The best confetti for wedding photos

AND HOW TO NAIL THAT WALKING UP THE AISLE SHOT

So this is coming from a wedding photographer’s perspective. I’ve been lucky enough to photograph 350+ weddings, and this is what I reckon is the best wedding confetti.

No question - biodegradable rice paper confetti is the best.

If you’re only allowed to use fresh or dried flower petals, that’s all good too - just make sure to get lots of it!

You can buy my favourite confetti from The Whole Bride with a 15% discount when you use the code PHOTOGERSON.

First things first - you should definitely have confetti

OK so you don’t actually need confetti, but it looks so cool and it’s a such a rad way to finish your ceremony.

Everyone loves throwing confetti around, and as you walk up the aisle with all of your friends and family laughing and cheering - I reckon that’s how you want your wedding ceremony to end.

What’s so good about biodegradeable confetti?

Sometimes it is also called eco-confetti, or rice paper confetti, or a mashup of all these names.

It hangs in the air for ages and flutters down slowly, creating an insane shower of colour and fun as you walk through it.

I think it looks better than flower petals - mostly because there is so much more of it and it stays in the air for longer.

It’s also environmentally friendly - it’s completely biodegradable and dissolves on contact with water.

It’s actually a food product made out of starch and food colouring. It’s not that tasty, but you could eat it. It tastes like the rice paper they use in Vietnamese spring rolls.

What’s bad about biodegradeable confetti?

I have read that if it is drizzling or raining raining it will start to dissolve in your hands and the colourful confetti can bleed some colour. This isn’t going to be problem for 95% of the weddings I photograph in Australia during the warmer months.

I think it’s a pretty small risk and if it’s raining on your wedding day, you’re probably going to move your ceremony to an alternative inside location anyway.

Some wedding venues won’t allow it - in that case you can usually use fresh or dried flower petals.

It’s never been a problem for me, but always check with your wedding venue first.

Fresh + Dried Flower Petals

Natural Petals - If it’s fresh flower petals you’re after, you can ask your florist to arrange this for you. 

Dried Petals - These are available through the same Australian store I recommended above. Use the code PHOTOGERSON and you’ll save 15% on Dried Flower Petals.

Confetti paper 

This can look really cool, especially the big rectangles of tissue paper.

The bad thing is this stuff doesn’t break down as quickly. Lots of venues won’t allow it.

If you are at an public space, like a beach or a park, you’re pretty much chucking a million bits of litter out there.

I’ve seen it at weddings at private properties, I imagine the clean up the next day was a bit of an effort!

How to get the best confetti photo as you walk up the aisle

Cool, so you’ve got your confetti sorted. Now it’s time for the actual walking up the aisle bit.

You know those amazing photos you see of a newly married couple being showered with confetti?

Some of these tips might be obvious, but here’s some tricks to nail that shot.

Get heaps of confetti

It doesn’t matter what type of confetti you get - the secret it to have lots of it.

Get way more than you think you’ll need and you won’t regret it.

Buy an extra bag or two.

Have someone hand out your confetti when you are signing your marriage certifcate

There’s no need to hand out confetti at the start of the ceremony.

It means everyone is awkwardly holding confetti all ceremony and it makes it tricky for them to clap and cheer for you.

I think it works better to stash the confetti under a chair at the front of the ceremony.

When you are signing your wedding certificate at the end of the ceremony, ask a couple of bridespeople / sisters / friends to walk up the aisle and hand it out to everyone.

Cones v Handfuls

So, you need somewhere to store all of this confetti!

The cones look great, and they’re pretty handy, but when it comes to the actual throwing, you want people to have a big handful of confetti.

You can have some cones, or you can have a couple of baskets of confetti and tell everyone to grab heaps of it.

Don’t have the confetti in little bags. People try and shake them out of the bag and it never really works well.

It’s nice when your celebrant says a few quick things

Once you’re ready to walk up the aisle, usually your wedding celebrant will give your guests a few quick tips:

• Pour the confetti out of any cones and into their hands

• Throw it up high in the air, not at your faces. We want it to float down in front of you

• It’s always heaps better if people are standing up and ready to throw before you start walking up the aisle. If your guests are seated the confetti thing doesn’t work as well

Look up!

Once everyone starts throwing stuff in the air, your natural instinct might be to look down at your feet.

Sometimes brides will hold their bouquet in front of their face like a shield. It just means you won’t get that photo you were hoping for.

Smile, look up, look at each other, laugh your head off. 

Bonus points if you stop halfway up the aisle for a kiss or a dip

I really like this - it looks cool AF.

Someone should be handing you a glass of champagne any second now, music will be pumping, go and hug your friends and family and get the party started!

Where to buy wedding confetti

In Australia, I recommend The Whole Bride. They sell rice paper confetti and dried flower petals.

I’ve always heard good things about their service. If you use the discount code PHOTOGERSON you’ll save 15% across their entire store.

You can also find biodegradable confetti on Etsy and Amazon too.