Dried flowers are becoming increasingly popular at weddings
Dried flowers make beautiful, natural & biodegradable confetti
Real dried flower petals are now the most popular choice for throwing at weddings. Many venues now ban paper and other non-biodegradable confetti, but dried petals, buds and florets are 100% natural and biodegradable. There is a colour to match almost every scheme, and I think some of the petal combinations can be breathtaking.
The best dried flowers to use as confetti
Dried flower confetti can be made from dried lavender, which throws like rice, dried rose petals and tiny rose buds, delphinium petals, hydrangea petals and other dried flowers, either singly or combined in pretty mixes.
The petal confetti mix shown left is one I call Cornflower mix. It contains pale blue dried lavender, pink and burgundy rose petals and vivid blue cornflower petals. Not only pretty, but fragrant too with the freshness of the lavender and the sweetness of the rose petals. I’ve been making it in my workshop for more than ten years and it’s really popular.
If you wish to make your own natural petal confetti, many gardens have hydrangeas, rose bushes and lavender. Delphinium spires are readily available at the florist in season. Just bunch together half a dozen of any of these stems in an elastic band and hang upside down in your airing cupboard for at least a week. When dry, strip the petals from the stems, and mix to make a pretty dried flower confetti. More on drying your own flowers.
Use delphinium petals for the best photos
For lovely wedding photos, you can’t beat delphinium petals in pale colours because they are so weightless they seem to float in the air and are more easily captured on film.
Dried flowers as wedding table confetti
The photo shows hydrangea petals, but other dried flowers which make good table confetti are – rose buds, pristine rose petals, or delphinium petals. Whichever dried flowers you choose, they need to be dust-free and withstand close inspection. The quality of each individual bloom will need to be seen (more so than with confetti for throwing), which is why many companies sell premium freeze dried or preserved petals for this purpose.
See also Making your own confetti cones
Shopping links
If you want to buy in some dried flower petals in single colours or to mix yourself, here are a few starting points: buy dried lavender, dried rose petals, delphinium petals, pretty confetti mixes, premium confetti & table confetti, throwing confetti, cornflower mix, hydrangea petals, and finally rose buds.
Do visit the confetti department from our shop Daisy Gifts Ltd :)
I want to start making flower confetti for my daughters wedding next April, but do not have an airing cupbord….how easy is it to use a mircowave? And how would I store them so that they remain useable?
Thanks for your interest! You don’t need an airing cupboard, you could put your flowers and petals in the garage, spare room or garden shed to dry. They just need to be warm and dry, but seal them up in a box once they are crispy to stop any dirt or pests getting into them. If you have dried the petals thoroughly, stored them somewhere dry out of direct sunlight, and checked for pests, flowers picked this summer may well be useable next April. I don’t recommend microwaving them – I know it can be done, but you are more likely to damage the precious blooms and they won’t last as long.
A friend has offered to freeze dry some petals for me in his lab. I am looking for an orange and cream theme and just wanted to know what are the cheapest flowers to use and an approximate quantity for 90 people. Thanks.
Just found your parge thought I would have a go at drying rose petals for my daughters Wedding in July as have lots of roses .’ Thank you .Like the idea of the cone to .Jenny
Thanks for commenting Jenny! Hope the wedding preparations go well! Ruth x
i am trying the technique you said but mine has discoloured as soon as i put them in a air tihgt box. they arent very crispy either? can you suggest anything?
Hi Lynn,
Thanks for commenting! It sounds like you didn’t dry them thoroughly before putting them in the box. They must be completely dry and crispy before you try and store them. I recommend placing them in a thin layer in an airing cupboard for at least a week. You could also use a food dehydrator on a low setting if you have one; leave them in a warm dry room with good air circulation out of direct sunlight, or on a radiator shelf. Hope this helps! Ruth.
Hi Ruth,
Very thankful to have stumbled across your informative website! Hoping to ask for your advice. We’re getting married 1st Sept 2018 and as I’m doing the flower confetti myself and will need a lot (for throwing post-ceremony as well as for table decorations for approx. 180 guests), I’m thinking starting collecting earlier rather than later would be good. But what I wanted to get your thoughts on how early is too early?! I’d love to grow some cornflower and start collecting hydrangea, roses etc this spring/summer, but will they still look as good for Sept 2018?
Thanks for your time!
Hannah
Hello Hannah, Congratulations! I wouldn’t start collecting petals until spring 2018. This is because some petals are more prone to deterioration than others. You should be able to accumulate plenty in one season if you grow a row of cornflowers and keep on picking them. As well as the roses and hydrangeas you mentioned, you could also try marigolds, larkspur and delphiniums. You could always ask friends and family to contribute as well! Good luck, Ruth x
Does drying work with camellia petals?
Hello Anne, Thanks for commenting! No, I don’t think camellia petals will work as they turn brown easily. However, do give it a go – you never know until you try! Ruth x
Thank you for these tips! I am about to start drying petals for my niece’s wedding in July.
Do you know if peony petals can be dried?
Hello Penelope, Best wishes for your nieces wedding. Yes you can dry peony petals – the pinks dry better than white ones, which tend to go brown. Strip the petals from the flowers, as the flowers can go mouldy if you try to dry them whole when they are tightly closed. Lay the petals out in a thin layer somewhere warm and dry with good air circulation, and check they are completely dry and crisp before packing them away. All the best, Ruth.
Hi
I am getting married in Italy next May and my roses don’t bloom until June. Could I pick them now freeze them and would they be fresh next May? Do I dry them before I freeze them or after? Also do you know if I can actually take them abroad?
Hello Suzie, Yes you are allowed to take plants and flowers abroad within the EU, so Italy is fine. Regarding the petals themselves, that is trickier. I don’t recommend freezing them at all. If you pick them this year, dry them in a warm, dark, airy place. Once dry, store in a an air tight container somewhere dark but cooler (e.g. back of wardrobe). They may be good to use next year, but they may fade a bit. Here is a link to another one of my pages with more about drying flowers. Hope it helps! Best wishes for the wedding. Ruth x
https://driedflowercraft.co.uk/2013/08/dont-need-airing-cupboard-to-dry-flowers/