When it comes to creating a dramatic send-off, wedding sparklers add a gorgeous shimmer to the end of your reception. However, brides and grooms are often confused about exactly what size sparkler works best. The specific size choice depends on a few things, including where your reception is held, the specific photo options you want with your sparklers and even how many guests are attending your wedding.
Wedding Sparkler Sizes
Wedding sparklers from Direct Sparklers come in a few sizes, which offer different burn times. The longer the burn time, the more opportunity you have to take photos in different poses with dazzling sparklers behind you. Specific sparkler sizes and burn times are listed in the chart below:
#10 Wedding Sparklers: 35 seconds
#20 Wedding Sparklers: 90 seconds
#36 Wedding Sparklers: 180 seconds
Sparklers for a Large Group
The larger your guest list, the longer sparklers you need. If your guest list is over 100 people, short sparklers might not provide enough time for everyone to light their sparklers and get into position before your send-off. Longer #36 sparklers with a burn time of up to 180 seconds ensures that the first group of sparklers is still burning by the time the last group of guests gets theirs started. Having a full extra minute or more of burn time reduces the need to rush and makes everything look more coordinated overall. Once everyone is in place, the 3-minute burn time gives you lots of opportunity for photos and video in front of a sparkling backdrop.
Sparklers for an Intimate Wedding
When your wedding is small and intimate, larger sparklers could overpower the visual impact of your venue. #20 sparklers provide a good balance between size appropriateness in a small space and enough burn time for your photographer to capture some gorgeous photos.
Using Small Sparklers
Small #10 sparklers with a burn time of 35 seconds don’t last long enough to create a dramatic backdrop. You might consider using #10 sparklers to light larger sparklers or give them out as wedding favors to let guests recreate the fun of your sparkler send-off at home.
Specialty Wedding Sparklers for Special Photos
Specialty sparklers with a heart shape add a romantic touch to some of your wedding photos. With a burn time of 60 seconds, these 12-inch sparklers last long enough to capture a few images but typically don’t burn as long as you need for a full send-off. Use heart-shaped sparklers in photos with smaller groups or just the bride and groom. It can be difficult to coordinate more than about six people in a single shot with heart-shaped sparklers that burn for a minute.
Indoor vs Outdoor Sparkler Use
If your venue allows sparklers indoors, check whether they limit the size before stocking up for your wedding. Some venues may not allow the largest sizes because of space limitations. In general, outdoor locations have more room for larger sparklers, so this could be a factor when you’re choosing between sizes.
Buying Bulk Sparklers
No matter what size sparklers you choose for your reception, buying in bulk from Direct Sparklers makes sense. Buying wedding sparklers in bulk saves money and ensures consistency between all of the sparklers that guests use during your send-off. All of our sparklers use metal wires to minimize smoke, and the long burn times provide plenty of photo opportunities. Buying in bulk also lets you provide multiple sparklers to each guest, so you can double the overall burn time per person by lighting a second when the first gets low.
