Confetti - What type is best for you?
Why does it confetti matter?
As a photographer, confetti is one of my favourite parts of the day! It’s a chance for all of the guests to get involved and have some fun, and it is such a beautiful and traditional celebration of the couples love and newly made commitments. And let’s not forget, it confetti throws also lead to some gorgeous shots of the married couple!
What should you consider when choosing?
There are several types of confetti that couples should consider when planning their day. When choosing a type, they should consider a few key things –
Look – What kind of look are you going for in your photos? Lights and airy, a match for your colour scheme, whimsical etc. The look you are going for with these pictures will heavily influence the type of confetti you choose.
Venue – Some venues will have guidelines surrounding confetti. If you are indoors then you may be able to use different confetti than inside. Most venues insist on outdoor confetti being biodegradable, and may even only allow real flower confetti. If you are taking confetti shots in a public place, this can sometimes even be counted as ‘litter’ and may get you fined!
Cost – Cost is a factor for most wedding decisions, and confetti choice is no different. Fresh flower petals may smell amazing and look gorgeous, but as you can imagine they are generally much more expensive than paper confetti!
What types are there?
White Paper
Small pieces of white paper, may or may not be biodegradable. Can be in strips, circles or even hearts
Colourful Paper
Small pieces of multi-coloured paper, may or may not be biodegradable. Can be in strips, circles or even hearts
Dried Petals
Dried flower petals usually made from roses, but can be made of most flowers
Fresh Petals
Petals taken from fresh flowers, usually prepared the morning of the wedding
Bubbles
Bubbles blown either by guests or using bubble guns
White Paper
This type of confetti is one of my personal favourites! This confetti is usually very budget friendly and also very bridal. It perfectly suits the 'white wedding' vibes and is stunningly cinematic. It leads to gorgeous confetti shots, with the paper floating gently in the wind. It can either biodegradable or not, so you must check this if you require biodegradable for your venue. Some venues do not allow this type of confetti, especially for outdoor confetti throws. It can also be very difficult to clean up, so not ideal for venues who have frequent weddings.
Colourful Paper
This type of confetti is very similar to the white paper, but just with a pop of colour! It has the same considerations in terms of budget, aesthetic and venue permission. The added colour gives the photos an extra ‘whimsical’ vibe that can look super cute! There are many different colour combos you can go for, so this can be fully customised to match your colour scheme. My personal favourite however is always rainbow coloured!
Dried Petals
This type of confetti is very common and made from, you guessed it, dried flower petals! Dried petals can be either very cheap or fairly expensive depending on how you source them. When purchased, this confetti is on the higher end for pricing due to the cost of fresh flowers, and the time required by the supplier to make this. It is however possible to make your own dried confetti if you love to do some DIY! This can help to keep costs down. Dried petals are biodegradable and usually accepted at most venues, indoor and outdoor. It is also possible to colour match to your colour schemes as most suppliers offer a huge range of colour mixes and petal types. They also usually smell lovely, but this isn’t usually a huge consideration. The are a few downsides however. The first is that this confetti often doesn’t float as well as other types and doesn’t look quite as dramatic in photos. The other is that it can be quite difficult to get out of your hair, especially if you’re planning on an intricate or braided style.
Fresh petals
Fresh petals are one of the least common types. They can be very beautiful, smell gorgeous and also be very photogenic, but they are also harder to set up for guests. They must be prepped on the morning of and can’t be pre-prepared in little bags or cones, so if you wanted these they you would have to consider nominating a bridesmaid to set these up! The upside is that they are very biodegradable and they are very photogenic.
Bubbles
My final confetti type, and definitely the most out there, is bubbles! And yes I know they are not technically a confetti, but who cares? I know your guests certainly won’t! Bubbles are a great way to have a no-mess confetti toss, which can be really useful for strict or public venues. Bubble exits from your ceremony give such a playful and whimsical vibe, and the photos are magical. They can be a bit more expensive that traditional confetti, so may be more suited to small guest lists. Getting hold of some bubble guns are also an excellent way of pulling the bubble exit off. No worries about mess, biodegradability or hand filling individual confetti packets!
So what is the final takeaway here?
The final take away for this post is the same as not should be when considering any wedding decision – do what is best for you! Any photographer will tell you that they have a favourite confetti style and they will all be different, but does it matter?
No!
What matters is what you and your partner thing will work best on your day! Trust yourself and go with your own preferences. Take a look at all the options, the vibes, the picture styles and do what is best for you. Talk to your venue and see what they think may work best in their spaces. But you should now have a good idea of what each type is, and what will fit best with your day!
If you are interested in learning more about planning your big day, and tips for all the best photos, take a look at the rest of my posts!