There’s always something rather magical about winter weddings. But whether you’re planning yours from scratch, or postponing your spring or summer wedding to later in the year, there’s always a few important things to bear in mind when it comes to planning a winter wedding. Below, we round up our top tips when it comes to planning a winter wedding…
Your Schedule
When working out your schedule and key timings for your day, it’s important to factor in the impact of shorter days. Check what time sunset is for your chosen date and work backwards when finalising your timings; it may be that you need to opt for an earlier ceremony time to allow sufficient natural light for your photographs afterwards.
It is always worth asking your photographer for advice; depending on their photography style, some photographers require more light than others, whilst others may be able to be more flexible.
Another important thing to factor in is bridal prep. With an earlier ceremony time, it’s likely to be an early start for hair and makeup so ensure you have a well-lit room for getting ready in, with plenty of natural light (once the sun rises) and that your hair and makeup artists have sufficient additional lighting to help too.
If you need to make changes to your ceremony time, make sure this is clearly communicated to your guests with an updated invite – and keep all of your suppliers in the loop with any alterations to your schedule so you can make sure everyone is in the right place at the right time.
Your Venue
It’s important to think about the time of year you’re getting married when picking your wedding venue, as some lend themselves to certain seasons more than others. If your wedding is being postponed from spring or summer, you may need to work with your venue to make the existing rooms and spaces work for you, thinking about the flow of the day and how you can utilise the inside space available.
There are practical considerations to speak to your venue (or church, if you’re planning a church wedding) about too:
- Lighting: What is the natural light like inside at that time of year? Are there sufficient lights inside already, or will you need to speak to a production company to source more?
- Heating: Is there sufficient heating to ensure you and your guests won’t get chilly? If you’re planning to have part of your wedding in a marquee, you will need to ensure you have heating and a generator with sufficient power (and fire it up early, to get rid of any condensation which can build overnight)
- Space: How can you best utilise the space inside to suit a winter wedding? If it’s raining or cold, are there suitable spaces inside for your photos? Is there somewhere for guests to leave coats and jackets, and is there a member of the team who can help to manage the cloakroom? If you were planning on holding certain parts of your celebration outside, what contingency plans can you put in place if the weather no longer allows this to happen?
Décor and Styling
Winter weddings can be oh so beautiful and hold a particular charm but the time of year you get married can have a big impact on your choice of wedding styling.
The lower light lends itself nicely to creating a warm and enchanting atmosphere – candles are an easy way to create an intimate, romantic feel to your ceremony or wedding breakfast but check with your venue first that open flames are allowed. If not, lanterns, twinkling fairy lights or warm festoons can give a beautiful glow to both inside and outside spaces.
Especially for those postponing their weddings from spring or summer, you may want to make some tweaks to your colour palette to help it tie in well to the time of year and the surroundings. It doesn’t necessarily mean switching it entirely if you’ve already committed to your colour scheme – it might just be that you could add in some darker, moodier tones amongst the brighter spring/summer colours to give a more wintery palette. A few dark accents, like berries or darker foliage, can give a subtle nod without overthrowing your colour scheme completely.
If you’re planning a Christmas wedding or even a New Year wedding, it’s worth asking your venue whether they have any festive styling elements already planned. Whilst these may actually work in your favour (and save you budget on additional lighting or decorations), they may not necessarily match your style – so it’s worth double-checking, to avoid any clashes.
Flowers
When planning a winter wedding it’s important to speak early on to your florist to get an idea of what’s available at your chosen time of year as it may be necessary to make some tweaks depending on seasonal availability.
The good news is that even with a winter wedding, there are still PLENTY of beautiful flowers to choose from, and these can be paired nicely with the wide variety of foliage available at this time of year, as well as seasonal touches like twigs or berries. Roses, anemones and delicate waxflower are all in plentiful supply, along with a wide range of other beautiful blooms.
Whilst winter itself doesn’t strictly affect availability, it can be trickier to obtain flowers over the festive period – so if you’re planning a Christmas or New Year wedding then speak to your florist to ensure they can obtain sufficient supplies from the flower markets over this time.
Weather
Whilst the weather can never be guaranteed at any time of year {one of my biggest bug-bears as a wedding planner is that this is the one thing we can never control, despite all the best-laid plans!}, the risk of inclement weather is of course greater during the winter months.
In some ways, this can be a good thing – many couples who plan winter weddings place far less expectation on the weather than those who get married in spring or summer and so there’s less risk of disappointment if the weather doesn’t play ball. But, it’s definitely something to still bear in mind.
Whilst it is unlikely, it’s worth building contingency plans in case of heavy rain, snow or storms – anything that may prevent you, your guests or your suppliers getting to your venue, or that may affect the running of your day. Although many of our couples are based in the UK, a large number also live abroad so it is important to factor in weather issues that might affect travel plans for those coming from overseas for a UK wedding. Try to ensure you have plenty of time built into your travel plans to allow a buffer if required, and make sure that you, your bridal party and key guests are staying nearby overnight the night before.
Similarly, if you’re planning on jetting off straight on your honeymoon after your wedding to some far-flung, exotic destination, it’s important to be wary of any weather issues that might affect travel plans and ensure you have sufficient travel insurance in place.
If you’re planning a winter wedding, opt for a chic cape or cover-up to keep you warm, or discuss any potential alterations with your wedding dress designer. And stock up on warm accessories for your bridesmaids too – definitely helpful if the weather is good and you can get outside for photos!
It may also be worth investing in some blankets to keep your guests cosy. If the weather is dry, there’s nothing more romantic than huddling round an outdoor fire pit under the stars, with blankets and a glass of something warming.
Food & Drink
Winter weddings are a great time for creating a feast for you and your guests. Hearty, warming dishes go down well – and it’s a great time of year to make the most of locally sourced ingredients from across the UK. If you’re postponing your wedding from spring or summer, it might be that you need to revisit your menu with your caterer – switching cold canapés to hot, and changing salads to soups.
Hearty food doesn’t need to mean boring – slow-cooked meats that fall off the bone and seasonal vegetables are perfect at this time of year and can be a feast for the eyes as much as for the stomach. Pair with delicious red wines and you’ll have very happy guests!
When it comes to your reception drinks or cocktail hour, it’s also a great way to adapt your drinks menu to the season. Mulled wine, spiced cider or sloe gin are all popular choices.
Whilst there are of course important things to factor in when planning a winter wedding, it is a beautiful time of year to get married. The light is lower in the sky creating a soft glow, and it offers the perfect opportunity to gather your friends and family to feast and celebrate amongst an intimate and romantic candlelit setting. If you’re looking for more ideas for your winter wedding or need help with arrangements, you can give us a shout here and we’d be happy to help chat through in more detail.