Winter is one of my favourite times of year for a wedding! The candlelight, cosy atmosphere, everyone being dressed up in their best outfits and, if you’re lucky, that gorgeous crisp winter weather can make for a really beautiful wedding day.
But winter does bring a few things you need to think about that you wouldn’t necessarily have to consider for a summer wedding. So, if you’re thinking about getting married during the colder months, here are my biggest do’s and don’ts for planning a winter wedding that is warm, atmospheric and, most importantly – rememberable for the RIGHT reasons!
DO: Make sure there is plenty of heating within the venue and fire pits outside
Nobody likes to be cold! Especially when they are dressed up in a nice outfit and a slinky pair of heels! Speak to your venue about indoor heating options. Most buildings will have this already, but if you have a barn or marquee, for example, it may be something you need to think about.
And then there are fire pits. Everyone loves a fire pit, emmmm… s’mores! If your venue allows them, they can be a brilliant addition to a winter wedding, particularly later in the evening when guests want some fresh air without freezing.
DO: Set your timings so photos aren’t in the dark
One of the biggest things to consider when planning a winter wedding is the lack of daylight. Depending on your wedding date, the sun can disappear surprisingly early, so make sure you know exactly when sunset is before you finalise your timings.
Talk to your photographer about when they need to take your group photographs and couple portraits, and consider having your ceremony slightly earlier if necessary. You don’t want to spend your wedding day rushing around trying to fit everything in before it gets dark.
That said, don’t forget that the darkness can actually work in your favour. Once the sun has gone down, you can create some gorgeous atmospheric photographs using candlelight, fireplaces and your venue’s lighting.
DO: Start earlier, finish earlier
Don’t feel like your winter wedding has to follow the same timeline as a summer wedding. Starting earlier means you can make the most of the daylight and create a lovely transition from a light afternoon into a candlelit evening.
You could have your ceremony while it’s still light, enjoy your drinks reception and photographs, and then sit down for dinner as the sun disappears. By the time dinner is finished, everyone is ready for the party.
Finishing slightly earlier can also work really well for Sunday or weekday weddings, or if you’re planning a weekend wedding with celebrations continuing the following day. Your guests might actually appreciate getting to bed at a reasonable time!
DO: Have espresso martinis post dinner
A winter wedding menu can be the best. Comfort food as it’s finest! But it can also often be quite substantial, and after a three-course meal, wine and a full day of celebrating, your guests can start feeling rather sleepy.
Bring out the espresso martinis, or a hot coffee with a shot of something special, after dinner and suddenly everyone remembers that they’re actually at a wedding and there is a dance floor waiting for them!
Obviously, you don’t have to serve espresso martinis if they’re not your thing, but having a fun post-dinner drink can be a great way of signalling that dinner is finished and the party is about to begin.
DO: Have a cloakroom area for coats
This might not be the most exciting item on your wedding planning list, but it is one your guests will definitely appreciate. Nobody wants to spend the evening carrying a huge winter coat around, particularly once they’re trying to dance and you DO NOT want guests putting their coats on the back of chairs – think of the photos! If your venue has a cloakroom, find out how it works and whether it is staffed. If it doesn’t, speak to your venue or planner about creating somewhere safe for guests to leave their coats and belongings.
It’s one of those little logistical details that nobody notices when you’ve got it right, but everyone notices when you’ve got it wrong.
DO: Have lots of candles! Winter = ambience
If there is one season where you can really embrace candlelight, it is winter. Once the sun starts to go down, candles can completely transform a wedding venue and create that warm, cosy atmosphere that works so well for a winter wedding. Tables with rows of beautiful taper candles just makes me light up inside. They make the BEST photos! Check out Ester Erik for some of the most beautiful taper candles with the broadest range of colour options!
Just check your venue’s rules around naked flames before you start planning your candle-filled dream wedding. Some venues don’t allow real candles, but there are some great LED alternatives available now that you can hire (never buy! These are not great unless you are spending serious money on them!)
DO: Hire a florist and take their advice on what flowers are available
My advice when it comes to wedding flowers is always to hire a florist you trust and let them use their expertise. Flowers are seasonal, so rather than arriving with a Pinterest board of flowers you absolutely have to have, ask your florist what is available at the time of year you’re getting married.
