All about confetti
I love confetti. A confetti shot is a fantastic way to get a fun photo with all the guests involved. I mean, who doesn’t love throwing things at their loved ones!? 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’ve covered over 600 weddings and could probably count the boxes of confetti brought by guests on one hand. If you want a great confetti shot you will need to supply it yourselves.
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.
What to put the confetti in
Some people put their confetti into little packets to leave on each chair for their guests. Other will go for little cones full of confetti, these tend to hold a bit more confetti but can be tricky for the guests to carry without spilling until it’s time to throw. Another option is to simply have all the confetti in one big basked for everyone to grab a handful when its time. I think this is my favourite method.
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 whereas other go for much smaller dried petals. In my experience smaller petals work far better. The big ones fall to the ground far too quickly and don’t spread out as much as the smaller ones. Definitely go for small dried petals. Fresh petals are a terrible choice due to the extra weight. They just fall to the ground.
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 colourful mix as the different colours will stand out against the background better. This photo above is a colourful mix of paper confetti, it looks great!
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
Ebay is always good bet or you can go straight to the growers and get from somewhere like Shropshire petals.
The best way to throw confetti
yes believe it or not there are different ways to throw confetti and some work better than others. It always works best when tipped into the hand. Some guests try to shake the little packets or flick it from the cones, I’ve always felt it spreads out more when thrown directly from the hand. Up and over the couple is better than directly at their faces..but that can make a funny photo!
Different types of confetti shot
I do confetti photos two different ways. One is to have everyone stand around you in a big group and on three they all throw at the same time. This works well to have lots of confetti in the shot at the same time. It’s obviously a more staged version of the confetti shot but can be very effective if there is loads of confetti flying.
The other is to have two lines of people and the couple walks through the middle and they all throw as you go past. The advantage with this method is you have a sequence of shots as you walk past different guests. Some photos you’ll be smiling, others you’ll be pulling funny faces. This is a more natural confetti shot and works well for a relaxed version. With both shots you do need to make sure every guest has a decent handful for maximum effect. In the photo below you can see the confetti petals are the larger type, I don’t think it looks as good as the small ones above.
What are the alternatives to confetti?
If you’re getting married in the winter snowfetti is a great alternative. It’s made of very fine white particles that look like snow. Just be warned it really gets in your hair and isn’t easy to get out! The photo below is snowfetti.
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 putting a bubble machine behind you works great!
