I’ve been in the wedding industry for 5 years now and 99% of the time I get the same type of response from brides when I mention a fake exit. “Uhh.. yea we don’t want to do that. We feel like it just kills the vibe”. I have to say, this has never been my experience. I totally understand the hesitation for not wanting to do one, however there are multiple benefits of doing a fake exit. Let me break it down.

1. It saves you money.

The only reason a fake exit comes up in conversation is if a bride has used up all of her photography coverage halfway through the reception. My standard package includes 8 hours of coverage. Depending on the layout of the day, this sometimes isn’t enough for full reception coverage. My hourly rate is $400 per hour, so if a bride needs me to stay an extra 2 hours she has to pay $800 to keep me there. This is a huge chunk of change that might not have been budgeted for.

2. It allows the “older” generation to feel like they experienced the whole day.

Poor grandma can’t make it to 10pm, but 8pm isn’t too late. Doing a fake exit means grandma gets to hold a sparkler and watch you “exit” the night. It gives her relief knowing she isn’t missing out on anything else.

3. You end up having more of a party.

Piggy backing off of point #2, the people that end up staying after the fake exit are the real party animals.

4. More people feel comfortable dancing.

It never fails, I’ll be on the dance floor taking photos and as soon as people see me they turn away. No matter how much they’ve had to drink, some people just don’t want to be photographed. Knowing that I am no longer there to photograph any embarrassing dance moves means people may feel more comfortable to let loose.

5. You don’t need THAT many dancing photos.

It’s true. Having your photographer stay for 2-3 hours of reception coverage is plenty of time to get dancing photos. There really is no need in having them stay for 4+ hours. On average you get about 100 photos per hour. Do you really need 400+ reception dancing photos?

Have I convinced you that fake exits aren’t that bad? Keep in mind, there doesn’t have to be a huge announcement given! I always recommend to brides to just pull out your wedding party and family members for the fake exit. Your guests will never know you even left!

Needing more wedding tips? Check out my last blog on things to look for when booking your wedding photographer!