Getting married in the winter can be a beautiful experience. It is important to make sure you go over all the details, this blog post is a great place to start!
This blog is re-shared from Hitched 1. Select the Perfect Venue
The easiest way to create the right atmosphere for your winter wedding is to choose a venue that really lends itself to the season. An all-white ceremony or reception room looks so good dressed up for a winter wonderland theme, while a rustic barn can channel that elegant ski chalet vibe and the all fun of the apres-ski.
2. Add Rustic Welcome Signs
How gorgeous is the forest green and gold colour scheme on this acrylic wedding sign! A crown of dried florals really offsets the palette and sets the tone for the whole wedding as guests arrive.
3. Go for Modern Monochrome Table Settings
Don't be afraid of black, it looks so chic against white and blush tones. This modern and minimalistic table setting is perfect for a couple who want a contemporary style for their winter wedding. Can you see the bauble place setting too? They would also look amazing in matte black with white calligraphy.
4. Decorate with Fairylights
A fairylight wall makes such a romantic backdrop when it comes to the wedding pictures and it’s wonderful to look at too. Wrap fairy lights around bannisters and beams, put inside lanterns as part of centrepieces, hang from trees, or use them to line paths. If your venue are able to accommodate a wall of fairylights, it really does set the whole mood.
5. Use Warming Jewel Tones
As chic as a pure white colour scheme looks, jewel colours are ideal if you want something more snug, relaxed and intimate. They bring so much warmth and richness to your table settings, so look for jewel-coloured glassware, velvet table runners, napkins and candles.
6. Keep Your Guests Warm
A blanket box at your wedding ceremony will go down a treat. Guests could be sitting for a while and will get chilly so put a cute hamper of blankets near the entrance - it's especially important if you have elderly guests.
7. Make Your Own Ice Buckets
DIY ice buckets make such a visual impact! You can freeze water with cranberries and rosemary sprigs into ice bucket shapes and serve your white wine in them at each table or the Champagne for your toasts!
8. Use Dried Fruit for Colour Pops
Fresh fruits aren't right for a winter wedding as not much is in season. Instead, go for dried fruit as part of your centrepieces and place settings. Blood oranges work particularly well, but you could also use slices of dried pears and apples. Try combining them with hearty herbs and spices - a bundle of cinnamon sticks and fresh rosemary tied up with a slice of dried orange looks incredible as a place setting.
10. Try Alternative Chandelier Lighting
Pendant lights like these star-shaped ones make a great alternative to a traditional chandelier. They look fabulous in photos and have a very festive feel without being outright Christmassy. They'll look just as good at a celestial-inspired wedding in February as a Christmas wedding in December.
11. Use Soft Pastel Florals
If you're obsessed with the soft blue Bridgerton vibe, you can still use pastels at a winter wedding even if you think they're more for spring. Use cooler, icy pastel shades mixed with metallics to make them feel more hibernal.
12. Have a Candlelit Altar
If there’s one thing that can add to a wonderful, wintry atmosphere, it’s a candle-lit room. Use lanterns filled with pillar candles to light you aisle and staircases. We love this look where the candles frame the altar where the couple exchange vows.
13. Add Statement Foliage Displays
Instead of flowers, foliage make such a statement at a winter wedding and a hanging display is incredibly theatrical. It's a great idea for a high-ceilinged room as it makes the space feel so much cosier. Don’t forget to add a sprig of mistletoe here and there!
14. Embrace Fireplaces
Lit fireplaces add warmth and cosiness to a room, but not every venue's fireplaces will be in case (or you might get lucky and not need the weather for a fire!). In that case, use the mantlepieces as the base for a romantic floral display intertwined with candles. These deep red flowers add a beautiful gothic vibe to your wedding venue but for something lighter, ask your florist to use pure white flowers.
15. Marry Under a Winter-Inspired Arch
Add a wintery wedding arch to your ceremony if you want to really impress your guests. This greenery-heavy one is the perfect addition to any winter wedding; after the ceremony, you can move it into your reception room and let guests pose in front of it. It could even be the backdrop to a DIY photobooth!
16. DIY Pine Cone Centrepieces
Pine cones are easy to get your hands on at this time of year and versatile. Use to hold flat place cards, heap in a bowl for a cute centrepiece or decoration around your cake. They look really good spray painted gold or silver.
17. Mix and Match Textures
Don't be shy about using lots of textures at a winter wedding. This beautiful table setting uses sheepskin as a table runner, but soft velvet, fluffy faux fur and fleecy tartan are all great alternatives. Your guest will want to run their hands all over them!
18. Add Wintry Entertainment
Your entertainment contributes to the look of your venue too, so think of who your hire as part of your overall aesthetic. A live swing band set up on a stage is infinitely glamorous and a solo saxophonist will be so much fun wandering around your reception room. A glitter station by the dance floor will become one of the favourite spots for guests.
19. Create a Classic Winter Wonderland
If you want to take your entertainment even further, create a whole winter wonderland fantasy! Hire carol singers to welcome everyone to the ceremony and stilt-walkers in ice-themed costumes for your guests arrival. Set up the entrance way with pine trees and a fur coat for a Narnia-inspired take. Arrive on a horse-drawn sleigh. Project winter scenes onto your walls and decorate with ice sculptures and vodka luges. The only limit is your budget – heck, you can even hire your own ice rink!
20. Decorate with Seasonal Flowers
Tropical, out-of-season flowers will need to be flown in and won’t look their best or be cheap. Embrace seasonal blooms for your bouquet and arrangements, and stick to classic whites and dramatic reds. Wintry foliage, like ivy, springs of yew, holly and hypericum berries look gorgeous in centrepieces and bouquets.
Are you still looking for that perfect photographer for your wedding day? Give us a call, we may still have your date available: 905-806-2239 or email nvweddingphotography@gmail.com