Winter Weddings 

If you have booked or are considering a winter wedding, then I applaud you.  They have their own challenges, but also their own advantages and unexpected bonuses and I thought I should spend some time telling you about some really perks of having one.

We can talk and talk about the weather, but predicting it accurately more than a few days before your wedding is sadly not possible.  You are certainly more likely to benefit from good weather in the more predictable summer months, but it is always worth noting that in our fair land, it can be wet, cold and windy at any time of the year.  If you are concerned about rain in particular, please check out my separate post on rainy weddings.

Perks of winter weddings 

If you choose the right venue, it really doesn’t matter if the wind is howling outside. Instead you will be inside your beautiful venue enjoying the cosy atmosphere, fire blazing, canapés and warm drinks on offer.  I particularly love it when couples deliberately lean-in to the idea of a winter wedding, by this I mean using the things associated quintessentially with winter. Here are a few ideas to inspire you. 

Food and Drink 

Canapés can be tweaked to suit a winter atmosphere, how about tiny espresso mugs filled with warm soup. You could even do a ‘soup bar’ during the drinks reception with your favourite kinds of soup, with optional herbs or croutons for guests to sprinkle over the top. A hand warming and heart warming option.  Or what about mini Christmas puddings and tiny jacket potatoes?  Your guests will appreciate the chance to warm up with something more filling than is usually required at a summer wedding.  Consider a ‘hot chocolate bar’ as well? Warm drinks on offer with all the trimmings available; marshmallows, chocolate chips and cinnamon to name a few. 

Although a roast is not unheard of at a summer wedding, it is probably better suited to a winter wedding.  Picture generous portions of vegetables placed on the tables, warm meats and lashings of gravy (seriously you can never have enough gravy!).  A lot of people find they have mightier appetites in winter, so feel free to feed them all the goodies. 

For your evening buffet
Perhaps outdoor BBQs are out of the question and food trucks may not be ideal in winter. You can still put on a hearty spread inside, again think comfort food over anything too ‘fancy’,  quiches, tasty breads and dips, pizza and meats.

What to wear? 

If you are a bride, it would certainly be sensible to think about your footwear! IF heels are important to you, no problem at all, but you will need something sensible for possibly muddy or snowy conditions outside. In fact, whilst most grooms probably won’t be wearing heels, a more practical kind of footwear could be a useful option for you too!

The guys are usually the ones to suffer in the heat of a summer wedding. As long as you select your suit properly, grooms and groomsmen should find themselves pretty comfortable. 

Hooded capes, a tiny bit biased here, but have you seen the amazing velvety bridal capes that you can wear? Full disclosure, I nearly switched my own Spring wedding to the winter months just so that I could prance around in one feeling both snug and stylish! I really love the Ufurria range myself!

Other Benefits

Creative Shots
After dark, or using inclement weather? Winter weddings offer a completely different dynamic with the light changing dramatically throughout the day. Fairy lights or festoon lights are often abound to assist as well astrally creative use of indoor spaces.

Autumnal Colours
Getting married October – early December can mean that you benefit from the gorgeous colours of Britains Autumn. If it has been really windy, they can all be gone by mid way through November, but we can usually find some glorious colour to use all the way through to early December.

Packed dance-floors

On a fine summers evening, your guests will feel the lure of your venues grounds. A large percentage of them can at any point in the evening be found lounging in the evening light sharing stories and sharing a drink.  Its lovely to behold, but it does usually also mean a quiet dance-floor. If you want a packed dance-floor, I 100% recommend getting married in one of the chillier months.  

More guests

Not a guarantee as such, but in Summer, so many people are away on their holidays. Sometimes guests may have received 2 or 3 invites to weddings on the same day and often feel obliged to choose the wedding of the closest relative, meaning they wont be able to join you at your wedding (even if they would rather be there!) 

Money saving  and more choice

A huge benefit of winter weddings, is that the dates are generally much less competitive than the rest of the year. This means you will find that you have more choice and availability with everything from your venue to your band or DJ.
Savings are likely too! Many venues and suppliers offer more competitive rates in the winter months. There is less competition for the dates, and therefore suppliers are usually (not always) happier to be a little more flexible. I offer great discounts on off peak dates, get in touch to find out more if you are considering an off peak date.
A quick note at this point, would be to say that some winter dates can still be very busy, so be prepared for some of usual Summer pricing and demand if you are considering dates close to Christmas/New Year and also if Valentines Day falls on a weekend date. 

Christmas wedding
Everyone is always looking for a reason to party around Christmas, everyone is looking to catch up with distant family members and old friends, so what better reason to celebrate than a wedding?
I cannot lie, I love a Christmas wedding! I love the way my couples incorporate little bits of a traditional Christmas into their own days.  Christmas decorations make wonderful centre pieces and wreaths can adorn the walls. Candles (venue permitting) offer a delectable atmosphere and well placed mistletoe can create some fantastic photo opportunities!  Seeing guests around the wedding breakfast tables wearing their Christmas hats, pulling crackers and party poppers never fails to make to smile. 

My advice for those planning a Christmas wedding would be to secure the venue on your preferred date as quickly as you can (Office Christmas parties can put venues in high demand). I would also suggest using the January before your wedding to take advantage of those post-Christmas and stock up on any decorations, crackers and favours!
 

New Years Eve Wedding
Mostly the same as a Christmas wedding! Bear in mind though, that venues and suppliers may charge extra fees for a New Years eve wedding as it is always a busy date for anyone in the events industry. Personally, I really like the party atmosphere of a New Years’ wedding and don’t charge any additional charge for my usual packages. I do, however tend to find that most couples want me to stay to midnight and after seeing the chaotic merriment as the clock chimes midnight, I can absolutely understand why! 

If you want to see moron a winter wedding, check out a featured to a winter wedding at the stunning South farm here or if you are still worried about the effects of bad weather, try my blog post dedicated to rainy weddings.