If you’re wondering “how should we organise our church ceremony exit?” this is for you!
You might have seen (ahem) one or two opinions on social media about what to do when you come out of the church after your ceremony.
“Time spent outside the church is a waste.”
“It’s better to get to the reception quickly.”
I experience it, too … while I’m photographing couples greeting their guests outside the church, I’m often asked to hurry things along by church wardens, venue staff, and car drivers – even though everything is running to time.
The church exit is often seen as something to move through quickly and gets treated as a logistical moment rather than a special part of the story.
I understand why. The clock is ticking. If the reception starts late, then time gets squeezed, and delays can cause problems for the fine timings of things like a surprise flypast, a cooked-to-perfection beef fillet, or a fireworks curfew. Everyone wants your day to flow smoothly.
But whilst the intention is right, defaulting to the most efficient option isn’t the best answer for every couple.
In nearly 20 years of observing and capturing church ceremony exits, time spent outside the church has never felt or looked like a waste of time to me.
When there’s unhurried space in the schedule for nothing other than revelling with your guests in the joy of just getting married; when the air’s loud with bells ringing and squeals of congratulations and shared stories about the ceremony while it’s still piping hot … it’s electric.
Your ceremony exit doesn’t have to be fast and orderly. Sometimes it’s better when it’s complete chaos. It just depends on what you want.
Popular church ceremony exit approaches
Different approaches create different feelings. Here are the most common ways I’ve seen couples exit the church. You can twist and add to these to suit your own plans.
The calm before the storm
This is a lovely choice if you want time out for yourselves to recharge before being ‘on’ for your guests.
How it works:
You come out of church and then hide away. Maybe in a vestibule or around the back of the church. This could be for quiet time alone or for photos with your photographer. In the meantime, your guests exit the church and make a line along the path, while someone hands out confetti. Once everyone’s in place, you run the confetti gauntlet and then make your getaway. All congratulations, hugs, and “did you manage to get any sleep last night?” chats are held back until the drinks reception.
Pros:
- You get time to yourselves. A few private, peaceful moments to decompress after your ceremony and take it in, before getting swept up in the celebration.
- You can fit in pictures of the two of you. Assuming there’s a spot with a great background and quality light, this is a natural pocket of time to take photos when your guests won’t miss you.
- Your drinks reception starts sooner. Good if your schedule doesn’t have much leeway or your ceremony runs late on the day.
Cons:
- The post-ceremony high soon dissipates. Yes, you can chat with your guests at the drinks reception, but it never quite returns to the same level later, as the story has moved on.
- It’s a little stage-managed. The coming-out-of-church-and-going-back-in-again-to-come-out-again sequence takes some choreographing to make it happen smoothly.
- Your guests might feel an anti-climax. If they come out of church expecting to see you but find you missing, it can feel disappointing. But asking your officiant or ushers to explain what’s happening will solve this.
The shared high
Suppliers often suppress and recommend against this one by default – but maybe getting carried away is the whole point.
How it works:
You come out of church and then stand slightly to one side of the door to greet your guests (briefly!) as they exit the church. Stood next to you, are your nominated helpers with baskets of confetti so your guests can take a handful as they move on to form a line down the path, ready to shower you. When you reach the end, it’s into your wedding car as your guests wave you off.
Pros:
- There’s no other part of the day like it. The whole day is a high but this is the highest of highs.
- The flow is completely natural. You come out and then see them as they come out. The confetti line builds as people move down the path. You walk down the path once everyone is out.
- It’s gold for candid photos outside the church. The natural magic yields some of the day’s most expressive and emotive images of your guests’ love and happiness for you.
- It’s a guaranteed way to greet everyone. Informal and at a point that feels natural. More like a warm hello and excited congratulations than a receiving line.
Cons:
- It takes the most time. Not a problem if you build it into your timeline and keep your conversations brief. If you have 80-100 guests, around 20 minutes could lead to some of your favourite ever photos of your nearest and dearest.
- Larger groups or bad weather might make it unworkable. Your guests might get impatient or uncomfortable waiting around without a drink, shelter, or facilities.
- Daylight can run short. Depending on the time of year, you may lose the light that’s needed for outdoor group photos and portraits.
