One of the questions we get asked all the time is whether you can actually throw confetti at a wedding venue. The short answer is probably, although the slightly less helpful answer is that it depends completely on the venue itself.

There isn't one government rule that dictates what wedding confetti you can and can't throw. Instead, individual venues set their own policies, and those can vary quite significantly from one place to another. So, before ordering your confetti, there are a few things worth checking.

Why do wedding venues have rules about confetti?

Historically, couples could pretty much throw whatever confetti they wanted. Understandably, this has changed quite a lot over recent years as venues have become more conscious of the environmental impact of what is being thrown around their grounds.

Some venues still allow almost anything. Others moved towards biodegradable paper confetti, while increasingly we are finding that venues are asking couples to use 100% natural petal confetti instead.

The attraction is fairly obvious. Natural petals don't need to be collected afterwards in the same way as conventional confetti and, because they are simply dried flowers, they can naturally return to the environment over time.

Does biodegradable confetti mean natural petals?

Not necessarily, and this is where things can become slightly more complicated.

At Ezra's Confetti, our confetti is made from real flower petals. We don't paint, stain or dye our petals, meaning that our natural petal confetti is paint-free, dye-free and stain-free. We do also offer biodegradable paper shapes as an optional addition to some of our natural petal mixes, but if you are considering those, we would always recommend checking your wedding venue's rules first.

One of the reasons venues have become stricter is that they have sometimes had poor experiences with products that were described as natural or biodegradable but contained other materials, paints, dyes or stains. Couples can find very cheap products on large marketplaces, and some may be absolutely fine, but it is still worth knowing exactly what you are buying.

If a product leaves marks on paving, brickwork or other surfaces, or contains materials that don't behave in the way the venue expected, the understandable response is often to tighten the policy for everybody else. This is one reason we always recommend buying wedding confetti from a reputable supplier that can explain exactly what is in the mix and where it has come from.

How do I find out my wedding venue's confetti rules?

The easiest place to start is the venue's website. Most wedding venues now make their confetti policy reasonably clear online and will usually explain whether confetti is allowed, where it can be thrown and what types they accept.

If the information isn't obvious, just ask your wedding coordinator or venue contact. It is worth checking a few simple things: whether confetti is allowed at all, whether it needs to be natural petal confetti, whether biodegradable paper is permitted, whether you can throw it indoors or outdoors, whether there are restrictions on where the throw can happen, and whether there are any limitations around colour.

That last one can sound slightly surprising, but it does happen. We have worked with venues that prefer only neutral or natural-looking colours around their grounds, while others are perfectly happy for couples to choose something as bright and colourful as they like.

What if my venue says no to dried flower confetti?

This is also worth asking about rather than immediately assuming that your confetti photo is off the table.

There are a small number of venues that specify fresh petals only, often because they have previously had problems with other types of confetti. In some cases, we have been able to work directly with venues to explain exactly how our flowers are sourced, how they are processed and what does, and doesn't, go into our mixes.

Once they have understood that our petals aren't painted, dyed or treated, most venues have changed their policy and allowed our dried natural petal confetti.

We are also now included on the recommended supplier lists for several hundred wedding venues, so there is a reasonable chance that we have worked with your venue before. If you are unsure, it is always worth asking us because we may already know their policy or have supplied confetti there previously.

Check your venue before ordering your wedding confetti

Ultimately, wedding venue confetti rules don't need to be complicated. Check the venue's website first and, if anything isn't clear, speak to your wedding coordinator. Find out what you are allowed to throw, where you are allowed to throw it and whether there are any restrictions around materials or colours.

Once you know that, you can get onto the much more enjoyable part: choosing your confetti.

Whether you want something neutral and understated or an explosion of colour, knowing the venue's rules first means that you can create the right mix without discovering two weeks before the wedding that you aren't actually allowed to use it.

And if you are still unsure, get in touch with us at Ezra's Confetti. Having supplied thousands of weddings and worked with hundreds of venues, there is a good chance that we have encountered your venue before.