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Confetti at weddings – everything you need to know to add fun and magic to your big day

A large group of guests cheer and throw confetti at a newly married couple at an indoor wedding venue. The couple stands in the center, both smiling broadly.

Confetti at weddings completely makes me happy 🙂

One of the best moments to take a photo is when confetti is floating in the air, and you and your partner are exchanging a kiss or walking away from your ceremony.

Confetti at weddings has always been such a great celebration symbol, introducing a splash of colour and happiness to celebrations.

If you’re having a huge sendoff or just a party after the ceremony, throwing some confetti in can totally amp up the fun and celebration of your wedding day.

We have some fantastic wedding confetti tips for you to assist you in incorporating confetti as a great addition on your special day, the types of confetti you can incorporate, and a few tips on how to create that perfect confetti photo.

While you’re planning your big day, are you looking for a photographer who can take some great photos of all that wedding confetti mayhem?

Give me a shout and check if we’re available!

The joy of confetti

A burst of celebration

Symbol of joy: Confetti at weddings is really adorable! It’s all about joy, celebration, and beginning a brand new life. And it’s a great way to add some visual energy to your big day.

Guest participation: Allowing your guests to throw confetti is just so much fun for them to be included, and it really makes them feel more a part of your special day.

Creating amazing memories

Dramatic effect: Seeing confetti drop from the air is just so dramatic and absolutely unforgettable. It fills the air with this magical atmosphere that makes everything feel even more special.

Confetti wedding photos: Confetti wedding photography is totally cool for taking amazingly bright and fun photos that absolutely capture the spirit of the day.

Adding some entertainment to the festivities

Interactive fun: Confetti throwing is so much fun for all of your wedding guests! It’s really interactive and ensures everyone has a great time.

Unexpected delight: Confetti is like the ultimate surprise ever! It completely has this fantastic atmosphere of delight and wonder that’ll linger in your guests’ heads long after your wedding.

Confetti wedding photo: A bride and groom walk hand in hand smiling while wedding guests throw confetti. The groom is wearing a kilt and the bride a white gown, with an arched stone structure in the background.
Two men in kilts walk hand in hand under a shower of confetti, surrounded by smiling guests dressed in formal attire. A woman in a red dress stands nearby. They appear to be celebrating a special occasion.

Types of confetti

Paper confetti

Classic and colourful: Vintage paper confetti is old-fashioned and supremely colourful, flaunting an assortment of brilliant colours and cutouts. It’s quite flimsy, which gives this adorable flyaway feel when it drifts to the floor.

Biodegradable options: Want to be kind to the environment? Try biodegradable paper confetti. It’s naturally biodegradable and won’t interfere with the planet one bit. One thing to note, some venues won’t allow biodegradable confetti (basically a ‘no confetti at all’ rule). You can find biodegradable confetti here.

Flower petals

Natural beauty: Actual flower petals, such as rose petals, possess this incredible natural beauty that completely captivates you. They bring a sense of romance and sophistication to your confetti moment.

Fragrance and colour: Those beautiful flower petals literally add a gorgeous scent and burst of colour to the air, which just makes your wedding day so special.

Dried leaves and herbs

Rustic charm: Dried leaves, lavender, and herbs completely capture that great retro feel and are just ideal for a bohemian or rural wedding. They’re such a relaxed, natural substitute for the traditional confetti.

Eco-friendly: These options naturally decompose and are kind to the Earth, so they’re ideal for environmentally conscious couples.

Rice or grain

Traditional choice: So, you know how rice-throwing is this retro symbol of good fortune and fertility? Well, nowadays, couples are opting for more environmentally friendly things, like birdseed or those biodegradable grains instead.

Practical and safe: Just to let you know—if you’re selecting grains for your wedding, get the wildlife-friendly ones, particularly because it’s outdoors.

Bubbles

Whimsical and fun: Bubbles are so much fun and a great alternative to traditional confetti at weddings. They feel kinda magical and have this great vibe that children absolutely adore.

No mess to deal with: Bubbles are ultra clean, so they’re really simple and completely hassle-free.

Sparkles and glitter

Glamorous effect: If you want to amp up the glam a bit, try tossing in some sparkles or biodegradable glitter. Those little things can really make your pics pop and look super fancy.

Go easy on it: Glitter is very messy, so only use a small amount and ensure it’s eco-friendly so nature stays protected.

