Not as bad as it sounds, though there could be an endless number of would you rathers for weddings. This one is about what you would rather have thrown at you when you leave.
This website outlines some of the pros and cons of the basics: birdseed, bubbles, rice, sparklers, flower petals, confetti. It says that the tradition started in maybe ancient Rome or Egypt (because they are so similar, it could be either one! ha!), and is meant to give luck, symbolize abundance and fertility. Hence throwing nuts or seeds at the couple, since those represent “seed.” And here’s a weddingbee post about options. Another weddingbee post I found amusing was about the differences in UK weddings and the US, (they bring their own confetti there!), which I didn’t know about. And they wear hats. But can I just say, please pretend you are from the UK and bring your own confetti to our party?
Sean Flanigan via Snippet & Ink
I am slightly obsessed with trying to do everything a little off of tradition, although I end up not too far from the norm on most things. Like our venue and my dress. But when I originally thought about our getaway I wanted to do something really fantastic. Like those guns that have the word bang come out. I did a very thorough websearch but none of the guns you can buy were up to Garrett’s standards. He wanted it to be really realistic if we were going to do it. My mom probably sighed with relief, because that sounded absolutely bizarre to her. I really like the look of sparklers, too, but I felt like they were so overdone. However, now that I’m shooting weddings a few times a month I realize that it’s all overdone. Or at least, what you have thrown at you might not be where you want to break the mold.
I remember one of my cousins being pelted with birdseed and it seemed like it was in every crevice of her hair and dress. And I’m not crazy about rose petals. Not for the flower girl or the leaving. Maybe because I’m bored of roses. But I actually do like a bouquet of just roses or a few roses amongst peonies or the like. And I like rose bushes. shrug. I’ve seen mixed flower petals that I liked a lot. I’m not in love with bubbles but there are times when it’s been really gorgeous to photograph. Like when everyone is a little intoxicated and you are overcome with a mass amount of bubbles. Just a few just doesn’t do it. I like the idea of waving flags, ribbons, pom-poms (if we were obsessed fans, and Garrett is about Alabama football, but not in the pom-pom waving, licence plate, car flag sort of way). What we should really do is channel my cheerleading days and make people get on shoulders and we’d run through them (what’s that even called, you know, when you have people on either side with their arms up?). I think after an open bar this would be doable in a dangerous sort of way.
photo by Amelia Strauss
Oh, and that bird-killing rice thing? Apparently false. Good to know, we should probably shower the street with rice on the daily. Because it’s so fun and festive!
Obviously one problem with send-offs are venue restrictions. We’ll be leaving on the street (our venue is the top floor of a building downtown) so there are none for us. But at the wedding I shot this past weekend was at a museum and they weren’t allowed to throw the flower petals they had because it gets ground into the marble and it stains. They didn’t figure this kink out until right before the bride and groom left! They blew kisses instead. So make sure you know if you have any restrictions before you pick.
What I’m leaning towards? Sparklers & paper confetti. Why? Because it’s at night and the sparklers photograph so well (I’m obsessed with pictures, in case you were unaware), and I really like the look of something fluttering down. Excess? Probably. We’ll see what happens.
What would you rather have thrown at you?