How to smash a winter wedding

Long gone are the days people would only get married in the summer months on a Saturday. Mid-week weddings are every bit as popular as weekend dates and every year I’m nearly as busy in winter months as the summer.

In this blog we’ll have a look at the pros and cons of winter weddings and how to make sure you make the most of the day, we’ll dispel the notion that good weather makes a good wedding and leave you armed and ready to smash your wedding whatever the time of year.

Why book a winter wedding?

There are a number of reasons why someone might choose winter wedding, these include:

Budget – let’s be honest, weddings are expensive. Venues and even some vendors often give a discount give weddings that fall outside peak dates. We all have budgets to work to booking a winter wedding will mean you get more for your money. Maybe the money saved means you can have that dream venue/band/photographer (me!) after all.

The weather – some people don’t like it hot and may opt for the Autumn or spring for a little cooler weather.

To avoid weather disappointment – When you book a summer wedding you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re guaranteed good weather. Of course in the UK nice weather is far from a guarantee and this can lead to disappointment on the day if it’s raining. When you book a winter wedding you don’t have the expectation of good weather, and if you do get a nice day you’ll see it as a bonus.

To have a Christmas wedding – Some people love the idea of a nice cozy Christmas wedding. Everyone is getting in the party spirit and they can be a whole heap of fun.

To avoid waiting too long for your venue – Some of the very popular venues fill their summer dates 2 – 3 years in advance. If you don’t want to wait that long opting for a winter wedding may mean you can get married sooner. have a read of my blog post about when to book suppliers.

We’re thinking of going for it, what next?

There are a few things to consider when booking a winter wedding, mainly you need to make sure it’s the right choice for you and your guests. Then, if you decide to go for it, plan the wedding carefully so the odds are stacked in your favour to make sure the day will run smoothly.

Is a winter wedding right for us?

To make sure a winter wedding is the right choice for you you should consider:

The weather – I know this is obvious but it will be colder and it may be wet. So long as it’s not throwing it down with rain you’ll still go outside for photos, are you ok to brave the cold?

You’re precious about your dress – I’m going to say this like it is; Don’t have a winter wedding if you’re not prepared to let your dress get a bit mucky. If you spend the day worrying about keeping your dress clean you will ruin the day for yourself, I’ve seen this happen on more than one occasion and to be honest its a losing battle that you can’t win. You’ve bought the dress to wear for that day, theres no point restricting yourself on the wedding day to keep the dress clean when you’ll never wear it again. Of course we wont be dragging it through mud but the floor will be wet, the dress will get a bit dirty at the bottom. Even on a dry summer day the dress will still get dirty, but they do actually dry can very well.

Photos in certain spots at the venue – If your heart is set on certain photographs happening at outdoor locations at the venue you need to be aware there’s an increased chance of this not happening due to the weather. Of course in the summer we can’t guarantee the photos happening due to weather, but in the winter it’s fair to say the chance of rain is higher. If you’re more interested in the photos telling the story of the day, such as my style of photography, the weather is less important.

Confetti – In the winter some venues insist confetti is always done indoors (usually when walking back down the aisle) to avoid it being frozen to the ground an impossible to clean up for the next wedding. This is no biggie, but something to be aware of.

Group photos – If you want a lot of group photos, particularly big group photos with more than 8 – 10 people in each group, the winter can be more problematic for this. I’ll explain this more a bit further down.

Guests – Do you have a lot of elderly guests who may struggle with the cold or not be able to come outside for a family photo. Are your guests travelling a long way and bad weather could cause problems on the roads. If your wedding is just after new year some people are a bit short of money or all partied out and taking a month off from drinking.

How to plan the prefect winter wedding (and get great photos!)

I’m a big believer on stacking the odds in your favour. Planning ahead and being prepared will negate most of the problems associated with winter weddings. Here’s how to make sure your day is the day you dreamed of.

