Now that the trees are turning golden and the mornings are a little chillier, it seems like the perfect time to talk about planning your perfect winter wedding.

Getting hitched in the winter can provide some amazing photographs from Halloween spookiness to gorgeous golden light portraits, but it’s definitely not the same as having a wedding smack bang in the middle of the summer.

So here’s my Top Five tips for holding your nuptials from October to March.

Ok, your photographer is all about the light. But light at winter weddings can be a bit limited. So if you’re planning a beautiful candlelit ceremony for 4pm, spare a thought for the photographer who has to get 10 group shots, shoot the venue, organise everyone for a confetti shot, grab some documentary coverage of everyone having a fun day and some amazing portraits all in the space of 45 minutes. If you want lovely portraits in the daylight and you don’t want to feel rushed, it might be an idea to move your ceremony back by an hour. Alternatively consider a first look before the wedding, or moving your family group shots before the ceremony too.

Course if you’re running out of daylight or the weather is just too miserable, dramatic portraits can be created indoors using natural or artificial light, so ensure that your photographer knows how to produce work in low light and is a dab hand with off camera flash. A great photographer will be able to produce amazing work even in terrible light in the middle of December. Ensure that your photographer has all the professional equipment they need to shoot beautiful group shots indoors.

And remember, winter wedding images will look completely different on dark December days than they will in lovely light and bright summery June.

Oooh don’t you just love those crisp wintery mornings? Ya know, the ones with a beautiful bit of mist rising from the hills, slightly crunchy underfoot and some golden light to die for? Well, yep, there’s a chance you could get one of those days for your winter wedding. There’s also a much higher chance of it being grey, overcast and raining. Plan accordingly and remember that umbrellas make for lovely photographs. If it really is bouncing down, utilise your venue for portraits – but trust your photographer. He or she knows how to work the light and what will look best – in these situations, you just have to trust that they know what they’re doing.

 

So you’ve decided to have an outdoor wedding in October – amazing! Who wouldn’t want to get married surrounded by all that autumnal colour? But… if it throws it down in buckets, then what? Will your guests have to sit under umbrellas and huddle for warmth? A back-up plan for ceremonies is essential.  If the weather is dry, think about having some mulled cider or hot chocolate to warm up your waiting guests. Gorgeous rugs for them to snuggle under whilst you say your vows is another great idea and how about a lovely camp fire if you’re having reception drinks in the middle of a field?

If you’re having a tipi wedding, don’t forget that it gets cold in the evening – crank up those portable heaters and maybe provide soft fleecy blankets for guests to wrap around their shoulders. And don’t forget the marshmallows!

Buy yourself some thick tights and amazing wellies or think about some cool boots to wear underneath that wedding dress. Make sure you order a beautiful umbrella. Remember if you want portraits and it’s 2 degrees outside, you are going to be a little chilly. Bring a super cool cardigan, a fluffy shrug or chic fake fur coat. And this goes for bridesmaids too – those gorgeous strapless gowns might seem perfect when you’re trying them on in a heatwave in July, but come January, they might not be quite so suitable, so wrap the girls up warm.

And don’t forget the groom – he might be donning a three piece tweed suit, but if you decide to tramp across a field in November, he might need wellies and an umbrella too.

Finally, don’t forget to remind guests that it’s a winter wedding – this might seem crazy, but every year I see wedding guests dressed in their finery shivering whilst the group shots take place. It’s a great idea to include on your invite a little reminder that there might be some outdoor drinks or photographs and they might want to bring warm coats – plus who doesn’t love a big scarf? Having lots of umbrellas for the guests to use is also a really good idea and some of those little hand warmers will go down a treat.

5. Winter Wedding Decor

Winter wedding photographer, Yorkshire photography by Shelly Mantovani at Toast of Leeds.  If you’re having a winter wedding in the future in Yorkshire or elsewhere in the UK, get in touch by visiting my photography website at www.toastofleeds.co.uk or you can find me on Twitter, Facebook,  Instagram or Pinterest.  I photograph weddings across the UK in tipis, barns, country houses , iconic hotels, Industrial warehouses, town halls and cool city boozers . For more information and to check availability, contact me now.

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