While most brides prefer to get married in the spring or summer, winter weddings are quickly gaining in popularity. There are many advantages to having a winter wedding, including the cost of the wedding (winter is considered “off season” so you can get a deal on everything from the venue to flowers) and having the season itself help out with the theme of the event. If you are a bride-to-be and you and your fiancé have your hearts set on a winter wonderland wedding, there are some things you are going to want to keep in mind to help you plan your perfect day.
Venue
One of the great things about a winter wedding is that you have more venues available to you. A winery or museum that may be busy during the warmer, tourist months will have more weekends available during the off season. And as already mentioned, you may be able to get your venue at a discount since it isn’t during the prime season.
When picking your venue you want to be aware of any potential problems with parking or reaching the venue on your wedding day. Double check before booking to make sure that the parking lot will be plowed in plenty of time in case it snows before your big day. If your venue is out of the way, located on a back road in the country, make sure that the road will be plowed so that you won’t have any issues getting to your wedding.
Theme and Decor
There is nothing that says you have to have a theme for your wedding, but the very fact that it’s being held in the winter lends itself perfectly to a winter wonderland theme. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to have red and green colors and snowmen everywhere. A nice, simple color scheme of white and silver or white and gold will be perfect for the season. Mark the church pews with tulle bows tied together will silver or gold ribbons. Decorate your reception hall with white twinkle lights wrapped in tulle. For your wedding centerpieces do something easy and fun like white ostrich feathers in tall champagne glasses. With the snow outside all white and frosted your reception will seem like an extension of the outdoors.
Attire
You’ve always envisioned yourself in a gauzy, strapless wedding dress with killer heels. A winter wedding doesn’t mean that you can’t have the look you want, it just means that there’s a bit of extra planning that needs to go into it. Consider adding a faux-fur wrap to keep yourself warm from the limo to the venue. And lace-up white ankle booties may be a better option for your feet than peek-a-boo heels. Wear the boots during the ceremony and then slip on your heels for the reception and dance. Same thing goes for your girls. They can still look fabulous without freezing to death.
Out of Towners
If you have friends and family travelling from out of town, a winter wedding can be a bit stressful. Advise guests who are booking flights to make sure that the tickets can be changed in the case of stormy weather. And keep a close eye on the weather the week leading up to the wedding. If it looks like the day before is going to be stormy, you can advise your friends and family to fly in a day earlier. It’s a little harder with guests who are travelling by car, but the same rule goes: check the weather frequently and if need be, advise them to travel on a different date. And if some guests can’t make it because of the weather, don’t worry. Just take lots of pictures!
While there may be some unique challenges to a winter wedding, don’t let them stop you from having your dream ceremony. Plan ahead, keep calm and you’ll have a beautiful day.