Yes, after all the worries and the dramas and the last minute express postage costs, we managed to organise the sparkler wedding send-off that I'd always hoped for.

So how did it work? Well, as Jase and I were finishing off our private dance upstairs, our guests had been arranged in two  lines outside the venue, while our bridal party quickly started handing out the huge sparklers. We found out afterwards that they had been told to wait until we'd begun walking downstairs to light them, but apparently my new father-in-law got a little lighter happy, and set one end off too early.

That led to everyone panicking and lighting things on fire - but they eventually had them all done. This picture of my little brother looking cheeky with a lighter cracks me right up.

As Jase and I walked down the stairs, the doors were closed, so we couldn't see what was happening outside - but the foyer was FULL of smoke. It was pretty funny, actually. (Word to the wise: if you're lighting sparklers, move away from your venue! It was raining, so our guests were forced to stay huddled under the balconies.) The doors opened up and BAM. SPARKLERS. Magic.

We squeezed our way through the light show & posed for a few photos - some more flattering than others!

(Well, I was EXCITED!)

And because I'm way too obsessed with gifs that move, how about a face pulling visual?

We hugged our parents & bridal party members, waved to our guests and headed for our getaway car. And as the sparklers continued to burn down, we were scooted off towards our hotel room, as we said goodbye to the wedding & hello to married life!

Above two images via Amy Nelson-Blaine Wedding Cinematography

The Jaguar wedding was over.

All photographs by the team at Follan Photography unless otherwise noted.