Why choose winter?

Most people associate weddings with summer, but winter weddings can be fantastic too. Think cosy log fires, mulled wine, rich reds and golds and horse drawn carriages in the cold, crisp winter air…

Rebecca from Temple Gregory Wedding Planners (templegregory.co.uk) has some top tips for winter brides…

Reasons to have a winter wedding

It will be considered ‘off peak’ by most venues and suppliers and you should therefore be able to save a good amount of money. It will be more unique as they are less common than summer weddings. If you have a summer wedding in England, there is no guarantee that you will get good weather! With a winter wedding, you know it will be winter and you can incorporate that, and the cold, into your day, not caring whether it rains or snows (although perhaps hoping for snow!). A cosy, candlelit, atmosphere is easily created at a winter wedding, adding something magical to your day.
Winter ideas. Colour is really important for winter weddings, as it is likely to be grey outside and it will be dark early. So, avoid pastel shades and instead consider rich jewel like colours — gold, burgundy, ruby red, dark green, rich purple, frosty white or black. How about a sparkly, winter wonderland theme with lots of candles, fairy lights and snowflakes? Decorate with ice sculptures, fairy-lit foliage and sprinkle tables with white rose petals and table crystals to create the effects of a snowy winter. Mistletoe clusters dotted around your venue will add an extra touch of romance! If you wanted a bit more colour you could go for the castle or country house venue with deep burgundy and gold, roaring open fires, velvets, dark wintery flowers and lots of fairy lights — all of which will create a beautiful regal and opulent atmosphere. Other wintery ideas to help make your day fabulous are to have mulled wine and mini mince pie canapés for your reception, cinnamon scented candles on every surface – you can never have enough candles and the smell of cinnamon is very wintery and festive, and will forever remind you and your guests of your special day. If you truly want a winter wedding experience, consider getting married in the Ice hotel in Swedish Lapland, or if you think that is a bit much, you could stop there during your honeymoon.

Winter Flowers

Flowers are a great way to show off your beautiful winter theme. You could go for ivory or white flowers with wintery foliage, or the deeper colours such as dark reds and burgundy’s perhaps. Popular choices include red or white amaryllis, burgundy calla lilies, roses, pussy willow, berries, ivy and red and yellow dogwood. Gerberas, orchids and tulips are also widely available and versatile for winter weddings. Marilyn Monroe chose white cymbidium orchids for her winter wedding in 1954, and these would look just as stunning today!

Winter Attire

There are many fabulous winter options that can be incorporated into your outfit in order to add to the wintery theme. If your heart is set on a strapless number, then the weather should not put you off as there are plenty of other ways to keep warm on your wintery wedding day, with mulled wine, roaring fires and of course your new husband to keep close to! Fur stoles or shrugs are also a gorgeous way to keep cosy in winter, or why not try a Kate Hudson-inspired full-length satin, fur lined coat as part of your gown? White gloves or Victorian style wedding boots can also look beautiful with the right dress.

Christmas Weddings

Some brides having December weddings will be very adamant that it is not a ‘Christmas Wedding’ and will want to stay away from red colour schemes and holly & ivy! There will however be those who would like to incorporate a few festive touches (and a few full blown Santa’s grotto’s probably!). Some ways of doing this would be to have baubles as place card holders, Christmas songs playing during the reception, a Christmas tree with your colours on, festive flowers, favours wrapped like little Christmas presents or even have Santa during the reception to keep the kids entertained and out of the way! Just remember – it is your day, so anything goes!