- Outfits, hair, and makeup might not survive the love fest. All those hugs and kisses can take their toll. You might need a refresh at the start of your reception or before your photos.
The best of both
A natural middle ground if neither seems quite right, or you want to take your family photos at the church.
How it works:
You come out of the church, and your immediate family and wedding party (bridesmaids, best man, ushers, little ones) follow you. As a group, you wait in a quiet spot down the side or around the back of the church, while the rest of your guests make their way outside and line up ready to throw confetti. (You might even be able to exit through one door while your guests leave via another.) When everyone’s out, it’s time for confetti and then off to your reception.
Pros:
- Your closest loved ones get quality time. Immediate family and wedding party get to congratulate you before everyone else – and you get candid photos to capture those meaningful, intimate moments between you all.
- You could fit in your group photos here. With a suitable spot, this is a natural slot for family photos, which also frees up time to mingle with everyone at your reception.
- You get to have your wedding cake and eat it. Shared excitement with your absolute faves and a clean getaway before you get too caught up.
Cons:
- It needs more coordination. Those involved in your group photos need to know in advance to hang back rather than file out with everyone else. A quiet word beforehand and ushers who know who’s “in” the group will help.
- It can be tricky to time well. If your group photos aren’t complete before the last guest is in place for confetti, you’ll have people standing around waiting and wondering how long it’ll be. Some may decide to leave for the reception. For this reason, it’s wise to keep your group photo list to key shots and avoid numerous combinations.
How to decide on the best church exit plan for your day
Not sure whether to keep it lowkey or have all the bells and squeals? Here’s my advice…
- Think about how you might feel in those first few moments after walking down the aisle. And how do you want to feel? Then, shape your exit plan to match. It can be hard to predict, so your intuition may be a better guide than your logic.
- Ideally, do this before your ceremony and reception timings are confirmed, while there’s still flexibility to move things forward or back. If not, you might be limited to what works in the time you have available.
Which one’s more you?
There’s no right or wrong. It’ll be lovely whether you linger or make a quick getaway. The only thing that matters is that it’s the right choice for you.
Whichever option you choose, the key is to create a realistic timeline for your day and adjust your plan on the fly if things run late or the weather doesn’t play ball.
Common questions about church ceremony exits
From my perspective, as long as there’s enough space and a beautiful background with great light, yes. Some of my couples have done all of their family photos at the church, others just one or two with the rest at their reception. As for timing, you could do them off to one side while everyone else lines up for confetti. Or you could do them after confetti by pre-warning those involved to hang back while everyone else heads off to the reception. But check with the photographer you book, they may have a different view.
My go-to approach is to take a quick, traditional “just married” photo in the doorway as you first walk out of the church. Right before the confetti walk works too, your ushers will just need to keep the area around the door clear when they direct guests to line the path. Or if you’d like a longer portrait session at the church, it’s probably best to do this after your guests have left.
Your ushers are a good call. Your officiant can help with announcements to explain how things will work. And you could include instructions in your order of service booklet, too. Some photographers will lend a hand (myself included) but if they’re organising things, they can’t take photos as well. If you’d like natural photos of this part of the day, it’s best to choose your most charming but firm ushers to guide your guests.
British weather being British weather, it’s worth having a plan B and some large umbrellas to hand. If the rain is biblical, you might prefer not to spend any time at the church at all and head straight to the reception as soon as you come out of the church. You might have invested in some gorgeous brollies for everyone and want to simply carry on. There are no rules. It’s just about how you want to experience your day.
It depends on the style of photographer you’ve booked. Some photographers will direct you to do a dip, high-five, kiss each other, hold your bouquet high, and punch the air as you walk down the confetti path. With me, there’s no need to ‘perform’. If you feel the urge to express something, go for it. If not, that’s amazing too. High-energy actions can send your guests wild and make great photos. But despite what you see on social media, it’s totally okay to just walk.
Want a photographer who loves to capture the ceremony exit more than any other part of the day?
However you choose to leave the church after your ceremony, I’d love to be there and capture the calm or chaos (or both!) exactly as it happens. Feel free to reach out for more info … and to pick my brain for extra ideas!
