Imagine saying “I Do” with a snowy mountain as your backdrop or greeting your guests with a nice warm cup of hot coco. If you this is the type of wedding you want to have you are not alone but planning a winter wedding can cause some extra stress thanks to the weather and unforeseen weather complications. To help you plan your ultimate winter wedding we have created the step-by-step guide every winter wedding couple needs to read.
Connect With Vendors
The earlier you connect with vendors about your winter wedding the better off you will be. You might be able to save some money since you will be hosting your wedding “off season” but if you are working with vendors and venues that are not exclusively in the wedding world you might find them booked thanks to the holidays. The more time you can provide for yourself to connect with local vendors the more confident you will feel knowing they can nail the look and feel you want for your big day. Head over to our Rustic Wedding Guide to start your search for the most perfect wedding venues and wedding vendors. Want a short list of our favorite winter wedding venues — check them out here.
Embrace The Chilly Temps
You can’t have a winter wedding and not expect to be chilly so embrace the colder temps with fun winter wedding items. Offering guests hot coco when the arrive to your reception is a nice touch and so is providing sweaters or blankets for guests to use while they are at your event. Find a venue that can have a beautiful roaring fireplace and end the night with s’mores, all things that will delight your guests. Make sure you read our post on How To Keep Your Bridesmaid Warm.
Have A Backup Plan
Want to have a winter wedding on top of a ski resort mountain — you might want to have a backup plan with the venue incase the mountain and its transportation has to close due to weather. Most winter wedding venues and vendors are pretty on top of how to work around the weather but you will defiantly want to make sure a conversation about a backup plan has been talked about.
Check The Holiday Schedule Before You Plan
From Thanksgiving to hanukkah to Christmas, make sure you look at a calendar closely before you start booking your wedding vendors — these holidays might not only make it difficult for your guests to arrive but it can also lead to overbooked venues and vendors.
Allow Extra Time For Guests Travel
Cancelled flights, snowy roads and chilly temps can all make travel harder in the winter. Make sure your guests know exactly how long the travel is for your wedding destination and possibly suggest they arrive two days before the wedding so as not to have several missing guests who tried to fly in the night before.
Use Nature As Your Backdrop
Help keep your budget in line by using the natural backdrop as your decor. Look at venues that have mountains for backdrops or amazing wide open fields covered with snow– a venue with large windows is ideal for hosting your ceremony. Allow pinecones, evergreen trees, gold, silver and white to all play apart in your winter wedding. Check out our post on Pinecone Wedding Ideas along with our 15 Creative Winter Wedding Ideas.
Keep Guests Warm & Entertained
When you host a winter wedding many times people need to travel for it and you will want to make sure your guests are warm and also have plenty of entertainment. If you are hosting a destination wedding you should communicate to your guests exactly what the temperatures and average snowfall is so that they can pack accordingly. Inform your guests of what type of venue the wedding will be held and suggest what type of layers they might need. Keep your guests entertained by providing them with a list of local attractions and activities that they may want to take part in. Having happy guests is super important come wedding day.
Research Flowers In Season
If you are dreaming of walking down the aisle with a bouquet of hydrangea you might need to rethink your bouquet. Talk with your florist to find the perfect bouquet and work with flowers and berries that are in season, when you buy flowers out of season you will be paying much more and the arrangment will not look seasonal.
Consider Your Footwear
Beautiful high heels will look amazing with your gown but are not going to be so practical for the ice and snow. Buy those beautiful high heels but also invest in some snowy weather footwear so you can get to and from your location without getting your feet wet.
Keep It To One Venue & Location
Anytime you add in more travel you run the risk of the weather getting in the way. If you can try to host both the ceremony and reception in the same location. By cutting down the travel time you will ensure that you wedding goes off without a hitch.
Timing Is Important
The winter months can be tricky for wedding photography since the amount of beautiful natural daylight window is smaller than ever. Make sure you talk with your photographer in great length about the best time to get all of the photos you want. If you want several outdoor images you might need to adjust your day of schedule.
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