dandelions to blow or fireflies to free in place of rice, sparklers

Knottie36688298

I want to have my guest blow dandelions in place of rice or sparklers or bird seed. my other idea was to let fireflies go. Any idea on where i can get either one of these? thanks 

CrazyCatLady3

You might have guests allergic to dandelions.  Also you may end up with lots of dead fireflies if you don't hold them properly (and will it be dark when you leave the ceremony?)  How about having your guests blow bubbles instead?

ElcaB

Releasing fireflies would terrify & upset me. I do not like being within arm's length of any type of bug. Sorry, won't do it. 

What about biodegradable confetti or dried rosemary?

vsgal

No fireflies.  Living creatures should never be used as a prop for a wedding.  Dandelions are often the source of  allergy attacks. Plus they are a weed, so not sure where you would even buy them.  

I would recommend bubbles.  They are easy to get.  Not horrible on the environment. Or you can do what we did and leave to a round of raucous applause.  Free and effective.

Maggie0829

Sorry but both of those ideas just sound horrible. Why not do streamer wands or bubbles? Something that is easy and that won't cause your guests allergies or fear of bugs to appear.

theartistformerlyknownas

I get that dandelions are superpinterestcool right now, but no. That's a terrible idea. Like, even if it wouldn't send everyone there into a sneezing fit there's no way of even making sure they're at that puffball stage right when you need them to be, or cutting/transporting them without all the seeds falling off. Plus the groundskeeper at your venue would probably murder you for importing a bunch of weeds.

vulpiepop

I wouldn't recommend either. Speaking as someone who has asthma and pollen allergies, dandelions can lead to allergy or asthma attacks so dandelions are a terrible idea in my opinion. 

As for the fireflies, despite the fact that fireflies are living creatures and not props (what if they die before the ceremony?), many people are afraid of insects. I get that it looks cool to have little glowy, blinky bugs fly out of a jar, but it just isn't a good idea. Maybe you can simulate fireflies with string lights or something when you decorate and just do the bubble thing as PPs have suggested.

Meggos1988

Personally I love this Idea.... Throwing colored sprinkles! Wont hurt the animals and no bugs! 

This is what I want to do for my wedding!

kitty8403

Ummmm, not to be a total downer, but wouldn't blowing dandelions just give people sticky fingers and spread weeds?

As for fireflies -- I get it, but I have heard too many horror stories about using live creatures for weddings. Doves, fireflies, butterflies--I just wouldn't, sorry.

kitty8403

ElcaB said:

Releasing fireflies would terrify & upset me. I do not like being within arm's length of any type of bug. Sorry, won't do it. 

What about biodegradable confetti or dried rosemary?

I like this idea. Or maybe rose/flower petals?

theartistformerlyknownas

Meggos1988 said:

Personally I love this Idea.... Throwing colored sprinkles! Wont hurt the animals and no bugs! 

This is what I want to do for my wedding!

This actually can hurt animals since they shouldn't be eating all that sugar and food coloring. Then they attract ants. Plus, have you ever gotten hit in the face by sprinkles? My step sister did this and said it hurt like hell (plus you could see them in her hair and she still needed to take pictures).

Knottie36688298

I guess I forgot about allergies....and people not liking bugs. Our Venue is at a family ranch so we don't have to worry about the weed issue but good point on the allergies. I don't suffer from any allergies so i forget about that.. Didn't think about the fireflies being squished or people not liking bugs, again bugs dont bother me so I didnt think about that. Thanks for all the replies. Those are more sentimental parts to our lives that's why i thought about it. Our colors are rustic and colorful sprinkles wouldn't look good, I dont want to do bubbles because the sticky mess they leave, i have kids I know that mess. Guess its back to sparklers.

kimberly0315

What about flower petals?

ElcaB

Meggos1988 said:

Personally I love this Idea.... Throwing colored sprinkles! Wont hurt the animals and no bugs! 

This is what I want to do for my wedding!

While I think this has cute photo potential, I'm not sure it's harm-free to the animals. Also, sprinkles can leave traces of their coloring on skin and clothing. I'm not sure B wants a rainbow hued dress or stained sticky arms. 

Maggie0829

Why do you have to throw or wave or have anything?  I really never understood throwing things at the couple, except to get "pretty pictures."

LDay2014

all I can envision is my FI having a caniption (sp?) fit about dandelion seeds...Dandelions are the bane of his existence and he hates the damn things.  We have spent hours each year weeding the lawn to get rid of them...when my kids go to a park and kick the fluffy ones, he literally twitches watching the seeds spread.

theartistformerlyknownas

Maggie0829 said:

Why do you have to throw or wave or have anything?  I really never understood throwing things at the couple, except to get "pretty pictures."

Me neither. We're not having anything.

KGold80

I bought little bottles of bubbles from oriental trading company. Super cheap and fun for the kids...and kids are washable if they happen to get some bubble solution on their hands. Speaking of, I would NOT give kids sparklers to wave around. They burn really hot.

chasingsunlight

I'm TERRIFIED of bugs.  I would probably have a meltdown if I was at a wedding that released fireflies.  What about using sparklers as a sendoff?

melbenso

Meggos1988 said:

Personally I love this Idea.... Throwing colored sprinkles! Wont hurt the animals and no bugs! 

This is what I want to do for my wedding!

Apparently, this has been banned at our venue.  (We weren't considering it, but our DOC let us know.)  Even the biodegradable sprinkles don't just disappear right away.  When it rains, they melt, but the pigment stains the ground.  Apparently, they had to wash the grass after someone's wedding recently.

