Nothing says “we got married” better than a confetti shot!

As an alternative wedding photographer (and a hopeless romantic!) I think your wedding should be about love and nothing else. And if you spend your day rushing from tradition to tradition, you can sometimes forget to take a breath and focus on each other. But of all the wedding traditions, there is one I wholeheartedly adore. Confetti.

Because your confetti moment isn’t just another meaningless photo opp. It’s a shower of colour, happiness and love. And a landmark moment in the day that your guests can all be a part of. It’ll be the photo that shows you beginning your life as a married couple. And it’ll be the thing you remember as the “oh my goodness, we’re actually married!” moment.

But having your perfect confetti moment isn’t as simple as just throwing a few petals. Knowing what to throw, where to throw it and even how to throw it takes a bit of insider knowledge. So to help you have the perfect moment and get the perfect confetti shot, here’s my 9-step guide to wedding confetti.

1. Check if you’ve got permission

Before we start getting excited, we need to make sure you’re actually allowed to throw confetti! 

Some venues or churches won’t let you throw confetti at all, in which case you’ll have to choose an alternative way of celebrating (see the last point). 

But even if you are allowed, most venues will usually have rules or preferences on which kind of confetti you’re allowed to throw. Some specify biodegradable confetti, some prefer dried or fresh petals. It’s usually in a venue’s FAQs. And if not, it’s only a matter of sending a quick email. Either way, it’s worth checking (it’ll be quite depressing going home with baskets-full of confetti no one got a chance to throw!)

If you’re having an outdoor Scottish elopement, as long as you have dried or fresh petals there shouldn’t ever be an issue.

2. Choose your confetti to fit your wedding styling

There’s a huge variety of different types of confetti to choose from! There’s fresh flower petals, dried flower petals, leaves, biodegradable paper confetti. It’s a whole new colourful world you never knew existed! So what confetti should you choose? And what colour confetti looks best in photos?

Finding your perfect confetti is all about choosing something that will work well with your wedding palette and theme. For example, if your wedding is more boho and rustic, mix the shapes, colours and sizes of confetti. For a modern wedding, fresh petals are a wonderful choice as they look romantic and fresh (they also flutter down beautifully!) White is a popular choice, or you can use dried petals or paper confetti to suit your wedding palette. 

Whatever style you choose, make sure they are environmentally friendly. Rice and plastic confetti can harm birds and wildlife, so avoid at all costs! 

Here’s a list of all my favourite eco-friendly confetti dealers! 

1. Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/market/ecofriendly_confetti

2. The Eco Bride https://www.theecobride.co.uk

3. Stropshire Petals https://www.shropshirepetals.com

4. Confetti Direct https://www.confettidirect.co.uk/store/

5. Biodegradable Confetti https://www.biodegradable-confetti.co.uk

3. Decide how much confetti to buy

Ahhh the age-old question, as old as weddings themselves. How much confetti do I need?!

Err on the side of too much. You want every guest to have some, and you don’t want them to run out before you’ve even got to them. And from a photography perspective, you want the air to be thick with confetti, so the more the merrier!

The best advice is to order twice as much as you think. Then add a little bit more, and you’ve probably got just about enough! 

4. Choose where to have your confetti moment

If you’re getting married at a church, the choice is obvious (as long as the church will let you). If the churchyard is a confetti-free zone, the best alternative is to have your confetti moment when you arrive at your reception venue. 

But if you’re getting married at a licensed venue, it’s not always such an obvious answer. The easiest way is to look at wedding photos of the venue and see where other couples have had their shots. Or else ask your photographer where they’d suggest. If they’ve shot at the venue before, they’ll already know the perfect confetti spot. 

As a general rule, you want somewhere with decent light, with a nice bit of symmetry in the background (for all-important framing) and space either side for your guests. 

And don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Who’s to say you can’t have confetti during your first dance, or even as you’re leaving at the end of the night?! It’s your day, so do whatever would make you happiest.

5. It’s time to get organised

Victory loves preparation, so get prepared! I’m a big fan of delegating on your wedding day So if you have bridesmaids/groomsmen, this is their time to shine! Ask them in advance to hand out confetti, and tell them exactly what’s going on so they can get everyone organised. 

If you’re doing it straight after your ceremony, it’s always nice to have a basket of confetti by the door, so everyone can grab a handful on their way out. You could have confetti cones, or if you’re feeling super-organised, you could have a sachet/small box of confetti on everyone’s chair so that they all have some ready to go. 

There’s lots of different ways to do it depending on when and where your confetti moment will be. But the best advice is to make sure it’s all organised in advance. That way, you can just step out into a flurry of petals and applause without having to stress about it beforehand. 

6. Check the weather! 

This may seem like an obvious one, but before you step outside, make sure it’s not raining. It’s not funny to have soggy confetti thrown on your face!  

It’s often pretty windy in Scotland, so also check the wind and make sure that the confetti doesn’t fly on the venue’s neighbouring property. If you can see it’s going to cover someone’s garden, it might be best to quickly choose another spot. Better that than having an angry neighbour waving their fist in the background of every photo!

7. Arrange your guests

This’ll be a job for the groomsmen/bridesmaids in charge. But if I tell you, you can tell them!

The best way is to make a wide aisle with your entrance point in the middle. Ask your friends and family to stand on both sides. And if it is windy, have more people on the side the wind is coming from, so the confetti gets blown into the aisle, not away from it. 

And when they’re all set up and ready to go, have someone come get you. 

8. Teach your guests how to throw confetti!

You’d think everyone knows how to throw confetti by now, right? Well, believe me, they don’t. There’s always that one uncle who empties the confetti on your head, or pelts it directly in your face from a foot away.

You want everyone to throw the confetti UP. Not out! UP! We want it fluttering gracefully down, not splatting you in the face like a well-aimed snowball. If nothing else, we want photos of you both smiling, kissing and laughing. Not flinching and spitting out mouthfuls of confetti!

You can ask your confetti delegate to tell everyone, or even print it on the order of service if you want to hammer the point home! Either way, it’s better to tell people so they know what to do. You’ll enjoy it more, and you’ll get much better photos. 

9. Kiss in the middle (and don’t forget to smile!)

Let’s be honest, you won’t need much of an excuse to kiss on your wedding day! And a kiss in the middle of the confetti aisle is a guaranteed mantlepiece photo! So remember to pause half-way down the aisle and go in for a kiss. Feel free to go all-out and do a Hollywood dip if that’s your style! Hey, why not?! You’ll only ever do this once. 

But above all, enjoy the moment! The romance, the colour, the sea of smiling faces from all your family and friends on all sides…it’s nothing short of a magic moment, and one you’ll never forget. So drink it in, and enjoy every second.

There are alternatives to confetti!

If you are not a huge fan of confetti or your venue won’t allow it, there are other ‘moments’ you can have. Bubbles are a really unusual, beautiful alternative, especially on a still, sunny day. You could give everyone tambourines for a more ‘carnival’ atmosphere. Or if you’re looking for something really spectacular, you could swap your confetti entrance for a sparkler exit (or do that as well?!) 

Whatever you choose, remember it’s your day. And the most important thing is that you enjoy every second of it, and spend as much time together as possible. 

If you still haven’t found your perfect photographer and you love my work, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch today and let’s have a chat.