Where is the best place to get wedding sparklers?
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A common question that I read and hear a lot when talking to couples is about sparklers, where to get them, and the best kinds to buy for their wedding.
Most couples don’t know that there are many colors, lengths, and styles.
Today, I’m going to provide you with the best sparklers that I’ve worked with over the years when filmmaking and taking photos and where to buy them at.
The Best Length of Sparkler to Buy and What to Avoid
When you first think of wedding sparklers, the 4th of July typically comes to mind and that’s normal. Usually, when you’re doing the fourth of July celebrations the length of the sparklers is very short 8-12” give or take. (They are made from the same material by the way)
Avoid these if you can, there will not be enough time to light a large crowd, let alone have the couple get through to the end, they’re just too short.
In the wedding industry, there as many different lengths to choose from ranging upwards of 36-inches. Honestly, 36” is too long and many of those will break apart as they burn, causing the bride or groom to get hurt, I’ve seen it too many times.
The best size range I would recommend for you is an medium length sparkler with 20” being the ideal range if possible.
These tend to last about two minutes or so and they provide ample time for everyone to light them and usually give us videographers and wedding photographers a couple of takes of you walking down and back.
As a wedding videographer/photographer we prefer these sparklers from Sparklers Online, a website that is dedicated to sparklers in the wedding industry. The thing I like about these is the color of the sparkler itself, which is more like a candle color, or 4700K for those techie types. Since they provide more of a natural light color, they’re great for wedding exits.
As an alternate, you can try these links that we’ve found to be reliable and the sparkler color temp is great too. (We’re not endorsing any of these companies, but these have been some of the best places to get them over the years)
While there are many places to get them, these are the more common places to order them.
How to Light Them Quickly
One of the keys to setting up the perfect wedding exit is having everyone light them on time and getting the best equal length among everyone standing in line.
Choose a location that is sheltered from the wind to light your sparklers.
Do not use matches to ignite a sparkler; including paper or wooden stick matches.
A sparkler usually takes a few seconds to light and matches often burn down too quickly and burn your fingers before lighting the sparkler.
Also, even if you manage to light the sparkler, you would have two burning items in your hands, one of which needs to be discarded quickly.
This can lead to a potentially dangerous situation and can be avoided by simply eliminating matches from the equation. A simpler approach is to just use regular butane lighters for your sparklers.
Butane lighters, “BBQ” lighters, and propane torches can be used, although longer BBQ lighters tend to light very slowly because of the low heat. Lighters that keep the flame away from the hand holding the lighter are among the safest options.
Electric ignition-type propane torches, if available, are the quickest and best way to light sparklers at a wedding if used in an open area.
Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash
One of the most popular methods to light multiple sparklers is to light one wedding sparkler, then use it to light the neighbors around you, and the person with the torch move on down the line to another guest.
You can designate 1 person as the “lighter” and have the rest of the people line up to take turns.
When you light sparkle with another sparkler, your hands are kept at a safe distance and you can enjoy the show while getting things ramped up.
Always keep the sparkler at a 45 degree angle upward so the couple doesn’t get burned.
This will help light the wedding sparkler faster, as the flame will want to naturally move vertical and ignite the sparkler’s pyrotechnic compound.
Going “with the grain” is always the best way to light sparklers at a wedding.
Always light your sparkler at the tip, keeping the open flame the furthest away from the bare wire handle as possible.
Dispose of the Correctly
You’ll need to have a metal bucket where you can place them used sparklers for a while because they’ll be hot.
Do NOT allow guests to just toss them on the ground as the heat may start a fire and local wildlife could also get into them causing harm.
You can get a decent-looking bucket on Amazon.
A Secret that Hurts Us, Wedding Vendors
Not everyone has a wedding exit with sparklers and that’s perfectly okay, in fact roughly 6% of couples don’t have an exit of any kind and that’s because they either didn’t want one or they might have had budget issues.
Speaking of budget issues, I want to share with you one wedding secret that hurts most of us vendors and while we don’t like to talk about it, today, I’m going to share it with you, just click the link below to learn more about it.