A few tips on how to enjoy walking through a burst of beautiful fluttery cloud!
Tradition of throwing confetti is a symbol of best wishes from the guests. It gets thrown when the couple steps out of the church, walks down the aisle or later in the day when arriving at the reception venue. The first rule is to look only for the biodegradable confetti! That means it will decompose on its own. The type of the material can be special tissue paper or real flower petals, and it can come in square or round shapes of different sizes. Choosing the biodegradable option also means that your church or venue will most likely allow it being used as it can be swept away and will dissolve after the next rain.
Traditionally, the easiest and cheapest confetti to obtain has been rice. However, it is heavy and always ends up falling into the bride's hair, making it a tedious process of picking it out. Opt for puffed rice instead.
The one that makes the most impact is a mix of small and large flower petals matching your colour scheme, because they are lightweight and the smaller ones will fall much slower, making it a gradual veil of colour and giving enough time to nail the perfect shot. The slowest falling ones are paper tissue ones, though! Having only big petals can make it too dense to even see the couple or can cover faces.
Pick a colour that matches your wedding theme and adds some pop against the sky.
Usually half of the guests will be able to line up and throw the confetti. It is recommended to divide into 4 heaped tablespoons per person. The more there is the better! You can buy a bag of it and fill up paper cones or pack envelopes. It may look neat in that way and easy to measure, but it is easier to just grab a handful of confetti from a basket.
As noticed in Sweden, it is popular to simply purchase confetti cannons which are preloaded with petals. This way only two or three guests are responsible for it. It works well if you plan to have the confetti moment right after stepping out of the church and standing on the staircase. The blast of petals from these cannons is much more dense and impressive.
Formula for a perfect confetti shot in a few steps:
get someone from the bridal party to help the photographer to gather all the people to speed up the process
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form a half circle around the exit or an aisle standing around 3m (9ft) apart, sun facing couple's back and check so that wind blows in the direction for the confetti to actually reach the couple
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super important to instruct them to throw it high up in the air and not in the couple’s faces and the sunlight from behind will illuminate the cloud
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if the couple is walking down the aisle, tell people to throw it once they are approaching them (“in a wave”) so there is a constant rain of confetti
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for the couple: while walking through it look at the guests or forward, just don't cover your faces by instinct
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can stop midway for a kiss to enjoy the moment and give additional shots to the photographer
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use the leftovers for another shot sometime during the couple’s portraits.
These tips all help to create that festive, joyful looking moment from the best angle possible and capture it on camera.
Other options include metallic confetti that can also be biodegradable but will take much longer time at around 3 months to vanish. This particular confetti looks more eye-catching when photographed with a flash and therefore can be used in city environment or in the evening lights. In winter months can use even real or artificial snow.
If it rains or there are strong winds — save it for later! The confetti will melt midway in the air and the wind will blow it away. What a waste!
From a photographer's perspective the ranking of best to least impactful confetti in a general setting:
paper tissue petals of any colour and shape → mix of different flower petals → puffed rice →metallic paper confetti → regular rice
Where to buy the confetti:
Easiest is to order it in bulk from Etsy. there you can find petals in exact colours and shapes. Another option is to ask for the best online shops or purchase them from wedding planning Facebook groups.
