesn’t feel interrupted and the dance floor stays packed all night long!

Reasons why you definitely want to consider a Controlled Exit:

1: YOU GET ALL THE PHOTOS YOU WANTED!

You know you really want to have photos of it all: getting ready, your first look, ceremony and portraits and the dances, the reception events and of course your exit! It’s just the issue of squeezing all of that into a 8 hour timeline for your photographer. But with a Controlled Exit, you can have it all! You’ll still get your reception events photographed and dancing included.

2: EASIER TO COORDINATE VS END OF THE NIGHT

Imagine the scenario: hours of open bar service + your friends who definitely can rock a party + burning sparklers. It feels like wrangling a herd of cats sometimes! BUT before the drinks stay flowing for hours, your Controlled Exit gives your vendors the best opportunity at having great guest cooperation and making sure things flow smoothly! Plus this way, your elderly guests can still be a part of the exit and your photos instead of them leaving before the real end of the reception when they feel tired.

3: IT CAN KICK OFF YOUR PARTY!

Once you get your guests inside and your exit photos are taken, you can breathe and RELAX! All the photo ops are done and you don’t have to worry about making sure your hair doesn’t fall down or lose curls, you can switch right into a pair of comfy shoes, and just have fun! The DJ will open the dance floor for the night, the drinks will be flowing and the party part of your evening can officially begin without interruptions!

You don’t have to miss out on those Grand Exit photos just because you don’t have enough time. The Controlled Exit is definitely the best option for getting all those photos in while sticking with your photographer’s coverage time! Get the most out of your timeline and definitely keep a Controlled Exit in mind as you work on your wedding day timeline 😉