Confetti FTW

It’s no secret I love confetti; if you’re here because you’re wondering “should we throw confetti?” the answer is yes, no argument. I’ve put together some of my best tips for confetti as well as the best place to buy it, along with some of my favourite confetti images from the last couple of years. YOU’RE WELCOME.

Couple showered in confetti at Barton Hall.

I think the thing I love most about confetti shots is that the facial expressions couples pull when everyone’s lobbing stuff are priceless…. No one ever got hurt by confetti (well, maybe by the wayward guest who chucks the box with the confetti still in!) yet most brace themselves like someone’s about to throw an elephant not some petals… After getting over the initial fear, they always tend to grin from ear to ear. Occasionally they get a face full and it gets stuck to their tongue or the bride gets a whole stack of it down her dress… Both tip top photo moments in my humble opinion.

It’s worth mentioning that some venues wont let you throw confetti, or will have rules about where you can and can’t throw it, or what you can throw. For example at Normanton Church in Rutland water you can’t throw anything, but couples might choose to use bubbles instead and some venues will only let you throw it inside where it’s easy to clear up. Some churches insist it’s thrown beyond the church grounds, where as others don’t mind so long as it’s biodegradable… HOWEVER… Please note that lavender is really REALLY itchy.

If you want a confetti photograph, I highly recommend that you buy your own confetti and you buy it in bucketloads to distribute to guests. I don’t recommend you portioning it into bags or cones; a) it’s just additional unnecessary additional waste and b) it actually inhibits the best kind of throw. Big baskets for guests to grab a handful (or two!) of as they leave the ceremony is perfect… Of course you could also buy confetti canons to let off if you really want to do it in style (these looks brilliant on the dance floor!!) or use bubbles if your venue isn’t down with confetti.

This is important! Guests barely *ever* (almost never) bring confetti with them any more and if they do, they often bring a small box which is barely enough for them, never mind trying to share it around. My feeling about confetti pictures is that they’re most effective with shed loads of the stuff, so you really can’t have enough (and if you do, you’ve got it to take to your mates weddings for the rest of your lives).

If you don’t fancy hand drying your own from flowers in the garden, confetti is available at loads of online retailers. However, my top picks are Shropshire Petals for completely natural petal confetti (we used them for our own wedding!) or Flutter Darlings for biodegradable fluttery goodness. In my opinion, there’s absolutely no need for plastics, metallics, or anything else that’ll damage the planet in 2023.

And if confetti isn’t your bag but you still want to make a dramatic exit… There’s always sparklers or even paper streamers!

couple in snow machine snow at a wedding

Top five tips for great confetti photographs

Don’t assume that everyone will bring their own and buy more than you think you’ll need
Don’t bother bagging it up or putting it in cones
Cover your drinks glasses!
Trust your photographer to choose the best setting for your confetti depending on the wind
Walk slowly, enjoy the chaos and embrace those silly faces!