Winter Wedding Planning
So you’re having yourself a Winter Wedding?
Getting married during the autumn or winter months definitely has its perks with Winter Wedding Planning. Some suppliers are usually happy to offer a little bit of discount, for what is considered to be an ‘off peak’ wedding date, so I would recommend chatting through this with some of your suppliers. Some companies enjoy a bit of bargaining and others might be less inclined, as they could be busy all year around. It’s always worth an ask!
(We even have a pretty little last minute Winter Wedding offer you can have a look of right here, no bargaining required – If you’re getting married between November – March, give us a shout!)
Another benefit to getting married during winter is British weather expectations are lowered and you pretty much accept the fact that the weather is going to be a bit cold or rainy. It kind of takes the pressure off and stops you checking you weather app every hour for the week leading up to you big day!
Having shot plenty of Winter Weddings over the last few years we have a few handy pointers for you to consider during your winter wedding planning, so here we go…
Time Planning
Time management is a big’un for your wedding during Winter. If you’ve ever had a friend who’s a photographer you’ll often hear them saying ‘ohhhh, that light is amazing!’ – We all love light. Winter light is especially beautiful. But, if you plan to be married at 4pm in December, you’re going to be strolling out of your venue ready for group shots and it’s going to be pitch black outside! We would always recommend getting married that bit earlier in Winter because firstly, more time together on your special day and two, more outdoor photo opportunities with yourselves and your guests. We love to do some off-camera flash work and get a little bit artsy when it’s dark out but getting a good combination of both natural light and artificial light photographs is always going to be a winner!
Prepare
I am talking… wellies, umbrellas, faux-fur stoles… The fun stuff! In winter especially, unless you get a super mild day, the odds are there’s going to be a bit of rain or wind… or, if you’re lucky enough, SNOW! (Hello, Christmas!). You could possibly rock the wet look, but those full body goosebumps and blue lips are going to be a bit of a photoshop nightmare! So embrace the cold and wrap up all snug. If you’re going to wear a long veil, expect it to be your enemy whenever you walk outside. However, it does work for some awesome shots. If you’re going for winter accessories try and get some cute ones that will contrast nicely with the muggy weather – polka dots and floral are a favourite of mine!
Location
The Wedding Venue for your winter wedding planning choice is a huge, important factor for your wedding and making sure you view it. It’s always best to go at the time of year that you will be getting married. For example, if you’re planning on a barn with tiny windows and you visit it on a bright sunny day, you’re going to see a vast difference on your own wedding day because you wont have the intensity of the summer light and this is where chatting through the situation with your photographer and/or videographer before hand is super important. It’s worth asking the venue about the different lighting options or look into booking somewhere with beautiful big windows, so even if it’s pouring down your ceremony has a beautiful natural glowing light on you both.
Dress it up
You chose to get married in winter and with that comes all new beautiful themes and colour palettes and even seasonal flowers to dress up your day. Many of our winter couples have gone down the really classic ‘rustic’ route with lots of wood and quirky decorations, but the one thing that has stood out with our colder weddings is the beautiful warm tones you can get in your bouquets. The rich colours stand out beautifully against white and ivory dresses and the cooler backgrounds that come with winter. Putting your own stamp on things is easier because the variety in winter is so much richer and you can warm everything up just by adding in a few burgundy or aubergine tones.
Wedding Photography
And finally on to the part where I can really tie all my points together. A recurring factor in every point is the photography. Obviously, it is beautiful to have a dark and intimate ceremony, lit by only candlelight, and if you want beautiful and naturally documented images of your day then I would say the combination of timing, along with venue, are huge factors in making sure your wedding images are the best they can be and also seeing how your photographer can handle the situation when light isn’t on their side.
It really is so important to know that your photographer can handle dark situations and bad weather and has proven experience in this. It’s not something you can just do by picking up a pretty, bulky DSLR, it’s something that we have learned to manage through the years of experience we’ve had shooting weddings. One of the first things I would ask your photographer is if they can show you some examples of the winter weddings they have shot. It’s not enough to just be able to handle dark situations, it’s also having the ability to be still take those beautiful, genuine moments at the same time!
Crack on, love!
In the words of some famous scouser ‘it is what it is’
Embrace every bit, don’t be so precious over your hair getting a bit wind swept or your dress getting a bit dirty, that’s for the dry cleaner to stress over next week. Just roll with it, it’s your wedding day!
Now on with your Winter Wedding Planning
