We absolutely love winter weddings. We love them so much that even lead shooter, Caleb, got married in Winter! In our very first season, almost ten years ago, we had 9 weddings between October and March - now we typically see only one or two weddings during this same period. Winter weddings seem to move in and out of trend in a cycle and we feel that the outbreak of Coronavirus and its effect on couples' dates will, force this cycle to repeat earlier than it naturally would have happened. We've therefore taken the time to write about all the positives and negatives about Winter Weddings, to help you make a decision if it's right for you.
WEATHER OK, let's get this bit out of the way first - so it's going to be colder than a Summer Wedding, it doesn't take a genius to work that out. But what about rain? Interestingly, we've been lucky with the many winter weddings we've had and most have avoided rain.
And the ones that have had rain, had not been dramatically affected by it as we able to move timings on the day so couple and family shots were still able to be taken outside.
Most of these Winter Weddings were actually blessed with stunning weather - just check out the gallery below to see for yourself!
"However, the thing that I found was a great weight off my mind was just assuming it was going to rain, and being pleasantly surprised if it didn't - it did, but not much."
The biggest deciding factor when considering the weather for your big day is whether you want an outdoor ceremony or a marque reception. Both will be affected by the colder temperatures, even if it's sunny.
ATMOSPHERE People love the cosiness of winter, they also love the uniqueness. They also love to do something different on what is typically a more gloomy part of the year. If it's a December Wedding, you have the general excitement of the Christmas build-up.
"Venues are already pre-decorated for Christmas, therefore reducing the cost to you of decoration, with it not taking much to personalise the venue for your special day."
Winter Weddings are generally cosier and more intimate and one of our favourite aspects is that guests don't disappear and spread out outside as they do in summer, they stay together inside and the dancefloor is always more full.
SHORTER DAYS
Your daylight hours are much reduced, but realistically speaking the time where you really notice it is in the afternoon.
During December you should expect it to get dark at around the time you and your guests will be getting seated for your Wedding Breakfast. This may seem like a negative but it's easy to understand how this can be turned around to your advantage.
Weddings between May through to mid-September very rarely ever enable our couples to get beautiful sunset photos on our incredible coastline, as sunset is far too late.
"Winter weddings enable you to get sunset photos as early as 4pm!"
Your window for capturing night-time rain or star shots is massively opened up, especially as there's normally a natural break after the reception meal and your evening guests arriving.
AVAILABILITY
This is a biggie. Almost all venues are available during winter dates. The same can be said for most suppliers, enabling you to pick the best in all areas. Unless your day has been at least two years in the making, you're unlikely to be able to achieve the same in summer.
"And an often overlooked area is the availability of your guests - during summer weddings many people will be having their annual holiday, during winter the availability of your guests is far higher."
However, if you're having friends and family travelling over from the UK, or further afield, then bear in mind that the risk of fog may be higher, but this is normally in May.
ACCESSORIES And finally, Winter Weddings allow you to accessorise with beautiful extras that a hot summer's day just wouldn't allow.
"Whether it's a traditional warm white shrug, or a stunning pashmina that is colour coded to your wedding colours, they really can add a beautiful touch to your wedding dress."
LESS STRESS We feel that Winter Weddings are more relaxed, less stressful, with a gentle pace that allows more time together, more time with your guests while giving you the pick of the crop of venues and suppliers.
They often lead to some of our most favourite and dramatic images and overall, the positives far outweigh the negatives.
WINTER GALLERY
If you loved this article and found it useful then why not check out our other blog post I Wish I'd Done Things Differently - A Bride's View!
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