How To Get The Best Wedding Confetti Photos – 8 Tips From Your Aberdeen Wedding Photographer

You are finally married, what better way to celebrate and to get beautiful, fun photos of you saying, “we did it”! Confetti is one of the key photo opportunities of a Scottish wedding and I’m here to share some top tips on how to use it so those photos are wedding album worthy.

Based right here in Aberdeenshire, I’ve captured loads of weddings where confetti has brought smiles, laughter, and brilliant photos.

Would you believe, it is a bit of a minefield out there when you start looking at different types of confetti – fresh petals, silk petals, dried petals, but my favourite, and the crème de la crème from a photo perspective, is paper confetti. It’s lighter than petals, which means it floats in the air for much longer, making for better photos. Your venue however, may only allow petals. Fresh petals are heavier so they’ll fall quicker, but they’ll stand out more in photos than the dried option. Whereas dried is lighter and won’t fall quite as fast, but is harder to see in photos!

I say, the more colourful, the better! White and light colours can get lost in the grey Aberdeen skies or against white venue walls, like Maryculter House. You could think about matching your wedding colour theme, pastel shades for a soft, romatic look or bold and bright shouts fun, party vibes!

Chat to me at our pre wedding call and we can discuss when the confetti tunnel or toss fits into your wedding day timeline. It usually happens straight after the ceremony, we can all head outside, I will line your guests up in a tunnel formation while you enjoy a wee celebratory drink with your other half. If the weather doesn’t allow us to go outside, we can always try again before the call to dinner. And if you are having a Summer wedding in Aberdeen, but it still rains during the day, it will still be daylight after dinner so we can try again. I once did confetti in the dark just before the first dance for a bit of fun.

Some venues, like Logie Country House, allow paper confetti inside, so it doesn’t matter what the weather is up to.

Most of the time at Aberdeenshire weddings, we will toss the confetti outside so I think it’s good to consider what we’re tossing in the air and what is landing in our beautiful countryside. Please opt for biodegradable confetti everytime as it means we’re helping look after our landscapes while still getting those epic confetti shots.

A little, of the paper stuff, goes a long way – a small handful per guest should do the trick. I suggest splitting the confetti into two bags, boxes or baskets and organise, in advance, two of your guests or members of the bridal party, to stand at the door and ask each guest to grab a handful before going outside. If there are two bags, this will flow much quickly and keep your wedding day timeline moving.

I will politely, with a smile, shout at your guests, to throw upwards not at you. Under arm, not over arm. By throwing up, it’ll take longer to come down and float nicely, making for a better photo overall.

If you’ve opted for an unplugged ceremony, I suggest this extends to the confetti toss moment too. Confetti photos are often the favourites of my couples and you don’t want to see all your guests standing with phones in their hands, looking at their screens and not smiling at you. Guests just need to smile, cheer and throw the confetti, I will concentrate on getting the best photos.

All you have to do is hold hands, walk slow (because I am walking backwards) look at each other and don’t screw your face up! Embrace the beautiful colours flying at you. Smile, cheer, kiss and throw your hands in the air, enjoy the parade as newleyweds, surrounded by the love of your friends and family.

Always, always check if your venue has rules about confetti. You don’t want to be caught out! They may have rules on what type of confetti they allow, where we are allowed to throw it and when.

And if your Aberdeen wedding venue isn’t cool with confetti, don’t worry – there are plenty of fun alternatives. How about bubbles? They still pack a visual punch and can be just as memorable. Get little bubble bottles for your guests and a couple of battery powered bubble machines or bubble guns for your brial party to use just to give the air some extra oomph.

If you’re having an Autumn or Winter wedding, how about a sparkler tunnel?

Or what about a tunnel of wedding wands for you to dance through after your ceremony and your guests can hold on to as a keepsake afterwards.

I have also heard of a guard of honour using hockey sticks, oars or military swords!

If you’re planning your wedding in Aberdeenshire or Aberdeen and need a hand with those unforgettable confetti moments – or any other magical shots? Drop me a message, and let’s make it happen together! I’m here to help capture every colourful moment of your celebration.