Sweets. It is a Jewish custom to throw colourful sweets at the bride and groom. Sweets symbolise the hope of a sweet life. The sweets should be soft enough and wrapped so that they are easier to clean up afterwards and the guests can pick them up and eat them. For a personal touch, have the names of the bride and groom printed on the paper used to wrap the sweets.

Package fillings. Crackling, colourful filling material from parcels can look very pretty and offers a special alternative to ordinary confetti.

Bird food. Traditional paper confetti is not particularly environmentally friendly and makes quite a mess. Bird food, on the other hand, does not pollute the environment. What the birds don't eat simply sprouts.

Flower blossoms. Flower petals add an elegant and romantic touch to the wedding. Like bird food, petals are also environmentally friendly. They also have a lovely scent.

Grated coconut. Coconut shavings or flakes give the wedding a tropical ambience, making them ideal for beach weddings.

Rice. Rice is a fairly common type of confetti and is easy to clean and environmentally friendly, if not particularly creative.

Paper aeroplanes. Paper aeroplanes are a whimsical substitute for confetti. Although they create waste, their size makes them easy to collect and they can also be made from any colourful paper leaflets to avoid wasting paper. Guests can write personalised congratulations on the fliers.

Soap bubbles. Soap bubbles are an increasingly popular alternative as they look very pretty, especially in photos, and don't have to be swept away at all.