Somebody deserves credit for inventing the wedding s’mores station.
Not because anyone actually needs another dessert after cocktail hour, dinner, cake, and whatever else quietly found its way onto a plate. S’mores aren’t solving a hunger problem. They’re solving a “well…I guess I’ll stay by the fire for another few minutes” problem. It’s almost impossible to walk past a fire pit without stopping, even if only to see who’s burning their marshmallow beyond recognition.
For a little while, Olivia and Ronald’s wedding at Rock Island Lake Club slowed down. Guests wandered toward the fire in small groups. Conversations got a little longer. Some people took the careful golden-brown approach. Others apparently believed marshmallows should experience adversity before being eaten. It felt less like another reception activity and more like permission to enjoy the moment before the night raced ahead.
Which, of course, it did.
The dance floor eventually became the exact opposite of the fire pit. Nobody stood around quietly. Ronald ditched the tuxedo jacket somewhere along the way, and whatever hesitation people had brought with them disappeared a few songs later. Friends shouted lyrics with complete confidence regardless of accuracy. Kids zigzagged through the crowd like they were immune to the laws of physics. Every time it felt like the energy couldn’t possibly climb any higher, another song proved everyone wrong.
And somehow there was still enough left in the tank for one last adventure.
Somebody also looked at a few dozen adults who’d spent the last several hours eating, drinking, and emptying the dance floor and thought, “Let’s hand everyone something that’s on fire.”
Against all odds, it’s one of the best wedding traditions we’ve got.
Sparkler exits never begin as elegantly as they look in photographs. Someone lights theirs too early. Someone else’s goes out immediately. There’s always a little confusion about where everyone is supposed to stand. Then, for about thirty seconds, everything comes together. A tunnel of light. A wall of cheering friends and family. Olivia and Ronald laughing their way through the middle. Then the sparklers burn out, everyone realizes the night is actually over, and nobody is quite ready to leave.
A quick side note:
If you’re here because you’re planning your own Rock Island Lake Club wedding, we put together a venue guide with tips, photo locations, timeline advice, and examples from real weddings we’ve photographed there.
→ Explore the Rock Island Lake Club Wedding Guide
Lead Photographer: Steve
Venue: Rock Island Lake Club
