Three Benefits of Having a Mock Grand Exit

You have always dreamed about your grand and marvelous wedding day exit with your charming groom in hand and all your guests lined up leading you into your get away car.

This scenario sounds majestic and glorious when you dream about it, but when you logically think about, some things just don’t really make sense about a grand exit.

Will are your guests actually be in attendance? Will everyone have the same excitement and exuberance as they did earlier on in the day? Will you want to pay for an extra couple hours of photography just for the exit moment? These are legitimate questions to consider for yourself if you want your dream grand exit to become a reality.

Well, we want to throw a slightly better suggestion out there to you that will leave you with your dreamy grand exit PLUS  all the emotion and excitement added to it at lower costs and more available time.

First…the introduction to a “Grand Exit.” What does this exactly mean?

A grand exit is when your guests are lined up on each side of you and your groom as you make your way to your get away car as newlyweds for the first time. This is a time for “farewells” “thank you’s” “love you’s” to be shouted out. This exit can naturally occur at the tail end of the wedding day, meaning it’s a late one. Because it is late into the night, the issues we just discussed earlier in regards to guests, photography costs, and energy levels begin to play a big factor.

There is a very loved and increasingly popular new way to doing a grand exit and it is called a “Mock Grand Exit.”

In recent years, more and more couples are choosing this way of doing a “fake send off” because of the many benefits and how it solves the problems of attendance, costs, and energy. Below you can take a look at what the top three benefits of having a Mock Grand Exit are:

 1) More Guests in Attendance:

When couples decide to do a mock grand exit, they are doing so because they want as many people there as possible for that one moment. If your wedding has young children or elderly friends or family, it is safe to say they will begin to leave the wedding around 8pm or following the cake cutting. As they start to leave, the number of guests you have for your grand exit will start to dwindle down and won’t make it for the grand exit portraits/sparkler exit. A key secret to capturing photos of a grand exit is truly “the more, the merrier.” If you choose a :mock grand exit,” you’re loved ones will be able to participate in this fun memory AND your photographs will capture full hearts because everyone is in attendance.

2) Valuable Use of Your Photographer:

With a mock grand exit, you’ll be able to still capture that picture perfect moment without the unnecessary costs of extra unused photography hours. If you do a real grand exit, you could pay for a couple hours of photography all for a 5 minute grand exit.  What you are actually paying for is an additional hour of dancing photos on top of the dancing hour you already have which doesn’t quite make sense. Unless you do have exceptions such as these:

• Couples who choose to have various games during the reception. Example: The Newlywed Shoe Game.  All those games take time so added coverage is necessary.

• Couples who treat their guests to a five course wedding meal!

• Couples who just love to dance. If that’s you, then two hours is the perfect amount of coverage. See a wedding example here.

3) It’s a Nice Transition

When families feel the need to leave earlier, they aren’t going to be a part of your exit as you had hoped. By doing the mock send off earlier, guests can feel safe to leave earlier if they want because they know they won’t be missing out on anything. The pressure is all off, and they can just enjoy the night, while you feel assured knowing the “grand exit” photo is captured and in the bag.

Conclusion

If the mock grand exit doesn’t tickle your fancy, maybe consider this final option.

Plan your grand exit between your ceremony and reception. You will be able to choose from a number of fun ways to celebrate with such as: sparklers, bubbles, petals, bird seeds, or streamers. In addition, this excellent option brings on the beautiful sunset lighting which usually takes place during this transition.

If you are indeed wanting to have this moment captured, consider the following two tips:

• Create a sign saying the time of the “fake send off” so everyone knows where and when to be.
• Tell the DJ to announce you will do a grand exit for photos and that the party will continue afterwards.

Which ever way you choose to go, having a “mock grand exit” on your wedding day has many benefits to it. You will save both time and money while savoring the time with your guests in such a fun moment as this. OH not to mention a KILLER photo opportunity! Check with your photographer on your reception timeline to choose which mock grand exit suits you best!

MANY THANKS TO THE CREATIVE TEAM WHO HELPED WITH THESE WEDDINGS:

Venue:  VILLA SIENA | Venue: THE WRIGHT HOUSE | Venue: TRINITY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL and TACO GUILD IN PHOENIX | Venue: SHEMER ART MUSEUM | Photographer: APRIL MAURA PHOTOGRAPHY | Second Photo: Photographed with Rachel Solomon.