All about Confetti!
“Above Dried petals”
I love confetti. It’s my favourite part of a wedding day, and I can only describe it as absolute chaos!
Couples often ask me for advice about confetti leading up to the wedding, which type is best, what size or colour to go for etc.
In this post I’ll share my experience and give some tips about which confetti works best.
Do I really need to buy confetti, surely guests will bring it?
Right let’s set this straight. Back in the good old days all the guests would bring their own confetti but that definitely does not happen anymore. It’s pretty hard to get hold of in the high street and guests just don’t think about it.
I have been to weddings where the couple have asked the guests to bring confetti and the turnout has been disappointing, if there are only a few people with confetti it honestly wont make a good photo. If you really do need your guests to bring their own confetti my suggestion is to set up a wedding guest WhatsApp group and send a few reminders, with a link to an Ebay or amazon listing selling confetti, asking guests to bring it.
How much do we need to supply?
A lot of places that sell confetti will supply a recommended quantity for certain guest numbers. Its always better to have more than less, so however much you think you need….get some extra! You want a good handful per guests at least. As a rule of thumb count on a litre of confetti per 10 wedding guests.
Biodegradable confetti
The first thing you should do is make sure the confetti you buy is biodegradable. There are place that still sell foil based confetti, when you consider foil takes over 400 years to break down it really isn’t a responsible choice for confetti. So please, make sure your confetti is biodegradable.
“White heart shaped paper confetti”
Paper or Petals?
Each type has its own advantages. Paper is a little lighter so it will hang in the air a for longer, but if it’s windy it will blow off course easier. Petals perhaps look a little nicer and less likely to blow away but they also fall to the ground quicker, so definitely don’t scrimp if you go for petals. I do however love how colourful paper confetti looks.
Big or small?
Some people go for large rose sized petals where as others go for much smaller dried petals. In my experience smaller petals work far better. The big ones fall to the ground a little quicker and don’t spread out as much as the smaller ones. Definitely go for smaller dried petals. Fresh petals need to be in the handfuls to truly make it effective.
How about colours?
Some people buy confetti that matches their colour scheme, others go for a colourful mix. It’s entirely up to you which to go for, I like a a simple white petal will stand out against the background better catch the light better, bring an elegant feel to this chaotic moment.
Below are colour match dried petals
Should we do confetti inside or outside?
Speaks to your venue about where they let you do confetti. Some venues have a specific location where they want confetti to be done or will only allow confetti to be done inside as you walk down the aisle after the ceremony. If you’ve got the choice and the weather allows I think outside is usually the better option but doing confetti as you walk down the aisle does save having to set up another shot later.
Where to buy confetti
The easiest way is to get your florist to provide the confetti petals
The best way to throw confetti
Yes believe it or not there are different ways to throw confetti, I like to describe two methods. THE UP & THE OVER, Some throw up and some throw over. It always works best when tipped into the hand. as the photographer I generally give the brief to the guests before you walk out the door, in a “hope” that everyone knows what they are doing!
What are the alternatives to confetti?
Bubbles can also make an alternative too confetti. This works better if you buy bigger bottles, the small ones sold specifically for weddings don’t work as well as the usual toy bubble bottles. If you want loads of bubbles buy some bubble guns and give them to your maid of honour and best man to let rip as you walk out the door!
