Wedding Planning // Three Reasons Why Should You Have Wedding Confetti
As a photographer I absolutely LOVE wedding confetti. The excitement, the colour, the spontaneity – you name it, I am into it. When in doubt I always advise my couples to consider including it into their wedding arrangements. This is purely for the reason that it is one of my favourite wedding traditions because the images that get created through throwing it are pure joy. It was when I started writing this blog piece about my love of confetti that I realised I was not even really sure why people throw it at a wedding in the first place.
Traditionally, rice was chucked over the happy couple, which still happens today but is a less common source to throw. Slightly too spiky in my opinion if one gets hit in the face than a rose petal. Before rice was thrown it was common to throw other grains which were a symbol of fruitfulness and fertility. Way back when, unmarried women were meant to collect and scrabble around the floor to stockpile as many as they could. Much like catching the bouquet, the accumulation of the grains was to ensure their own married and fruitful futures. I am happy to report that today guests much more prefer to throw petals, paper and the like over the happy couple. They leave it to biodegrade on the floor in the knowledge that their futures (fruitful or not) are not conducive to how many petals they collect.
Reason one to Have Wedding Confetti On Your BIG Day // It Is Spontaneous and FUN!
When planning a wedding there are all sorts of organisational nightmares that you had not thought about, people often consider confetti as one of them. However, I am here to tell you that it is so much fun and worth the organisation. If you employ a good photographer they will be able to herd your guests into a confetti line with their eyes closed. Upon leaving your ceremony I normally advise my couples to slip away – this gives me un-interrupted time to organise guests into two lines and to hand out the confetti.
This is the exciting bit. Your guests are enjoying the little suspense to see you for the first time together as a couple. They may even start talking to the person next to them about how amazing the two of you look. Your guests can bond and get enthusiastic about your return. Then as if by magic – bobs your uncle – you re-appear as a married couple and travel down your confetti line together. I encourage whooping and cheering and advise guests to throw confetti up and not on you to avoid the hazard of choking on a rose petal. What is then created in a short space of time are real, fun and unconstrained images of pure joy and laughter together.
Reason 2 to Have Wedding Confetti // It Can Be Organised Any Time
Couples can be put off with the prospect of time constraint and often feel that they don’t have the opportunity to organise a confetti line. However I am here to tell you that a confetti line can be planned any time! If there are constraints on time after the ceremony as guests have to travel, keep that confetti boxed up and take it to the next venue. As I have said above – if you have a photographer to hand or a wedding planner, these people can help re-organise your guests into lines or groups to help you. Emerging at your new venue amid a sprinkling of confetti is a wonderful visual treat for your guests. So do not be put off with time constraints or restrictions at venues, where there is confetti there is a way!
Reason 3 to Have Wedding Confetti // There are Lots of fun ALTERNATIVES
Many couples approach me when we have pre-planning consultations with concerns about confetti not being allowed at certain venues. Many venues have stipulations about confetti being biodegradable or being thrown in certain areas, with many churches just ruling out confetti all together. There are ways around these issues, like I said above you can always re-organise a confetti line at a second venue where it is allowed, or find an alternative. Recently I photographed a wedding at Inkersall Grange Farm where they do not allow confetti of any sort. However, my couple Amy and Ruth asked to have their guests throw mini colourful pom-poms instead. This was not only fun for the kids to collect afterwards but the venue agreed to allow this as all the pom-poms could be gathered afterwards.
Another fun alternative if there are restrictions on confetti is to have bubbles instead of throwing anything. As a couple you can walk down an aisle with your guests blowing mini bubbles which is a really innovative idea. It means there is nothing to clear up and you can keep children entertained afterwards as well. Some couples use the confetti alternatives as a time to personalise their wedding elements. One couple had their wedding confetti dried from the petals in the bride’s grandad’s garden in Australia and others took the opportunity to customise their wedding confetti with paper cut outs. The possibilities are endless and couples never stop surprising me with their ideas!
I hope that if you were unsure about having confetti at your wedding that these top tips helped you decide!
There are so many wonderful ways to incorporate wedding confetti into your big day. Whether you decide to use bubbles, dried rose petals or paper confetti the possibilities are limitless. The pure emotion and spontaneity that wedding confetti can create in an image is so priceless. Wedding confetti is something that brings your guests together and allows them to feel involved with you as a couple. Plus it is a visual treat to look back on because you cannot deny those smiles! Perhaps, since you have read this blog why not take a look at this Styled Shoot at Botley Hill Barn in Surrey.
If you are interested in me photographing your wedding for you, please do get in touch via email or fill out the form below!
[contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Message” type=”textarea”][/contact-form]