Planning a spring wedding?

When it comes to weddings, there are some traditions that are tired and outdated and others that we couldn't possibly be without. The throwing of confetti falls squarely into the latter category – a gorgeous wedding tradition and one that makes for wow photos too. However, confetti has gotten a bit of a bad rap in recent years. First there were churches and ceremony venues that banned it due to the difficulty of cleaning lots of little bits of paper up. Then, there was concern for the environment about using non-recyclable paper or, worse, long-life plastics or glitter. And as for that other tradition of throwing rice? A danger to birds and wildlife it seems (if you've ever gotten a face full of uncooked rice, you'll be glad to se the back of this one anyway). While we're definitely in favour of returning to the original Italian origins of confetti and throwing handfuls of sweets in the air, a less messy/risky option is in using real flowers. Not only are real flowers easier to clean up and biodegradable – the petals break down in as little as two days – they also don't contain any dyes that could mark your wedding attire. And as well as being gorgeous to look at for your guests on the day, photographers say that real petals take longer to float to the ground, making your wedding pictures all the prettier.   If you don't have the time or space to grow and dry the amount of flowers needed to create wedding confetti, you can outsource the job to Sostrene Grene. The Scandi homewares store will be stocking real flower biodegradable confetti from March 5. Sold in individual 2g packets, each priced at €2.08, there are several varieties available that are perfect for passing out among your guests. 'Poetry' is a mix of bold pinks and whites, while 'Summer love' is a more delicate version of the same shades. 'Flower rain' has purples and creams, 'Dreaming' mixes purples and pinks and 'Blooming' is a pastel take on this mix. Lastly, 'Vintage'  is a mix of warm pinks and mauves.   There are Sostrene Grene stores in Cork and Limerick, as well as George's Street, Dun Laoghaire, and Blanchardstown in Dublin.