Winter Wedding Theme | Top Tips For Your Cosy Celebrations!
“Be prepared for the cold with your attire!”
Having your wedding during the winter months can be a great idea; not only is it the off-peak season for weddings but there are also so many different and unique ideas you can implement for your big day relating to those lovely cosy days. January, February and March seem to be the less popular months to get married, so why not use that to your advantage and host a beautiful winter wedding to celebrate your union?
If you want to incorporate winter themes into your wedding, try including fir branches and pinecones into your floral arrangements and centrepieces. There’s something so iconic about a pine tree in winter, and the pinecones will be overflowing from the local countryside and forested areas. Using your environment to your advantage is a great idea, especially if you want to stay sustainable. For instance, you could discuss with your event decorator if they have any reusable decorations from previous weddings that could fit your style, or if there are any local timber yards or sawmills selling wood logs; you could use these logs as place names at the wedding breakfast, a cake stand, even signage! If you’re having floral arrangements as centrepieces, think about whether you’d like your bouquet and boutonnieres to match — it can be great to have an overarching theme, but we understand that everyone is different and may want a unique bouquet with entirely different flowers. If this is what you’d prefer, we’d suggest keeping to the colour palette so that it doesn’t clash with the rest of your theme.
When planning a wedding in winter, it’s good to make sure you’ve got a contingency plan for emergencies. We’d recommend looking into wedding insurance in case there’s any bad weather on the day of your wedding (heavy snowfall, rain, ice) that would cause the venue or any vendors to cancel. You also may want to visit venues in the evening or at night to see how the atmosphere and lighting are since the days are short in the winter. Don’t be afraid to ask your venue how they handle their heating, especially if it’s a barn or manor venue. If your event is outdoors at any point (perhaps even just for guests to get fresh air or a cigarette) consider asking your venue if they have any outdoor heaters you can use for your guest’s comfort. There’s a chance this may cost extra, or that they don’t supply heaters, so an alternative solution could be to have blankets on offer for your guests. You could even add signage and a cute wintery message like “To have and to hold in case you get cold,” written by a local calligrapher/stationery vendor. Blankets can also be a great idea for photos later, especially if you’re taking them in the evening or at night in the snow.
Be prepared for the cold with your attire as well! No matter the dress, whether sparkling sequins or luscious lace, there’s always a coat or cape that can go with it. If you can’t find one in stores, you can always consult a tailor to see what fabrics would suit best. As for suits, consider thicker fabrics like tweed, tartan, or velvet. A velvet suit would certainly be suitable for a stylish modern wedding if that’s what you’re going for! If your wedding is entirely indoors, we’d still recommend searching for comfortable thick fabrics — after all, there’s every chance you’ll be arriving at your venue in unpredictable weather and then there’s the chance for photo opportunities! Since your guests are likely to have big coats as well, how about creating a cloakroom for them to hang up their coats? Your venue may have something similar, but if they don’t then it’s easy to set up some coathangers and a rack near a safe place; by a security camera perhaps, or with the DJ behind his set-up. You could even create signage for this as well! Just remember to advise your guests to keep their valuables on their person or in their bag — if you take charge of everyone’s coats then the venue is no longer responsible for any losses, so we advise you discuss this with your venue coordinator before coming to a final decision.
Finally, make sure you have your last few things checked out before your go ahead with your plans. Have a look at different photographer’s portfolios for low light photos and don’t be afraid to ask them about their experiences taking photographs at winter occasions. Keep a couple hand warmers on hand for emergencies or outdoor photoshoots with your partner, and if you’re wearing a dress, consider wearing thick tights or leggings underneath to keep warm. You can always get changed later on!
Do you have any tips you’d want to add to this list? Perhaps some ideas you think we’ve missed? Feel free to let us know in the comments or via our social media in the links below!
See you next week.
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