Our friends at Confetti love a winter wedding almost as much as we do! Here are some of Liam Barrows’ tips and ideas to inspire your perfect winter wonderland wedding…
What could be more dramatic than a winter wedding? Imagine branches dusted with snow, roofs silvered with frost and a happy couple photographed in a winter wonderland.
Inside, there’ll be tables overflowing with flowers, berries, spruce and cotton wool to mimic snow. There’ll be pine cones as name-card holders and vases made from stripped silver birch bark. Create dramatic centrepieces by spraying wind-bent branches white and adorning with glass beads, rhinestones and tiny lanterns. Fabric-wise, you could play satin and silk against wood and stone, or consider tartan, burlap or houndstooth wool.
Decorate the venue with thematic touches such as stylised snowflakes or scattered frost-effect glitter. The colour scheme could be ivory or silver, with whatever warm notes you care to introduce. Think contrast – the dark and cold of outside should play against the warmth and light inside. You’ll want candles, lanterns, fairy lights and even flaming torches if you’re getting married in a castle! You’ll want to create the kind of intimate cosy atmosphere that comforts and relaxes everyone.
Greet your guests with mulled wine or hot chocolate for the non-drinkers. Arrange a hot toddy bar with buttered rum or spirits flavoured with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and star anise. Serve canapés of mini Yorkshire puddings with smoked venison and watercress. Ask your chef to prepare a seasonally inspired menu of comfort food that’ll warm from head to toe. Traditional dishes of smoked salmon, beef wellington, game pie and sticky toffee pudding could feature. Or how about goats’ cheese and toasted walnuts, filet mignon, roast butternut squash and baked apples with maple syrup?
For a lavish wedding, hire a snow machine (if nature hasn’t provided!) or an ice skating rink. Wrap your guests up in fake fur and roast chestnuts outside for a winter snack. What could be more fun than a snowball fight or a sleigh ride for the children?
Find a brilliant backdrop for your wedding photographs: an icy seascape, a snow-covered forest, white-peaked mountains or a brooding castle. The daytime will be bright and cold and will show off the groom and best man’s attire to good effect. The nighttime contrasts well with a white dress and you can give your guests sparklers or portable tea lights for truly spectacular wedding photography. If the weather doesn’t disappoint you could gather round a bonfire and toast marshmallows, or have live music outside.
After all that excitement your guests can throw their coats off and sip single malt by a roaring fire as the snow falls. Whatever way you choose to celebrate your winter union, you can be sure of romance and memories you’ll cherish forever.
If you’ve been inspired by these winter wedding ideas, why not take a look at our real Winter Weddings to see some of them in action?
