Samantha Birch guest blogs for SP

Think confetti is just for a quick throw after you’re done with the ‘I do’s? Don’t miss out on the petal potential!

So far I’m the author of one book: The High-Street Bride’s Guide. I’ve written about dresses, bridesmaids and cake toppers for Brides and You & Your Wedding, and regularly contribute to the likes of GLAMOUR and Love Baking.

We nearly forgot to do our confetti shots. My husband was trying to find somewhere to put the marriage certificate and I was helping out by grinning dazedly at 100 of our family and friends. Thankfully the best man was on the ball, and ready with a reminder that the time for the painstakingly hand-packaged handfuls was now.

Lucky, really, since I love our confetti shots – both of us bobbing and laughing as we get pelted by our nearest and dearest, and afterwards the close-ups of my hair and his all speckled with yellows and reds – but it turns out there are a whole lot more things you can do with confetti besides the traditional duck and cover, especially if you’re going for the real-petal stuff. Here are a few ways with yours…

Hope Floats

I love those big, round, clear, see-through balloons filled with helium – classy much? – but for a boho wedding or a softer look, add a little personal touch: a sprinkling of your own big-day confetti blend inside so you can see a layer of colour when they’re all pumped up.

Do a Runner

If your aisle is wide enough, sprinkle your petal confetti loose along each side for the ultimate romantic run-up. If it’s narrow enough that you’re likely to kick it up in clouds or sweep it away with your dress though, you might want to adhere your petals to lengths of fabric.

Sprinkle, Sprinkle

If tiny crystals and foil wedding bells aren’t your thing, substitute pretty petals instead of the traditional table scatter. Skip this idea if you’re eating outdoors – unless you’re in the mood for a faceful of flower every time the wind blows – but it’s a great way to bring the garden inside at hotel, orangery and village hall dos.

A Glass Act

Going for a garden party feel, but those 100 plain glasses just don’t cut it? Time to truss up those bases. Glue petals from the edge of the base inwards in circles that overlap slightly. Voila: one glass that looks like it’s growing out of a flower!

By the Book

Stacking a few tomes for literary table centres, but want to add a bit of height and colour? Fill variously sized and shaped jars or clear glass bowls with petals in your scheme’s shades – one or two colours per jar so they don’t get too busy – and perch on ends of books with a statement table number in the middle at the top.

What a Card

Making your own thank-you cards for maids, Mum and Dad? Get your leftover petal confetti in on the act. Cut a heart-shaped window out of the front card and line it with stiff, clear plastic, then cover the backing card with petals for a pretty peek-a-boo effect. Only a handful of petals left? Use just one or two per card and get arty with a line drawing to incorporate it: is that a balloon, or a petal your figure is holding? Is the bridesmaid you’ve drawn in ink wearing a skirt made of rose petals too?

Pretty Maids All in a Row

Let your besties keep a piece of your day with the simplest handmade necklace ever. Fill an empty mini bottle pendant with petals (bauble shapes work just as well) or go minimalist: cut into the wider end of a single petal until it’s a heart shape, and slip that inside instead.

Samantha Birch is the author of The High-Street Bride’s Guide, published by HarperCollins on 24 April 2014. Get your copy at Amazon (link: http://smarturl.it/highstbride) or iTunes (link: http://smarturl.it/highstbrideitunes).