A winter wedding doesn’t have to mean red berries, pine cones and eucalyptus everywhere either. There are lots of beautiful options available, and your florist will know how to create something seasonal without making your wedding look like Christmas has exploded all over it.
DON’T: Accept that because you have a winter wedding, it has to be Christmas themed
This is probably my biggest winter wedding don’t. If you love Christmas and want your wedding to look like Christmas, then absolutely go for it. But if you don’t, you really don’t have to. You don’t need Christmas trees, baubles and red ribbon simply because you’re getting married in December. Check with your venue when they plan to put up the Christmas decs, and see if anything can be removed if this is not your vibe.
DON’T: Plan an outdoor photo shoot
You might have your heart set on photographs in the grounds of your venue, but I wouldn’t make an outdoor photo shoot an essential part of your winter wedding plans. You could get lucky with crisp sunshine, but even if you don’t have sideways rain and 40mph winds, nobody likes to be cold, and the guests waiting around to be in photos will get cold. They will then have a tendency to wander off and this makes the photo time longer.
DON’T: Plan for anything outside
I’m not saying you can’t have anything outside, but I wouldn’t plan for this to be the case. Your drinks reception, ceremony, entertainment or catering should all have an indoor option if you’re getting married during the winter, for people who want to be inside. Rain isn’t the only issue here, cold and wind can be just as unpleasant, and sometimes even worse. I’ve seen some miserable wedding guests having to stand outside, just because the sun is in the sky, but reality is that it’s actually under 10 degrees!
DON’T: Have a dark colour scheme just because it’s winter
Winter doesn’t automatically mean burgundy, navy, forest green and black. If you love those colours, brilliant, (they are stunning!) but please don’t feel like you have to use them simply because you’re getting married during the colder months. Why can’t you embrace a brighter colour palette, or pale colour palettes which are usually associated with spring, just because you are getting married in winter?!
DON’T: Feel like you have to provide umbrellas and blankets just because it’s winter
There is a tendency to feel like you need to provide your guests with absolutely everything they might possibly need at a winter wedding. Suddenly you’ve got baskets of blankets, umbrellas and hand warmers because you’ve seen them on Pinterest. You don’t necessarily need this as an extra cost in your budget. If your guests are spending most of the day inside a warm venue, there’s no reason to spend a fortune buying blankets for everyone. Guests will also know that it is a winter wedding and will bring whatever they need accordingly. Rain forecasted? People will bring umbrellas…
DON’T: Pick a field/lawn-style venue with grass and mud
A venue surrounded by beautiful lawns might look perfect in a summer wedding photograph, but think carefully about how it will work during the winter. If you’ve had three days of rain before your wedding, that beautiful lawn could quickly become a mud bath. So many couples see how beautiful the gardens are in summer, forgetting these flowers won’t be in bloom in the winter months. They then get their hearts set on using these spaces, but like we mentioned earlier, nobody wants to be stood out in the cold!
DON’T: Assume your wedding will be cheaper
Finally, please don’t assume that a winter wedding is automatically going to be cheaper. Some venues and suppliers offer lower prices outside the traditional peak wedding season, but that doesn’t mean every element of your wedding will cost less. For a photographer, a hair and makeup artist, a DJ, a planner, it doesn’t matter what time of year it is, it is still the same amount of work for us, so don’t expect a lower price or a discount, just because people tend to have their wedding in the summer months.
Is a winter wedding a good idea?
We absolutely love winter weddings! You’ve got the opportunity to create an incredible atmosphere with candlelight, beautiful food, cosy spaces, great cocktails and a dance floor full of people ready to party.
The key is to embrace the season rather than fight it. Keep your guests warm, plan your timings around the daylight and don’t feel like you have to follow a traditional winter wedding colour palette or Christmas theme. Most importantly, make sure your wedding feels like you. If you want bright colours, have bright colours. If you want a summer menu, have a summer menu.
And if you’re planning a winter wedding and are starting to realise there are approximately 472 things you hadn’t thought about yet, get in touch here!