Plan ahead and be flexible on the date
You might think that planning a winter wedding might be a quieter time, but this isn’t always true, here are my top tips for planning a winter wedding.
During December venues get very busy with office Christmas parties, so ensure you give yourself time to book your venue. The same goes for your suppliers, avoid the disappointment and contact them as soon as you have confirmed your date.
You should also bear in mind your guests. Travel can be expensive during the busy festive period, so sent out save the dates as soon as possible to give your guests time to plan and book their travel.
Venue
Some considerations when looking at venues..
Is there enough space if the weather is bad for your photos to take place inside?
Is there sufficient heating? If you are using any outdoor spaces, does the venue have any outdoor heating that you can use. It is super important that your guests don’t get cold, consider having blankets available and having a firepit for the smokers.
Does the venue have a cloakroom? Your guests will be arriving with coats, scarfs and gloves, so ensure your guests have somewhere to put them and make sure there are enough staff on hand when your guests arrive and depart to avoid any queues.
Photography
100% get those snowy wedding photos (they will look incredible) but plan ahead and have a blanket, warm coat or even a hot water bottle close to keep you warm. Speak to your photographer about them doing a recce to find the perfect locations before you go outside, that way it will save wandering aimlessly looking for the perfect photo spots! Consider your guests and plan to have your guests photos inside.
If you are going to take your guests photos outside, have blankets on hand and hot drinks whilst they are waiting. Cold guests will not enjoy the rest of your wedding day!
Daylight
Continuing my top tips for planning a winter wedding is that It’s important to also bear in mind that you will lose daylight earlier so factor this in when planning your schedule. Consider starting your day earlier with a 1pm ceremony, that’s if capturing photos during daylight is important to you, but also bear in mind that an earlier ceremony means an earlier start for your hair and makeup. Your hair and makeup team will need good lighting and lots of natural light once the sun rises.
Lighting
An advantage of losing light earlier in the day is that you can create a gorgeous soft glow throughout your day. Anyone that knows me knows I am a huge fan of lots of candle light but do not fear if your venue does not allow naked flames, you can create this by using LED candles (good quality ones can look very real) or use fairy lights, the more the better! Just make sure that you choose warm white tones.
Food and drinks
Some more top tips for planning a winter wedding is that it’s always a nice way to greet your guests with a hot drink on arrival and when they are leaving, it can be a nice warming hot chocolate or something with a little more punch like a hot toddy or mulled wine or cider.
When it comes to your food, warm and hearty food is always a winner at this time of year, consider offering hot canapes instead of cold and definitely speak to your caterers who will be able to get creative.
Lastly, consider a wedding planner, they will ensure your day runs smoothly, they will be there to solve any problems that might naturally happen due to the time of year and they will build a schedule that will factor in all the possible issues we mentioned in this blog. I really hope you enjoyed reading my top tips for planning a winter wedding.
If you would like to read more about planning the perfect day, head over to my other blogs where you can learn more on styling, finding the perfect venue and so much more.
