Festive Feels

When I think of Christmas I think about the hustle and bustle, the preparation and I wonder, why on earth couples would want to get married at such a busy time of year?.. But there is something magical about Christmas. Christmas time is a breeding ground for love too, there are people falling in love all over the place. It would be hard not to with dates such as ice skating with hot chocolate to warm you up, drinks in a cosy pub next to a fireplace and the cold weather is perfect for a snuggle. The charm of Christmas is easy to capture in a wedding and can make your big day even more magical.

A winter wonderland wedding with icy blues, greys and a hint of silver in your colour theme can be simply stunning. The bride can channel the Ice Queen in a white princess dress with a cape, extravagant tiara, and a layered veil. In my opinion closed toe shoes are a must for any winter bride wanting to capture the stylish outdoor photos. The bridesmaids can wear an icy blue almost silver dress with matching shawls to keep warm. The groom could layer up in a grey and navy tweed suit with matching waistcoat, a crisp white shirt and stylish tie matching the pocket square to the bridesmaids. The groomsmen should match the groom with subtle differences so the groom stands out.

Your venue décor should look cool and embrace all things cold with icicles and snowflakes. Use the same icy blues as the bridesmaids in your venue. If you are having flowers use white and fill it out with the silver tones of eucalyptus. Light will set the ambiance here and having a stark white light is going to make everything seem cold and not very flattering but warming it up with candles and fairy lights will give this icy stage a warmth. You can even warm your guests up with clever signage for blankets… in grey of course.

To keep with the wintery theme you can offer your guests mints as favours, even going as far as using the quote “Mint to be”. If you have the option of Confetti, using biodegradable white paper cut small will look like snow, perfect for a snow fall effect for photographs.

Warming things up, you could look at a more traditional Christmas theme with deep reds, fresh greens and hints of gold and glitter. The bride can cover up in long sleeves and faux fur wraps and have your bridesmaids in a crimson dress with matching wraps to keep warm. Have your bouquets made up of rich red flowers, plentiful greens and winter berries to add to the Christmas feel. Grooms should dress in a smart black tuxedo of luxurious fabrics like velvet with the groom even wearing a different colour jacket to the groomsmen and polished shoes so shiny you can almost see your reflection are a must for this special occasion and a bow tie to finish the refined look.

All you Christmas lovers are going to love how extravagant you can be when decorating a venue for a festive wedding. I’m thinking garlands of evergreen with dark red roses finished with twinkling fairy lights. Your centre pieces could be wreaths with red ribbons and large pillar candles in the centre and great big Christmas trees for the ultimate Christmas wedding photographs.

For your guests to get into the Christmas spirt your wedding favours should have that Christmas touch like hot chocolate spoons and gingerbread biscuits. The table settings could use two candy canes to prop up name cards.

Food and drink at Christmas is always plentiful, rich and comforting and you can incorporate this into your day right from the start. Offering mulled wine to your guests as a welcome drink instead of the traditional bubbly will warm them right up adding to the cosy ambiance. Having a Christmas dinner as your wedding breakfast is a perfect way to replicate that Christmas day feeling. Wedding cake is traditionally fruit cake much like Christmas pudding so why not offer a warm brandy sauce with this as your dessert.

The evenings are drawing in earlier too which is perfect for those night-time pictures. The party will be a Christmas party like no other, all your favourite people together for a night of dancing, drinking and celebrating. It will truly be one to remember.