Winter Weddings: Embrace the Season!
Winter weddings are magical - and there are so many great reasons to consider one! Starting with, you can put one together - with great wedding vendors - super quickly!
(Trying to do the same in March or Oct/Nov is a little trickier!)
Great photos by Alan Rogers Photography and Chloe Hodgman Content.
Winter weddings bring a unique charm and some practical perks that you might not find in summer. Sure, weddings during the warmer months are always going to be super popular, but there are some great reasons to marry in the chillier months.
Venue and Vendor Availability
You will have more options when booking your dream venue and other wedding vendors!
Precisely because most weddings are held in Autumn and Spring, there is usually more availability for your faves during winter!
So, instead of waiting two or three years to bring your wedding dream team together, you may be able to get married with them in a matter of months!
Comfort and Coziness
Winter weddings mean cooler temps, so you and your guests can stay comfy.
You’re not going to be feeling like you will expire in the heat and sweat buckets in your beautiful gown or full suit. And sunburn is much less of a factor.
(But still take care with those UV rays...)
Choose a great venue that will be warm and comfortable. Picture sipping cocktails around lux couches and maybe an open fire, an incredible dining area, and, of course, a fab dance floor for later on!
Whether it be a specialised wedding venue, a cool little city bar, or your own loungeroom, you can leave the cold outside and just soak up the winter cosies inside!
You’re a “Winter Person”: You just love winter!
There are plenty of people who like the winter months much more than Summertime, so why wouldn’t they get married during their favourite season?!
Stunning Photography
The light hits differently in the winter.
It may be bright and sunny, foggy and misty, or all kinds of rainy. The sky may be bright blue, slate grey or almost black filled with amazing clouds. All make for incredible photo backdrops, especially if you score a rainbow!
And if you choose to get married in the snow, just wow!!!
Your photographer will absolutely love it as well!
Winter wedding mornings… Sigh! So beautiful!
Big or small: your winter wedding will be beautiful!
You can have an absolutely incredible winter wedding at a fab venue with a hundred of your BFFs! But if you just want to get married in a month at home by the heater, in your Uggs and trakkies or something fancy, then that is also a beautifully relaxed option!
And of course, why not celebrate your brand new marriage at home with a glass of bubbles or a Baileys; or even a pot of tea and cake if that’s more your style!
The weather may be cold outside, but your newly married vibes will by warm and full of sunshine!
Practical Considerations
Winter weather can be a bit unpredictable, but with a good plan and a well packed emergency pack or just-in-case kit, your day will go smoothly. An indoor ceremony or a solid weather-proof Plan B if marrying outside on the day is just not going to work are strongly recommended. And of course, safety has to come first. If there are electrical storms around, you and your guests should stay inside while lightening is striking.
Make sure the venue is warm, and that you have umbrellas, wraps/jackets, blankets and other items that will make things more comfortable if you are outside for a bit, or just getting from one spot to another. You may also suggest your guests pack some some winter boots and a warm coat - just in case!
Of course, if you are having bride/s or attendants wearing skimpy gowns, ensure that they can be as warm as possible, especially if you are having outside photos. A great photographer will be sensitive to the weather and keep an outdoor shoot as brief as possible if conditions are uncomfortable, or you may decide to move some or all the photos indoors or undercover. But otherwise, have some warm, cute faux fur jackets or denim jackets, pocket warmers, and whatever else helps!
I was a bridesmaid for my bestie some years ago on a very cold April day. (Yes, it was still April, but a freezing day!) We had some photos taken down a cute laneway where a seemingly arctic wind blew through! We had some chiffon wraps that helped a little, but boy it was cold!!! (Of course, we just put the momentary discomfort aside on that very happy day! And the photos were awesome!)
Once inside, everyone warms up nice and quickly!
Some More Recent Winter Weddings
Two winter weddings that I officiated come to mind here. Both came together very quickly for different reasons, and both were beautiful!
Taylah and Julian came to me with just 45 days to get them married! (Legally, we need at least one calendar month, so we were good to go there!*) The preparations for their Big Day were a whirlwind for all involved - especially as it was a DIY wedding at great AirBnB in Gippsland, Victoria. Putting this wedding together was very much a joint effort among Taylah and Julian’s close family and friends, and especially their mums! From the ceremony planning perspective, Taylah and Julian were complete legends and worked closely with me on tight timelines to create their beautiful ceremony! They also had another advantage in that Taylah’s dad, Alan, is a talented and very exprienced wedding photographer (Alan Rogers Photography) - so the images and video were always going to be amazing! On the day, or at least during the ceremony, Alan did largely stick to his Father of the Bride role so that he could soak up this very special milestone, thanks to his terrific second shooter, John. But of course, Alan couldn’t resist taking some great shots before and after the ceremony!
Got them, from all angles! Go Alan! And aren’t Taylah and Julian just the picture of happiness?!
On the day, it was typical of a mid-July day in Gippland - cold, grey and drizzly! But the vibes were high, the over-sized back rumpus room was perfect for the ceremony with their small guest numbers - and the wood-burning fire was a perfect touch!
A cozy winter fire right in the middle of the rumpus room/ceremony/reception space!
Alan and John took the family shots outside nice and quickly amid the dramatic grey skies, and then the party started inside!
In contrast, Chloe and Brooke’s wedding almost exactly a year later in Mornington was a crisp winter’s day, featuring bright sunshine and not a cloud in the sky! Being lovers of a winter day, Chloe and Brooke initially wanted to get married at Schnapper Point, at the coastal tip of Mornington. It gets mighty blowy and cold there, so coats and warm clothes were to be the order of the day. The brides weren’t fussed what people were wearing - just be warm! That was all fine, but I did recommend a wet weather option, just in case the weather was just too inclement and blowy to be out there! As it turned out, Chloe and Brooke went with a full indoor option. Their reception venue, Casa de Playa, had a great space upstairs to hold the wedding ceremony as well as the meal and festivities. With its atrium-styled roof, great bar, food and staff, it was a perfect ceremony space, and we just rolled onto the reception right there: easy peasy!
Our two beautiful brides, Chloe and Brooke, exchange their wedding rings with the setting winter sun streaming through the windows.