There are a MILLION reasons why winter weddings are a cool AF idea (literally).
Way more couples are opting for the autumn/winter season for their wedding, and I can totally see why. Cosy settings, autumn leaves or snowy shots, and badass jackets to accompany your outfit.
If you’re having a winter wedding, or thinking about having one, my first piece of advice: DO IT! You have so many advantages, like your guests being more likely to be available than the summer months (summer holidays etc.). Another one is that generally venues are sometimes waay cheaper to hire throughout winter as they’re not considered the ‘peak months’.
But choosing a winter wedding means planning it sliiiightly differently than if you were to have a spring or summer wedding. In this article I’m running through my top 3 tips for planning a wedding in the cooler months.
First thing’s first…
Ceremony Timing
The most common start time for ceremonies (in the UK, at least), is between 1pm and 3pm.
But if you’re having a winter wedding, it could be getting dark by 3pm! Having a later ceremony makes it challenging to allow any time for the things you really need light for, like your photos!
During winter, starting your ceremony between 12pm and 2pm is way more manageable.
It means leaving plenty of time (and light) for a ceremony and photos that don’t feel rushed. You can take it at your own pace, and enjoy that crisp, bright winter day time feel.
Group Shots
As I covered in a previous post – How to boss your wedding group photos! – overdoing the amount of group shots can really eat into your day. It can take 15 mins or longer to set up just 1 shot! Rounding up chatty, emotional, tipsy guests can be like herding cats.
Keep your group shots list minimal, consider what ones you’ll actually use, and save your limited daylight hours!
First Look
More & more couples are choosing to do a private ‘first look’ before their ceremony. I’m always a huge advocate for doing a first look anyway, but there’s even more reason to in the winter months!
Having a cheeky, private first look before your ceremony can give you loads more beautiful, emotional photos of the two of you. Couple photos aren’t just for after the ceremony!
As much as I’ll always try my best to get you and your partner’s reaction when the aisle walk is happening, it can be so much more precious and special if there’s dedicated time to do it privately. It can also be an opportunity to get some parent/family photos, while there’s no other guests around to be chatting to or distracted by.
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As a photographer, I’ll always have a special spot in my heart for winter weddings because I’ve shot some truly amazing, badass, and gorgeous ones. Check some out for yourself here: