My sister in law gets married very shortly and I’ve been making this rose petal confetti over recent weeks when I get a chance. It’s gorgeous, won’t stain and is completely natural and biodegradable. And it costs nothing to make (and how many great wedding ideas can you say that about?)

I had tried a number of ways of drying petals, including microwaving on sheets of tissue paper and kitchen roll, but that was really time-consuming. I came up with this other method after reading about a way of drying tomatoes to make sun-dried tomatoes and thought it was worth a go – and it was very successful. You just need to wait for a warm / hot day.

Step 1: Find someone with lots of roses and ask them if you can have their roses once they’re just about to lose their petals (they come off really easily then)

Step 2: Pick the rose petals (watch out for little insects) and place into a large roasting pan

Step 3: On a hot day, place the trays onto the back parcel shelf of your car. Mix up the petals at the end of the day to ensure that they’re drying evenly. After a day or two, the petals should be dried, depending on how warm it is.

And that’s you done. Just make little cones of paper and have one of your attendants give them out before your wedding ceremony for that all important ‘confetti shot’ for the front of your photo guest book.