Capturing the perfect confetti photo

Photographer’s angle: From the photographer’s perspective, we’re capturing these photos using a fast shutter speed to capture all the confetti in the air. With only one photographer, we often take the photo as the bride and groom move closer, slowly backing up. However, if we have two photographers, we can capture the moment at two different perspectives at once.

Talk to your photographer

Communicate your vision: Discuss with your photographer what you wish to do with the confetti shot beforehand. Mention any great ideas or things that come to mind!

Timing and placement: Timing and location are super important, so talk to your photographer to decide on the best place and time to get that confetti shot. It might be when you walk out, immediately after the ceremony, or even during your first dance.

Choose a cool location

Open space: Opt for a place with a lot of room for the confetti to spread out and produce a great visual effect.

Backdrop: Think about the background of your confetti shot; a plain or scenic location can really make the colourful flakes stand out.

Prepare your guests

Go big or go home!: Just remember you have enough confetti for everyone, even the children. Seriously, we can’t emphasise this enough—it’s really, really important to have a whole lot of confetti for everyone.

Instructions: We will make sure that your guests know the what, when, and how of throwing the wedding confetti so everyone can participate at just the right moment for that utterly magical atmosphere.

Practice makes perfect: Practice is really crucial; just running through it with your guests from time to time ensures they know what they have to do.

Confetti at weddings: A bride and groom walk down a gravel path while guests throw confetti around them outside The Gardener's Cottage.
Norton House Hotel Garden Suite confetti cannon during the first dance

Get confetti cannons or poppers

Dramatic impact: Poppers and confetti cannons are good fun and can be more dependable than just throwing confetti everywhere. And they’re also really easy to use, making for a fantastic party surprise.

Safety first: Just a reminder: when using confetti poppers or cannons, please point them away from people’s faces, okay?

Timing is critical

Coordinated countdown: So, being your photographer, I will organise a countdown for the confetti drop so that all the confetti will drop simultaneously, and it creates this incredible visual effect.

Perfect moment: The best places to have a confetti shot are when you’re exiting your ceremony, during your first kiss, or while you’re performing your first dance together.

Capture the movement and the moment

Movement and expression: just be yourself and enjoy every moment! So go ahead and soak it all in! Whether you’re walking down the aisle, stealing a sweet kiss, or dancing like nobody’s there, just let it happen naturally.

A completely beautiful confetti shower spectacle

See those incredible confetti wedding shots that Jonathon and Claire took at Carlowrie Castle!

confetti shower on the castle steps
confetti shower on the castle steps
confetti shower on the castle steps
confetti shower on the front steps
confetti shower on the front steps
A wedding couple stands surrounded by a group of people throwing confetti outside a building. The bride is in a white dress and the groom is in traditional Scottish attire.

Basking in the awesomeness of your confetti moment

Personalise your confetti

Colour scheme: Choose confetti colours that complement your wedding colours so it all goes well together for the photos.Or for some extra wow-factor, choose a confetti colour clash!

Custom shapes: Consider choosing fabulous designs or shapes that reflect your personality or fit your wedding aesthetic.

Eco-friendly choices

Biodegradable choices: If you want to keep the world smiling, use biodegradable confetti.

Natural alternatives: Consider using dried leaves, flower petals, or herbs.

It’s a party for all!

Kids and adults absolutely love it: Confetti at weddings is fun for all ages and encourages everyone to join in the celebration.

Confetti bags, cones, or baskets: Confetti just adds that extra oomph to any party and brings everyone together. You can use it at weddings in so many adorable ways, such as putting it in individual bags, sweet cones, or pretty little baskets. But honestly, the simplest way is just to have a bunch of baskets filled with confetti and let your guests scoop out a handful and throw it around excitedly.

Conclusion

So, confetti at weddings is such a fun way to sprinkle in some joy, excitement, and a bit of magic on your special day.

Whether you use classic paper confetti, soft flower petals, or fun bubbles, the right confetti will help create awesome memories and score you some fantastic photos.

If you plan ahead, work with your photographer, and choose the perfect type of confetti, you can ensure that your confetti moment becomes one of the highlights of the wedding.

Just soak in the happiness of confetti falling all around you during the celebration, making your day feel like a fairy tale.

Your guests are going to have a blast getting in on the fun, and you’ll treasure those beautiful, colourful photos for years to come!

Black and white image of a wedding celebration with guests throwing confetti as a bride and groom walk down an outdoor aisle.
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