You’ve sorted all the essentials and it’s now time to organise some excellent entertainment for your wedding day. What better way to ensure your special day goes out with a bang than with mesmerising fireworks? Although they’re the perfect grand finale to your celebrations, a few factors need to be considered.
We all have fond memories of cold November evenings spent staring in awe into a sky filled with bursts of colour, sound, smoke and smell. Fireworks are a millennia-old tradition, and go hand in hand with celebrating special occasions – perfect for weddings.
Impress your guests, seal the moment with colourful explosions and create a memorable evening. So if we’ve managed to convince you, or you were convinced anyway, you’ll probably want to know the details of featuring them on your big day.
Dear DIY Wedding Enthusiasts…
We here at The Wedding Secret appreciate those brides and grooms who want to get stuck in and coordinate, source and even make the features of their weddings themselves.
But we can’t stress enough that hosting your own fireworks display – that is without hiring a professional – is something you should never, ever consider.
In other words, put those thoughts of asking your best man or friend to look after lighting the ‘garden fireworks’ aside. You shouldn’t want to impart the stress of creating an impressive display on a guest anyway.
There are a number of restrictions that come part and parcel with arranging a firework display yourself. Firstly, you can only buy fireworks from registered sellers and you have to be aged 18 or over. Secondly, here in the UK at the time of writing, you can be fined up to £5,000 and imprisoned for up to 6 months for selling or using fireworks illegally.
Lastly, the majority of the year it is illegal to set off fireworks including sparklers between 11pm and 7am. London Fire Brigade states that you should ‘only buy fireworks which carry the CE mark, keep them in a closed box and use them one at a time.’
This is all information you don’t have to worry about abiding by if you go through a professional.
Oh, and you also can’t buy professional-grade fireworks anyway. This means the standard of explosives that you are used to at public displays. So not only would you be jeopardising yours and your guest’s safety, but the display would be not nearly as sophisticated as a professional one.
Mark from Wedding Fireworks confirms, “not only are professional fireworks displays a lot bigger and better, but the main plus is insurance cover. We are fully insured which is especially important when guests and alcohol is involved. Professional firework suppliers and insurance cover is something most wedding venues require.”
It’s always better to be safe than sorry. After all, you don’t want your wedding day to be remembered because of a horrific firework-related accident.
What Can Professionals Offer?
There are plenty of experienced firework display specialists out there. Above all, they can offer their expertise and knowledge so you don’t have to worry. Not only are they trained pyrotechnics, they also have catered for countless amounts of events, so know how to handle all situations.
The last thing you want to be doing on your special day is worrying about the organisation of the fireworks at the end of the night. In other words, it’s your wedding day, so all you should be doing is relaxing and having fun with your nearest and dearest.
Even if you have a member of the bridal party or groomsmen who thinks their more than capable, don’t take the risk. They want to be able to enjoy your day too, and it’s not fair if they can’t relax and have fun because they have to be responsible for a pyrotechnic display at the end of the night.
A few examples of expert firework providers in the South West of England include:
Distant Thunder (Devises)
Firestorm Fireworks (Bristol)
Take a peek at The Wedding Secret for additional great supplier ideas for weddings across England.
These professionals have certificates and licenses which allow them to be publically insured. Therefore they are able to purchase display grade (Category 4+) fireworks.
Firework Categories And What They Mean
The classifications for fireworks in the UK is categorised as follows:
1 Category Fireworks – Indoor fireworks which are safe to use in restricted spaces
2 Category Fireworks – Smaller garden fireworks such as Catherine wheels and Roman Candles
3 Category Fireworks – Larger garden fireworks such as rockets etc
4 Category Fireworks – Professional fireworks banned for sale to the public such as huge rockets, shells etc
Many professionals also offer a range of extras. From firework displays choreographed to music to bespoke displays tailored to your wedding colour scheme, professionals provide a range of sophisticated options.
Experts in putting on a show, they can take care of absolutely everything for you. This even includes discussing the safety regulations with your chosen venue for you.
Venues
Most wedding venues will never allow you to host your own display – it’s too dangerous for your guests and their property.
As a result, you will also have to check with your venue (or your potential venues) whether fireworks are permitted at all.
Some venues are located in residential areas and aren’t permitted to put on displays. Other Grade-listed venues don’t allow firework displays. However, this is something you will absolutely have to double check with your venue if you have your heart set on a show.
Time Restrictions
As we mentioned previously, there are also time restrictions on when you can release any kind of firework here in the UK.
You will not be legally allowed to set off fireworks beyond 11pm. This means you’ll have to have a good think about the order of your day and when they can be slotted in.
If you are getting married in the summer, you will want to view your fireworks when it goes dark. Depending on the exact time of year, you might have a 2 hour window between 9 and 11 or maybe even less in the height of summer! These legal times are extended on New Year’s Eve, Bonfire Night, Chinese New Year and Diwali.
Quality
As with most things, paying more for quality pays off. A professional will be able to work closely with you to create an incredible array of fireworks, and may even be able to match the colours to your colour scheme and offer displays timed to music. Therefore you can expect a spectacular show!
How Do I Find Professional Firework Companies in My Local Area?
To summarise, take a look at all of the providers of exquisite firework displays on The Wedding Secret. We feature suppliers up and down the country that accommodate various preferences and budgets. Find the perfect package for your special day. Light up the sky at your wedding reception.
Fireworks are an excellent addition to a wedding – but there are many circumstances and aspects to consider carefully before you assume that you will be having one! It is an extremely bad idea to host your own DIY display, as the quality and safety of the final product would be more than questionable.
