Romantic candlelight, a menu filled with comfort food, and photographs in the snow… no wonder you’re dreaming of a winter wedding! Getting married in the colder months of the year can be utterly magical, and potentially much cheaper than during the traditional season. You don’t have to worry about make-up meltdowns, wilting bouquets, or an unexpected summer shower flooding your entirely outdoor event. But winter weddings come with their unique challenges and considerations too. So before you send out snowy save the dates and pick out a faux fur coat, read the pros and cons of our winter wedding ideas to see if one is right for you!
The Pros
More Options… at a Discount
For spring, summer and early fall weddings, the competition with other couples is fierce, so you may miss out on your first choice of venue, photographer, caterer, and other elements of your big day. Get married in the winter, however, and apart from the peak holiday period, you can probably take your pick of vendors! Plus, since it’s the slow season for weddings, you’re in a better position to negotiate cheaper rates, leaving you money for other things or a honeymoon in the Maldives! Winter is the best time to go and to other honeymoon hotspots…
It Doesn’t Matter If It Rains
Put it this way, you’re going to be a lot more upset if you get rained on in July than in January. Summer weddings are often dependent on good weather, with the ceremony, photographs, and most of the partying planned for outside. So an unexpected shower can literally dampen your plans. Whereas for a winter wedding, a spell of sunshine (and a sprinkling of snow!) is a bonus but it won’t make or break your event. If it’s a wet and cold day outside, it will just make your warm indoor venue all the more inviting!
Deck the Halls
For winter weddings, you can (and should!) go all out with the decor. From silver and white to burgundy and gold, there are tons of stunning color schemes to choose from. You can have fun with unusual textures like velvet, satin, and even glitter, then add magical touches like frosted pine cones, candles, wreaths, plaid, and, in December, Christmas decorations! Your venue may even already be decked out for the holidays, giving you one less thing to plan and think about. Just check with your venue so you know it matches your taste.
The Event of the Season
When guests have a string of weddings in a row, all the ceremonies, speeches, and canapes can start to blend into one! So by getting married ‘off peak,’ your event will naturally stand out from the pack, and won’t be compared to the last occasion. A winter wedding also gives everyone something to look forward to in the dreary months, especially in the period after the holidays when your wedding may be the only one in the calendar. Basically, people will be ready to party!
Food, Drink & Favors
Rich meats, mac ‘n’ cheese, pumpkin pie, mulled wine, dark beers, and a mashed potato bar… at a winter wedding, you can serve crowd-pleasing comfort foods that would be too heavy in other seasons. So if you love a roast dinner washed down with a full-bodied red, you’ll love planning a winter wedding menu. Other fun winter wedding ideas include a warm cider station, toasting s’mores at the fireside, and gingerbread or hot chocolate mix for favors.
The Cons
Let It Snow?
Just like in any other season, you can’t predict the weather – so your winter wonderland wedding may end up seriously short of snowflakes. Or, at the other extreme, there could be a full-on blizzard and no-one will be able to get there! In some parts the country, snowfall can be seriously disruptive, so consider where you, your guests, and vendors will need to travel from on the big day, and consider extra insurance in case you need to cancel plans.
Dark Days
Remember it gets dark by 4:30 PM in the winter, and on those particularly dull days, it never feels fully bright! Having a shorter day means you’ll have to start your ceremony earlier and run a strict schedule if you want photographs before you run out of daylight. If you have a good photographer and light your venue well, darkness shouldn’t be an issue – perhaps visit your venue at night and review your photographer’s ‘bad weather work’ to make sure you’re happy.
‘Tis the Season
There may be fewer weddings in December, but it’s still pretty busy! From office parties to caroling concerts, the holiday season is jam-packed with social occasions, so get your wedding invitations out early! If your wedding date is very close to Hanukkah/Christmas/New Year’s Eve, people traveling to see family may not be able (or afford) to travel to your wedding too – unless you are the family in which case this plan works out well. Finally, bear in mind that the date will also be your wedding anniversary, so could clash with other events in the years to come.
Feel the Cold
Depending on where you’re getting married, it may be freezing on your big day. So no matter how pretty that snow looks, if you don’t deal well with the cold a winter wedding may not be for you. No-one wants to be shivering down the aisle or in their photographs! If you decide to brave it, make sure to heat your venue well and seat elderly guests away from draughts in the warmest areas. Also invest in practical (and potentially glamorous) items like faux fur stoles, coats, umbrellas, hand warmers, blankets, and even chapstick favors!
In Short Supply
Since it’s out of season, you may have to give up the idea of spring or summer flowers like peonies for a winter wedding (or pay a huge amount to get them shipped in!) The same goes for certain fruits and vegetables for the menu as well. Staying seasonal is more natural and eco-friendly anyway, and luckily there are some beautiful winter blooms to choose from, including Roses, Ranunculus, Chrysanthemums, Bouvardias and Anemones.
If you still want to get married in the winter, we say go for it! With a little extra planning, it’s the most wonderful time of the year… for a wedding.
Matilda is Marketing Manager in the International Team, bringing Zazzle to customers everywhere from Sydney to Stockholm.
It’s so nice to have a wonderful weather for your wedding but they are occasions that are year round and people can have a beautiful wedding whatever month of the year is. On Zazzle you can find so many wonderful items for a winter wedding a mix and match the items so you make a collection that is going to wow people and be a theme of conversations for years to come. Not only that you can find paper goods but party and other lovely items.
I like the idea of a winter wedding, other considerations though would be things like, guests will likely have coats and possibly need s change of shoes, boots and as such will need somewhere to put them securely when they are at the reception. Perhaps organise a pop up ‘cloak room’.
I’d advise against a New Year wedding which a member of my family did a while back. It’s great for having your day easily remembered but you may find friends and family don’t want to spend all their New Years celebrating your anniversary. Travel and accommodation for guests is also a peak for New Years.
Ensure your venue has adequate heating and ventilation if having a winter wedding when you know it’s going to be cold. Guests under their coats will likely have their usual wedding attire and you don’t want them shivering or sitting around in coats. That said it might encourage them to get up and dance to keep warm!
There are lots of lovely winter wedding invitations on Zazzle that will get guests in the festive and seasonal mood.