One of my favorite things about confetti as a photographer is how it always results in fantastic expressions on the couple’s faces. Be it joy, excitement, or even terror. One rule to remember if you want epic confetti photos is the more the better, no matter what kind of confetti you use.
And that’s the thing, there are so many different types of confetti you can choose from. From petals, rice confetti, and dried leaves to paper airplanes, or popcorn. There really is so much you choose from and even make up new ones. If it can be thrown and not cause injury, it can be used as confetti.
Where Does Wedding Confetti Come From?
The confetti run is a great wedding tradition that injects an extra shot of energy into your day where your loving guests get to launch objects at your face. Come to think of it, wedding confetti is a bit of a strange custom.
So where did it all start? It turns out confetti can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Northern Italy. Confetti is an Italian word for sweets. It was also used to describe the small plaster imitations of confetti that were thrown at carnivals as a form of celebration.
A Guide To Wedding Confetti – The Best Option
So the best wedding confetti in my experience of 700 + weddings is White Paper Confetti and let me tell you why –
- It’s cheap, well cheaper than many alternatives, and can be sourced from places like Amazon or eBay.
- Being cheaper you can have more of it. The more the merrier in my experience, there’s nothing worse than a half-baked attempt to throw a few pieces of confetti.
- It’s biodegradable. The vast majority of venues require this anyway and it’s better for the environment if it just dissolves in water.
- It’s light and floats in the wind. Think thick snow falling, very romantic, and a great show for your guests.
- It’s easy to pick out of your hair and it’s not uncomfortable if it goes down your clothes.
- You can also buy paper confetti cannons which add to the show!
How Should We Give It Out?
I’m glad you asked! Get a basket, any large container that you can pile all the confetti in and your guests can grab a big handful. The more they can throw, the better it will look in your photography.
Should We Get Bags Or Cones Of Confetti?
In a word no! You never get enough confetti in a little bag for each guest to throw. Plus they’re expensive (spend the money on your honeymoon!) or wasteful if they’re made of plastic.
Should We Get Coloured Paper Confetti?
Sure but you need to be aware that if the colored paper confetti gets wet, the color will leak onto any white material. Think rainbow stains on a wedding dress or shirt.
Natural Flower Confetti
Some venues don’t even allow paper confetti and that’s obviously up to them (keep reading for an alternative idea!) or you might love the idea of natural flower petal confetti. Here are some points to think about –
- It’s expensive! I learned this from my own wedding, buying 5 liters and thinking it’ll be a lot when it’s actually very little!
- DIY flower confetti. If you decide to dry them yourself it’s very time-consuming and can take a lot of flowers! Think of the Bees!!!!
- It can look like dirt! People grab a handful of your dried petals, close their hands to keep them safe and the petals crumble. They then throw this over you and it looks like dust or dirt, not great for your photography.
- It will get everywhere! And I mean everywhere, down your clothes (itchy!!) and in your hair and it’ll be there all day unless you miss your drinks reception to go take your outfit off (I’ve seen that many times!)
If you absolutely love natural petal confetti and your venue allows it, consider mixing it with paper confetti to bulk it out and allow some depth when it floats about.
Alternatives – Bubbles
The best alternative to confetti is bubbles. This will be allowed by the vast majority of wedding venues and it is a brilliant alternative. Again in my experience, there are ways of improving the experience –
- Don’t buy small containers for people to try and blow the bubbles, they often don’t work very well. You don’t want your grandparents hyperventilating!
- Visit a kid’s toy shop or your best online retailer and buy BUBBLE GUNS! No blowing is required!
- They are cheap-ish, think £5 – £10,. You only need say 6-10 of them as they blow out more than enough bubbles than is needed.
- The kids at your wedding will love them and give them something to play with during the day.
- You can then use them in the later part of your first dance! A fun start to your evening party!
Other Alternatives
- Paper Planes. I feel Paper Airplanes as confetti kind of sell themselves. They’re great fun for your guests but maybe suggest they blunt those tips to avoid unnecessary injury.
- Popcorn. As well as a tasty snack popcorn can be used as confetti. Also something the local wildlife to feast on too.
- Paper Pompoms. A fun option for the creatives out there!
- Stick Ribbons. A form of confetti that won’t leave a mess, flying ribbons can be a nice and tidy option. It also goes very well with a festival wedding theme.
And Finally…
I hope you found this guide useful, it’s a way to pass on my experience of weddings to couples who haven’t done this kind of thing before. As always, please check with your wedding venue or ceremony location for their rules on what they allow.
