Bride's Guide: Winter Wedding Planning
For brides who love the magical ambience of chilly mornings, the fresh smell of pine, steamy cups of cocoa and cozy knits, a winter wonderland wedding could be the perfect choice. There’s so much potential for a beautiful event during this time of year! However there are plenty of things to consider that those planning a summer or spring wedding don’t have to deal with. Here are some things to think about that will help give you a head start on your planning!
Time of year
In parts of the country where it snows, a winter wedding could be a bit of a gamble due to the weather. There’s the threat of blizzards snowing everyone in, flight delays keeping guests away and if you decide to do it in December, that means guests will be juggling other commitments and events. To combat some of these things, you can 1) Take out insurance on your wedding to help cover any unfortunate events 2) Research the weather before you pick a date. You can look up snow days historically on the years past for reference. As far as guests who don’t or can’t show, this could be a bit of a pro; you typically invite more people than you can actually accommodate anyway so this can help you shave off some extra numbers off your list. You should also keep tabs on when Hanukkah begins and ends, especially if you’re not of this religion or familiar with it, since some of your guests might be. You might want to avoid planning your wedding on dates that coincide with one of the 8 nights.
Guest comfort
In all your planning, keep in mind the guests’ comfort. If you are using the outdoors at any point in time, whether it be for the ceremony or for photoshoots, make sure you keep the photos planned and the time in the cold to a minimum. If you must be outside for any amount of time, provide blankets or coats for everyone and maybe pass out hot cocoa or cider to keep everyone warm while they wait. Also, for the indoor portions like the reception, be sure to have a coat room or closet available, as everyone will need a place to put theirs. Dedicating staff to man the coat room is also essential to avoid confusion or lost items.
Attire
If you’re trying to figure out how to have your wedding party dress, the answer is WARM. Make sure you’re not subjecting your bridesmaids to paralyzing cold just for the sake of a cute off the shoulder or strappy look. Long sleeves is a great way to go, but if you choose to do a capped sleeve or anything less covered than long sleeve, consider adding a faux fur shawl or any other type of cover up to the bridesmaid dress look.
As far as considering what type of look to go for, winter is usually about the deeper richer hues like emerald greens, maroons or burgundies, and navy blues; but metallics like silver and gold look beautiful as well! Metallic navy blue bridesmaid dresses can look beautiful and intriguing. Silver bridesmaid dresses can make a snowflake or winter wonderland theme look magical.
Food
Talk to your caterer about what the best winter menu can be - go for seasonal, hearty and warm. If the weather is just unbearably freezing, warm alcoholic cocktails like hot toddies, Irish Whiskey with Bailey’s and whipped cream, spiked hot cocoa, mulled wine, mead or cider are all great ways to keep the fluids going in a warm, cozy way.
