Why Do We Throw Confetti at a Wedding?

From a wedding Photographers point of view one of the most important shots of the day is an excellent confetti shot. And it's easy to achieve this with a little bit of organisation and help from the photographer.

Buy why do we throw confetti at the bride and groom, and where did the custom originate? The word confetti originates from the Italian word for confectionary and it was very likely to consist of sweets and almonds. We use sweets and almonds as wedding favours today, and at Jewish weddings it is common to throw sweets at the bride and groom.

The Assyrians believed that rice, grain and other seeds thrown over the newly married couple would mean that the marriage would be as fruitful as the grain. The Egyptians also believed this and threw rice in the hope that not only would the marriage produce children, but also success in married life. The Hebrews would also throw grain and seeds, and depending on the social status of the couple they would throw more exotic material such as petals if the couple were wealthy or had wealthy parents.

The Italians also believed that 'coriandoli' or coriander seeds would wish the couple well and help produce many children, particularly boys, from the marriage.

Throwing rice was a pagan tradition in many ancient cultures, and today we also throw petals, paper, silver and gold foil, shredded coconut and in some modern cultures folded paper airplanes.

Throwing confetti at weddings is a great way to signify the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the party. Most Registry Offices encourage brides and grooms to have their guests throw confetti outside, and by the end of a busy Saturday the steps are almost ankle deep in rose petals and coloured paper and foil. Some churches are a little more strict on what they have to end up sweeping up after the wedding guests have left, and often make an announcement at the beginning of the ceremony about what is allowed. In my experience dried petals are generally ok.

For the best confetti photographs get your guests to line up either side of you and ask them to throw it up into the air not directly at the bride and groom. Get the throwers to throw several handfuls at 5-10 second intervals but not the whole bag at once!

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