How to get amazing confetti shots on your wedding day!

So, you’re planning your wedding and you know you want to get an amazing confetti shot, but how? Well, that’s what I’m here to tell you!

I don’t think it will come as a surprise to you that one of my favourite parts of any wedding is the confetti toss! It’s so much fun and I get to capture amazing shots full of colour, personality and a little bit of chaos!

First though……

Why do we throw confetti at weddings?

The tradition of throwing wedding confetti is believed to have started in Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. The origins of the word are from the Latin confectum, with confetti the plural of Italian confetto, small sweet. In Italy they would traditionally throw sugared almonds in times of celebration such as parades and weddings.

Confetti has been a part of weddings in the UK since Pagan times but originally it would have been rice or grain that was thrown, as well as flowers and petals. The act of throwing confetti at the couple was thought to bring them good luck, prosperity, and fertility.

Nowadays the sweets and rice have been replaced with less dangerous varieties of confetti, with dried petals and biodegradable paper discs being the most popular.

Here are my top tips for getting the most amazingly fun and colourful confetti shots!

1 – Before we start………

First thing’s first when it comes to confetti, check with your venue that they actually allow it!

Some venues have certain rules around the type of confetti they allow and/or where they prefer you to throw it.

Churches will often ask you to do it away from the doors so it doesn’t blow back into the church. A lot of outdoor venues prefer flower petals over other varieties.

For instance, Ness Gardens will let you use flower petals inside their beautiful Rock Garden. Anything else needs to be thrown just outside in the car park area (it’s a very pretty car park, see below!)

If your venue doesn’t allow any type of confetti then don’t worry, there are alternatives and it’s an opportunity to get creative! See #7 below.

2 – Choose your confetti type

Gone are the days when newlyweds had rice chucked at them, these days flower petals or paper discs are far more popular!

Confetti made from dried flower petals can be bought online or you can make your own!

Petals tend to be a bit heavier than the paper variety so consider this when choosing the size of your petals. Large ones will show up better but fall quicker. Smaller ones don’t stand out as much so you need to get quite a lot.

Big, colourful paper discs are my absolute fave when it comes to confetti! The paper is light so it stays in the air longer, and if there’s a bit of wind it can whirl around you causing confetti chaos! I love the confetti that Flutter Darlings and Proper Confetti make.

Whatever variety you go for please think of the planet and make sure your confetti is biodegradable.

3 – Buy LOADS!

There is absolutely no such thing as too much confetti! When you’re shopping for confetti, be sure to buy enough for a big handful for each guest to throw.

While little individual sachets and cones are very cute, they can be an added cost and quite time consuming to make up. It’s much less faff to store all your confetti in a box or basket and pass it round so your guests can help themselves. Nominate a member of the wedding party to give it out to guests, usually on the way outside after the ceremony.

4 – Time and place

The most popular time to do the confetti toss is straight after the ceremony, either as you’re walking back down the aisle or once you get outside. Something to consider though is if you do it as you’re leaving you might find that only the guests nearest the aisle can reach you with their confetti, so it might be a bit sparse!

For me it’s much better to do the confetti toss once everyone has left the ceremony room and the guests have been organised a bit for maximum impact! Ideally somewhere with a slightly darker background so the confetti really stands out. Also, please consider the accessibility for older or disabled guests. Your Nan will want to be part of this I promise you!

Another great time to get amazing confetti shots is on the dancefloor! Again using your preferred confetti or confetti canons. This really gets everyone in the party mood and is guaranteed to get everyone up to boogie!

5 – Get organised!

Enlist the help of your wedding party to hand out confetti to your guests as they exit the ceremony room. This will ensure that everyone can participate in the confetti toss.

I will help to line your guests up in a confetti tunnel, with clear instructions to “throw up, not at!” This is also a great opportunity for me to get some fun candids of your guests getting all excited to chuck stuff at you!

If your venue has a suitable place to do it, you might also consider having your guests drop confetti on you from above, instead of a confetti tunnel!

6 – Enjoy it!

It’s not every day you get to have your favourite people throw a load of petals or colourful paper at you so enjoy it! Keep your heads up, eyes open, walk slowly and SMILE! You can stop halfway to have a kiss and a cuddle too then carry on, depending how many guests you have and how much confetti you bought!

An added tip is to keep some confetti to one side so we can do another mini confetti toss during your couple portraits.

7 – Confetti alternatives

If your venue doesn’t allow confetti, or you just don’t fancy it, there are some fun alternatives. The most popular is probably bubbles! They’re fairly inexpensive and everyone feels like a child again when they start blowing them! Just check that the solution won’t stain clothing.

A sparkler tunnel is also a good alternative but obviously you have to wait until it goes dark. This might not be ideal for summer weddings if your photographer is leaving at 9pm! Please do some research before buying sparklers as safety is paramount!

One of the most creative confetti alternatives I’ve ever seen was paper planes at Colshaw Hall! Not only was it really cute but also meaningful to the couple as the bride was a flight attendant for Virgin!

Please ensure you speak to your photographer and venue before the wedding if a confetti toss is important to you. That way we can work together to make sure you get the most amazing confetti shots!

If you are looking for a relaxed, colourful and FUN wedding photographer then please get in touch!