While some brides can imagine nothing better than blaring sun on their wedding days, others harbor long-held dreams of picturesque winter weddings that either capture the vibrant leaves of autumn days or see the ceremony taking place as snow falls all around. Unfortunately, for all their cozy benefits, winter weddings also pose a wide range of potential setbacks that, too often, lead to a day that feels cold for all of the wrong reasons. To avoid these issues and to make sure that your winter wedding is as picturesque as you’ve always imagined it would be, we’re going to consider the most common winter wedding mistakes and a few simple ways that you can avoid them.
Mistake # 1: Not letting go of an outdoor ceremony
Winter weddings are open to all of the elements (excepting sun, perhaps?), meaning that even a planned outdoor ceremony should remain flexible for a switch indoors where necessary. After all, while you could strike lucky with freshly fallen snow, you could equally find yourself stuck in rainstorms or excessive winds. As such, even if you love the idea of an outdoor event, be realistic and book a venue like Laurel Ridge, which offers a range of ceremony options about which you can read more here. Unlike an outdoor-only setup, this ensures that whatever the weather, you know that everything is guaranteed to run smoothly.
Mistake # 2: Assuming guests will come prepared
Guests who are traveling “lightly” are unlikely to have space to bring blankets, umbrellas, and all of the rest in their suit/dress pockets on the day, and assuming otherwise is guaranteed to see a lot of begrudging, potentially damp, faces staring up at you when you say ‘I do.’ To avoid this, it is essential to include rainy day supplies in your final preparations, including baskets filled with blankets, umbrella racks scattered all around, and even a box of wellies. As well as being a bit of fun, these small touches can go a long way towards ensuring even a winter event stays enjoyable for everyone, whatever the weather.
Mistake # 3: Taking all of your photographs outside
While photographs are a fun part of most weddings, they can turn nasty for you, your partner, and every one involved if you’re operating in minus temperatures. For the ladies especially, heels and dresses just don’t hold up to those temps, and coats are hardly an addition you want in your finished photos! To offset this, it’s important to make compromises. Obviously, you’ll want a few snaps with the snow/colorful leaves, and you should aim to do these first, and preferably quickly (perhaps just with you and your spouse.) For the rest of the pictures, don’t be afraid to select a picturesque spot indoors where it’s warm, close to a bar, and you’re all able to have a genuinely good time that’s guaranteed to shine through in those photos way more than if you were close to hypothermia.
Want to get your winter wedding right? Avoid these mistakes, and make way for a day to remember.
