The curious history of wedding confetti (and the best types to throw)

People like to party. Possibly as much as they enjoy pouring confetti on the heads of friends, family and foes.  

It is a practice that has wished fertility on newlyweds since Pagan times, as well as crowning Premier League champions in the present. 

Confetti is undeniably big business, with more than a tonne of the bright paper cut-outs dumped on revellers in Times Square for New York’s annual New Years Eve ball drop. And many might consider a wedding to be a wasted occasion without confetti’s swirl around a churchyard kiss.   

Here's everything you need to know about this peculiar wedding tradition.

Throwing it out there - a history of confetti

We've got Italy to blame for our love of confetti. Medieval Italians loved throwing things at each other during processions, carnivals and parades - including sugared almond sweets called 'confetti'. At weddings grain or seeds were thrown as a symbol of fertility and prosperity. 

Medieval-era Milan hosted parades where mud pellets and odorous eggs rained upon spectators to the point where things started to get a bit dangerous. In 1597, the city’s governor Juan Fernández placed a ban on egg bombs et al, and Italy took a long break from ceremonious object-throwing.

That was until a Milanese businessman named Enrico Mangili began selling paper confetti for use in the 1875 carnevale di Milano. He was one of the many silk manufacturers ensuring Milan’s status as a major silk hub, and ingeniously sold paper disks that were a byproduct of the production process. 

Admittedly, the narrative for the origins of confetti can also be found in Italy’s Adriatic port city, Trieste. There, Ettore Fenderl claimed to have cut-up bits of paper to throw from his window on the day of the 1876 Carnevale di Trieste.

It took twenty years for the paper reincarnation of confetti to spread across Europe and travel the 884km from the steps of Milan’s Duomo to the end of Eastbourne’s pleasure pier: the East Sussex seaside town that can claim the first recorded use of confetti on British shores in a 1895 wedding.  

Before this, British newlyweds would have endured a sky-full of rice falling upon their heads - ensuring that any celebration began with a sting to the skin.    

The word confetti was officially documented in the 1895 edition of The Oxford English Dictionary, cementing it's official role in British wedding culture.

Confetti ... in every shape and size 

Paper confetti

This traditional option belongs to summer-time weddings in ye-olde rural locations, with a sophisticated offering of pale shades and fluttering air movement. 

Avoid peculiar paper shapes that can crumple, and always ask permission at your wedding venue. Although new forms of biodegradable confetti are making regular appearances on the high street and are now more popular than paper. 

Petal power

A great option for a wedding. Freeze-dried petals are a completely natural and environmentally-friendly source of confetti (they degrade in about two days) and are remarkable in their variety. 

As well as being fabulously light and fluttery, they are far prettier than their paper counterparts and take longer to float to the ground, giving your photographer longer to capture that special shot. 

Confetti Direct recommends delphiniums, wildflowers and small rose petals. As a general rule, you'll need about five litres of petals for a wedding of around 100 guests. Expect to pay around £10-£13 for a litre. You can also order this sort of confetti several weeks in advance, so you can tick it off your wedding to-do list.

Lavender can add a dash of fragrance to the occasion, whilst seasonal variety and the ability to make your own flower petals adds another personal touch. Don't worry - there's no dye so you won't get any smeary marks on your white dress.

Remember: large petals don't throw as well, but they make ideal table decorations.

Bubbles

Favoured by dogs and children alike, bubbles are a superb confetti substitution - and perfect if you're on a budget. They not only respect the environment by vanishing - literally - into thin air, but they also bring to life photographs in a way that other confetti cannot. 

Bubbles are also child friendly, making the only negative their short duration span - because everyone has too much fun using them. They are also not really confetti, so could irritate confetti traditionalists.  

Rice

These days many modern Britons are going against the grain, and taking-up thericethrowing traditions of their medieval counterparts. Easily acquired at your local Tesco for just a couple of pounds, rice comes in lots of varieties including arborio, basmati and sushi rice. 

However, it can be considered as uncomfortable option for the bride and groom, and is a danger to the birds who might feed on any rice left behind. So don’t throw it outside. 

Metallic confetti

Super shiny and sometimes horrendously sparkly, this sort of confetti is a tub load of fun. It often comes in heart or star shapes, lurking inside birthday cards from 60-year-old aunties.  

Despite bursting with colour, it can’t be thrown and is only appropriate for indoor celebrations because picking up 100 prickly love-hearts from your garden lawn is both impossible and environmentally unwise. Use it to decorate your wedding tables, if you must.   

Marabou feathers

Arguably the most dramatic 'confetti' on this list is the marabou feather, which has become increasingly popular. As the down feathers are light and fluffy, they float perfectly and have a longer 'air time' than any other item in this list. With the right conditions, a feather-filled wedding day will look incredibly special.

Biodegradable glitter

If you lust for colour and have an environmentally-friendly conscious, then a batch of biodegradable glitter could add a a dash of Glastonbury to your event. As it is often made with paper-like materials, it has a softer feel than actual glitter, and is perfect for adding a little sparkle to your photos. Fill your own cones, baskets, balloons, push-pops or sprinkle it on tables.

Paper airplanes

Finally, for high fliers, the paper airplane might just make your wedding day a first-class experience. Picture a happy couple walking under a spectacular moving archway of flight (plus it will be far easier to sweep up afterwards). For an extra touch, pick map paper to show the location of your wedding, where you got engaged or where you met. 

How to get the perfect confetti shot

Experts at Shropshire Petals recommend purchasing enough confetti for at least half of your wedding guests because you'll definitely get people who'll forget to bring it. 

Also, make sure you chat with your photographer and work out the timing and location of your 'confetti moment', so it doesn't get forgotten. It's often nice to get him or her to take the shot from above to get everyone in - and provide a more interesting angle.

You'll also want to take into account your colour scheme, setting and lighting. Choose colours that will stand out against your background - light, bright colours for dark backgrounds and darker, bolder colours to bring your photos to life in more open, lighter spaces.

Most churches and venues prefer biodegradable confetti which won't harm the environment, so make sure you check with them first before you order a giant tub of metallic sprinkles.

Finally, remind your guests to throw upwards so the confetti takes as long as possible to fall to the ground - try and dissuade them from throwing it directly at you.