LITTLE TOUCHES Natalie Skingley from Bradbourne House (https://bradbournehousekent.co.uk) says: Matching the aesthetic of your venue is key to achieving a classic and elegant look for your wedding. While spending so much time inside during the winter months, it’s imperative to keep your theme running throughout each of the spaces you’re using, including mantle decorations, table centres and even some small touches at the bar. Our in-house team can advise on looks to best suit each space as well as helping to set up prior to the wedding. If you’re lucky enough to have a venue decorated for the festive season, it’s an easy win – less is more, and creating a theme around their preplanned Christmas styling will save you both money and time. Serving food and drink options that are both aesthetically pleasing and fit for the season will also keep your theme tied together, perhaps a glitter Bellini served alongside a beef in Yorkshire pudding canapé, or even a glass of mulled wine to end the night on a warming note. Small touches always have the biggest impact. COLOURS OF WINTER Louise from Louise Roots Florist (www.louiseroots.com) says: Whatever the season, white wedding flowers are always stunning. For white winter weddings, use hellebore, contrasting ivory and white roses, with white cyclamen stems, ranunculus, large white amaryllis, ivory hydrangea and anemone. For a warmer, glamorous design, add to this flecks of gold fern with ample gold table dressing. Or, for a cooler, wintry vibe, use lots of silvery grey foliage instead with scented eucalyptus, spruce and pine. For a more traditionally Christmas feel, I suggest a design with warm jewel colours such as greens, burgundy and terracotta. Add deep claret roses with dusky pink hellebore and plum ranunculus, with mottled hydrangea. For a slightly softer look, pair with dusky, neutral and beige roses. Then, if your venue allows, add lots of warm, romantic, cosy candlelight. It always transforms a room. Alternatively, if you prefer warm rustic designs, opt for terracotta and copper hues, with toffee roses and mixed burnt orange ranunculus. Add textures with plenty of mixed winter foliage such as magnolia and cedar. www.scottkendallphotography.co.uk https://thekitcheners.co.uk WHEN THE SUN SETS Tim Cullen from Mint DJs (www.mintdjs.co.uk) says: One massive plus of holding your wedding in the autumn and winter months is the darkness. With summer weddings, it gets dark as late as 10pm, and we find guests only really like to dance when they have two things on their side: darkness and alcohol! People are self-conscious when it comes to dancing, especially at the start of the evening. We find the darker the room, the more likely it is that people will boogie. In winter, people hit the dancefloor much earlier, which in turn means more party time! During the summer, guests generally only have one hour of dancing after the sun goes down, compared to five hours in the winter. Also, with darkness comes spectacular lighting options. You can transform any space with the right lighting and this can add a new dimension and energy to your big day. For example, we offer an array of options from up-lights and club lighting, to mirror balls and more to enhance the venue’s features, bring energy to the dancefloor and accentuate your colour scheme. LET IT SNOW Karina O’Donnell from Simply Ceremonies (www.celebrant-uk.co.uk) says: It’s easy to infuse a wintry feel into your wedding with the use of props, festive lights, or seasonal decor, but what about the actual ceremony and words? As independent celebrants we can help you to craft vows with winter-related vows such as: “ I promise to keep you warm throughout the coldest of days,” or, “ I vow to be your constant like the North Star in a winter’s night sky.” You could select wintry readings, which centre around themes of love, warmth and togetherness amidst the chill of winter, such as Invitation to Love by Paul Laurence Dunbar or Life is Unpredictable by Erin Hanson. Instead of your guests throwing confetti, how about walking back down the aisle to falling snow from a snow machine and being toasted with a glass of mulled wine or a winter cocktail? How about a marshmallow toasting mini-ceremony? Imagine the fire of love melting hearts (aka marshmallows) and being sweetened by a dip in warm chocolate. My imagination is running wild now but you get my snowdrift! Remember that while adding wintry elements to your ceremony can be charming, it’s essential to strike a balance so that your ceremony remains personal and meaningful to you and your partner. https://jeffoliverphotography.com 80
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