HOW TO PLAN A WINTER WEDDING (WHEN YOU'VE ALREADY PLANNED A SUMMER ONE)
Over the past three weeks, lots of couples have been faced with the difficult task of postponing their wedding. Some have moved the date back a full year, while others have opted to make it more of an autumn/winter event.
We love winter weddings - soft candlelight, crackling fires and crisp, snowy weather - they are really romantic. That said, moving your wedding from June to January presents itself with some creative challenges and from what we can see, there isn't much inspiration out there!
With so many brides in a similar predicament, we’ve pulled together our favourite winter wedding ideas. Find our Winter Wedding Ideas & Styling Pinterest board here.
WHAT TO WEAR
Let’s start with wedding wear. Here are our go-to winter wedding pieces, with a cool outerwear suggestion too.
FLOWER POWER
While moving your nuptials from high summer to the middle of winter will definitely require a change in your flower plans, it isn’t something to worry about. Top florist and Wedding Planner Jayne Quinn Clawson of HALCYON HALCYON says, “Summer isn’t the only season that has a good selection of flower availability, and a winter wedding doesn’t mean being limited to traditional arrangements or muted colours. There are many exciting and varied options that couples can explore.
“One of our favourite designs is creating simplistic, yet striking, arrangements using foliage only (for example, eucalyptus). This design gives couples a fresh modern look, and the dark greenery contrasts well against most colourways.
“Anemones, orchids, ranunculus and roses (see below) are great focal flowers that can be used to introduce colour and texture into arrangements. All of these flowers are available in a wide range of colours, so you can create some really interesting and fun arrangements. Alternatively, you can create a bold monochromatic design, depending on the overall look and feel of your wedding.
“Dried flowers are always a great option. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is when you are working with dried materials as they’ve been frozen in a moment of time for us to use whenever we want. Dried flowers and foliage come in a variety of colours and are a great way of injecting texture and colour into your designs. We absolutely love mixing dried flowers and foliage in with fresh flowers to give a non-traditional wild look.” Browse HALCYON HALCYON's winter floral inspo here.
STYLING
There are lots of styling ideas that work incredibly well at winter weddings. Maximalist, opulent settings with lots of rich colours create a really warm and festive atmosphere - think deep green table runners, vintage table settings and lots of textures. Scandi, minimal schemes also work beautifully in colder months and can be just as impactful - we love the idea of keeping to a really minimal palette of green and white and bring in raw materials like wooden chairs and tables.
When it comes to drama and atmosphere, sparklers create an amazing moment (and look great in photos!) and are really cheap and easy to do. Similarly, candles come into their own at winter weddings - tea lights, table candles, pillar candles - pack it to the rafters with twinkling candlelight. If your venue won’t allow naked flames, there are some amazing LED candles on the market that flicker just like the real thing. Firework displays offer an extra wow moment at the end of the night too.
FOOD
Food is as seasonal as floristry - so if you’ve moved your summer wedding to a winter date, you might want to consider switching up your menu too. We spoke to top caterer WALTER AND MONTY for their view.
“You tend to serve lighter food at a wedding - whatever time of year it is, you never want to eat anything too heavy. We'd suggest swapping out your white fish for a white meat like chicken or pork. When it comes to flavours, in summertime you would typically serve more citrus and fragrant flavours, such as Gazpacho, Ceviche and Calamari. In the winter you would stick to richer and more wholesome flavours, such as mustard and cumin. We’d suggest things like chicken supreme with a red wine jus or a mushroom risotto as a vegetarian option.”
ORDER OF THE DAY
Wedding planner Jayne at HALCYON HALCYON says that if you are moving your wedding from summer to winter you might want to reconsider the running order: "In London, for example, the sun sets over 5 hours earlier in December compared to the summer solstice in June. It’s worth having a conversation with your photographer as they can advise what time is best to take any outside wedding party or group shots. However, this is completely subjective, and some couples might prefer the look and feel of photos taken inside the venue (plus, it could be raining!).