Choose your venue – This is the biggest consideration. For winter weddings you want a venue that has plenty of space indoors. The worst case scenario is you have a lot of guests and the venue only has one room for them to congregate in after the ceremony. If it’s raining all day and the guests are all squashed into one room where will we take the photos if there is no other space available? ideally a venue with some nice window light, a couple of different rooms for guests to spread out and some nice indoor features works best for an indoor wedding.

Weather – be prepared mentally. It will be cold, it may be wet and as such we may be inside all day. Maybe it’ll be a crisp bright day or maybe we’ll have snow – it’s an unknown. Go into the day with an open mind about the weather and no expectations.

Get tooled up – buy some wellies, grab an umbrella. If you’re wearing a dress maybe consider those furry things that go over your shoulder to keep you warm (if someone can tell me what they’re called that would be great!). The guys may want to opt for woollen suits for warmth. Buy some of those heel stoppers for high heeled shoes to avoid sinking into the grass.

Prepare your guests – if it’s dry your photos may still happen outdoors. Advise the guests who will be in the family photos they will be outside so they can dress accordingly.

Consider the light – In the winter it can get dark at early as 3.30pm. So ideally a ceremony time between 1 and 2 is preferred so we have enough light.

Embrace it – There is sooo much you can do with a winter wedding theme. Halloween, Christmas, Bonfire night, New Years, Autumn colours. Maybe if you’ve saved a few pounds having a winter wedding you might have some free budget for great indoor entertainment like a magician or singing waiters (both brilliant, have both!). Did you know there is even confetti called “snowfetti” which looks just like snow (be warned, it DOES stick in your hair). How about even doing a pumpkin carving contest in the evening for each table of guests.

Lets talk about the photos

As mentioned previously, for winter weddings it’s really better not to set your heart on certain outdoor photos. Instead, go int the day with an open mind and trust your photographer to capture the day the best they can with their experience. I’ve been doing this for 12 years now, so thats a lot of winters and a lot of cold, wet weddings. Trust me when i say it doesn’t ruin your day one bit. Again, it’s great to be prepared and have realistic expectations.

Group/Family photos – In the winter we really do need to have less groups than more, and the groups must be of a smaller size too (ideally no more than 8 adults in each) in case we have to work inside. If we get a warmer day and everyone is happy to be outside for a bit longer we can always add some groups on ad-hoc. Consider if we do need very elderly relatives in the main groups or could we perhaps snap one with them indoors, or just have them in the very first group so they can get back inside quicker.

Let the photos be authentic – In my view the photos should tell the story of your wedding. If it rains they’ll show that, if its frosty they’ll show that. I was once asked by a guest if I was going to photoshop the photos to make it look like a sunny day rather than rainy. I don’t see the point in this, if we make it look like a sunny day the photo wont be an accurate reflection of your memories, whatever the weather your wedding is YOUR wedding.

Embrace it and be brave – Grab some wellies and lets get out. If it rains in the evening we can do some cool shots with umbrella, you just have to be brave and have a laugh along the way.

Summary

As you can see, booking a winter wedding can be a brilliant idea for many couples. They’ll save money, have an awesome wedding theme and will realise the weather doesn’t spoil the day one bit. I’d perhaps stick my neck on the line and say a winter wedding suits more easy going couples than a couple with very particular requirements, as you really do need to go with the flow in the winter.

You will still get amazing photos but it’s better not to have too many exact expectations, but trust your photographer to deliver the best pics with conditions they have to work with on the day. In my opinion winter weddings are better suited to a more story-telling approach rather than lots of formals – is this right for you?

Embrace the weather, embrace the time of year and create some brilliant memories….”remember on our wedding day standing outside in the rain with an umbrella to get that shot, what a laugh”.

Do consider a little entertainment with the budget saved such as a magician or singing waiters. If guests have been indoors all day they’ll appreciate it in the evening lull.

I hope this helps make up your mind if you’re considering a winter wedding. It isn’t the right choice for everyone but for most people it’s a great way to save a bit of money or get the venue they want sooner. Don’t forget to get in touch if I can help at all.