We got bubbles.  Mostly because FI wanted them and they weren't expensive at all.

KPBM89

I agree with several PP.  While I love fireflies, I know many people wouldn't go near a bug.  And dandelions would definitely throw me into a sneezing fit.  

What about something like lavender?  

We're doing bubbles.  Our church doesn't allow the things that have to be picked up afterwards, and I am really a 5 year old and I love bubbles.

mysticl

Knottie36688298 said:

I guess I forgot about allergies....and people not liking bugs. Our Venue is at a family ranch so we don't have to worry about the weed issue but good point on the allergies. I don't suffer from any allergies so i forget about that.. Didn't think about the fireflies being squished or people not liking bugs, again bugs dont bother me so I didnt think about that. Thanks for all the replies. Those are more sentimental parts to our lives that's why i thought about it. Our colors are rustic and colorful sprinkles wouldn't look good, I dont want to do bubbles because the sticky mess they leave, i have kids I know that mess. Guess its back to sparklers.

How about confetti made from seed paper?  Still kinda rustic.

almostmstomrs

What about releasing balloons? Might be something fun and safe for the kids!

theartistformerlyknownas

almostmstomrs said:

What about releasing balloons? Might be something fun and safe for the kids!

Eek no! Do you know how many birds and animals choke to death on balloons and their ribbons every year?! They can also cause power outages, and it's just a senseless waste of helium.

Just don't throw shit. It's unnecessary, and does more harm than good.

AddieCake

KPBM89 said:

I agree with several PP.  While I love fireflies, I know many people wouldn't go near a bug.  And dandelions would definitely throw me into a sneezing fit.  

What about something like lavender?  

We're doing bubbles.  Our church doesn't allow the things that have to be picked up afterwards, and I am really a 5 year old and I love bubbles.

Some people are STRONGLY allergic to lavender.

Maggie0829

StephM161984 said:

KGold80 said:

I bought little bottles of bubbles from oriental trading company. Super cheap and fun for the kids...and kids are washable if they happen to get some bubble solution on their hands. Speaking of, I would NOT give kids sparklers to wave around. They burn really hot.

The only problem I have seen with bubbles is that I've seen people throw the bubble solution and it stains the brides dress. 

Who the fuck would throw the bubble solution?  Are people really that idiotic?

lkristenj

I hate bubbles. The only way they look good is if there are A LOT of them in the air, and people just don't blow enough for that when saying goodbye. My photographer recommended renting a bubble machine if that's the way we wanted to go. But, I hate the residue they leave and getting sticky on my fingers. Plus, I'd worry about my dress getting bubble stuff on it.

I also hate sparklers from experience. Imagine everyone being crowded together with FIRE on the end of a stick and little embers flying everywhere. I had burned feet in my sandals from embers landing on them. Someone almost whacked me with theirs, nearly burning my shoulder. The heat was extreme making the summer day feel worse. A woman had her dress burned. And, they left ashes and remnants of burning paper EVERYWHERE! It was such a mess. No one knew what to do with the sticks after they burned out. Also, the timing was horrible. It took so long to get them lit that by the time all of them were, the first ones to be lit were going out and the bride and groom were having to wait for everyone lighting their sparklers over again. Plus, they were smoky under the awning of the country club (it was also raining). Just yuck. I dislike sparklers even more than bubbles.

My venue does not allow glitter, confetti, or sparklers. I'm not sure what we'll be doing, but it won't be any of those.

AddieCake

OP, you are in no way obligated to do this, but could I convince you to choose a username? We have had several people join lately with no username and just defaulting to "Knottienumbers." It makes it difficult to get to know you and recognize you as a poster if you have that as a username.

tegannie

vulpiepop said:

I wouldn't recommend either. Speaking as someone who has asthma and pollen allergies, dandelions can lead to allergy or asthma attacks so dandelions are a terrible idea in my opinion. 

As for the fireflies, despite the fact that fireflies are living creatures and not props (what if they die before the ceremony?), many people are afraid of insects. I get that it looks cool to have little glowy, blinky bugs fly out of a jar, but it just isn't a good idea. Maybe you can simulate fireflies with string lights or something when you decorate and just do the bubble thing as PPs have suggested.

These imitate fireflies well.  My FI strung-up a bunch of them with some beads (including butterfly beads on top of them to make it look like they were fairies) between trees when he proposed.  It was beautiful.  We're also planning on using some of them in our wedding, too.

VulgarGirl

lolo883 said:

Maggie0829 said:

Why do you have to throw or wave or have anything?  I really never understood throwing things at the couple, except to get "pretty pictures."

Me neither. We're not having anything.

I believe my exact words were "I'm not giving people I know a chance to hurl things at me", plus I couldn't figure out how the hell to organize it, I'm just gonna let everyone go to the bar and drink until the reception.

lovesclimbing

I vote no sparklers. I have been at one wedding with them.

1. They put an insane amount of smoke in the air. The whole area was really hazy and the smoke smells really terrible.

2. It's really hard to get them all lit at once. Several were almost entirely burned down by the time all were lit.

3. Little kids grabbed the extras and were running around and trying to get them lit and I was afraid they were going to light someone on fire.

If you have a small wedding (this wedding was probably 100 people or so) and if there are no or few kids (most of the kids were well behaved, but a few, their parents weren't keeping their eyes on), then it might work.