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18 Winter Wedding Ideas and Tips

By 15th September 2021November 29th, 2023Wedding Lighting
Young newly-wed couple




Winter weddings can be cosy, intimate and truly enchanting. If you’ve decided to have your special day in the cooler months, there are some great ways you can embrace the low temperatures and fading light to create an unforgettable winter backdrop.

From venues to table decorations and lighting, here are our top 18 winter wedding ideas.

Winter Wedding Venues

1. Country manor

Stately homes and country manors or hotels are perfect for winter weddings. Wooden interiors with deep coloured flooring and soft furnishings create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Together with roaring open fires and lots of softly light spaces for guests to relax, luxurious countryside properties will add a cosy, intimate feel to your winter wedding day.

2. Woodland snowy scene

If you live in snowier climes, a crisp, white snowscape can create a stunning scene for your winter wedding. Outdoor seating with blankets and a hot chocolate cart for guests with a rustic foliage arch for the nuptials are so simple yet charming. Just make sure you have a backup plan for when conditions turn for the worse and don’t forget to wrap up!

Farnham Castle Fairy Light Canopy and Curtains cropped

Winter Wedding Table Decorations

Table with various wedding decorations on it

3. Candles

The soft glow of candles will bring intimacy to your winter wedding tables. Cluster them for a medieval banquet vibe. You can even add wintry scents like cinnamon, apple, cedar and ginger to complete the sensory experience.

The soft glow of candles will bring intimacy to your winter wedding tables. Cluster them for a medieval banquet vibe. You can even add wintry scents like cinnamon, apple, cedar and ginger to complete the sensory experience.

4. Natural touches

Rustic table decorations like log slices, natural foliage, frosted pine cones and even holly are the perfect winter touches for wedding tables. You can also decorate centrepieces and candles with wreaths adorned with pine, holly or ivy to add a splash of winter beauty.

5. Deep colours

Continue with the cosy feel at your winter wedding tables by using deep, warm colours like burgundy, navy blue or forest green for runners, napkins, ribbons and flowers.

6. Sparkle

And to lift the feel to a festive level, you can incorporate some sparkle with glittery pine cones, gold or silver candlesticks, metallic rimmed drinks glasses and even gold or bronze cutlery.

Winter Wedding Lighting

7. Warm fairy lights

Fairy lights bring magic and twinkle to weddings at any time of year, and warm fairy lights work particularly well at winter weddings. The soft glow emitted from fairy lights can be used for intimacy in seating areas, to highlight venue features, to boost the character of plant life and to create a subtle glow around focal points like the top table.

wedding lights 1
Wedding venue with fairy drape canopy, lights and chandalier

8. Fairy drape light canopy

And for even more softness with a touch of elegance on your winter wedding day, you can team fairy lights with drapes. Embellish the ceiling for your ceremony and/reception with a fairy drape light canopy to create a billowing, fairytale starry sky.

9. Light curtains

Light curtains work fabulously at winter weddings too. A pure fairy light curtain will create a dazzling background for stage areas and across windows. And to soften the dazzle to a romantic twinkle, you can incorporate white drapes for a cosy, light curtain backdrop for the top table or the signing of the register.

Luminous led lights

uplifts and moonfloods

10. Uplights and Moonfloods

Whether you’ve gone with the classic country manor or an outdoor snowy scene, uplights can be used to highlight character-filled features, and add light and warmth. Indoors uplights can wash arches, columns and alcoves with ambient light, while outdoors they can bring drama to trees and other plant life.

Winter Wedding Favours

Woman holding a bar os soap with holly leaves tied to it

11. Sweet treats

Old jam jars or mason jars filled with delicious home mixes for hot chocolate, brownies and festive gingerbread men are cute, winter wedding favours that your guests will love.

12. Winter tipples

Or how about a warming winter tipple to take home and toast the happy couple? Locally produced whiskey or sloe gin are excellent choices. And for a Christmassy twist, you could have little muslin bags of mulled wine spices.

13. Christmas tree decorations

If your special day falls close to Christmas, you could even choose festive decorations as your winter wedding favour. Get them personalised with your names and the date, and there will be no excuses for forgetting your anniversary!

Winter Wedding Dresses

wedding dress min

14. Winter wedding dress

The trick to the perfect winter wedding dress is to balance aesthetics with practicality. Sleeves, heavier fabrics and lining will keep you cosy while still looking beautiful. And you can include deep colours to your bouquet and bridesmaids’ dresses for a touch of warmth. Finally, use beading and sparkles to add frosty glamour and a festive feel to your winter wedding dress.

15. Winter wedding accessories

Accessories are a must with a winter wedding dress. If your ceremony is outside or if you plan to do your photographs outdoors, then you’ll need to wrap up. You could include an elegant faux fur wrap or a classic hand muff. Or go playful with earmuffs and mittens.

Christmas Wedding ideas

16. Christmas wedding cake

A true Christmas wedding cake will be spiced with beloved festive flavours like cinnamon and dried fruit. In terms of decoration, white icing or even a naked cake with holly, red berries, frosted foliage and sparkles look fantastic on a Christmas wedding cake. And you can even embellish your cake with gingerbread biscuits to complete the festive look.

17. Christmas wedding refreshments

There are so many goodies that you can serve at a Christmas wedding. Hot chocolate and mulled wine or cider are great festive beverages to get your guests in the spirit. And as for treats, you could serve good old mince pies and gingerbread men for the kids.

18. Christmas wedding decorations

All the traditional Christmas decorations work brilliantly at a festive wedding. Holly, frosted pine cones, paper garlands, glitter, and red and green tones are perfect ways to decorate your special Christmas wedding.

Christmass wedding cake

Get sparkle and shine on your winter wedding day

So that’s our top 18 magical ideas to create an unforgettable winter wedding day. At Party Lights, we have an extensive range of wedding lighting for hire that’s perfect for winter weddings – from fairy light curtains to drapes and uplights.

For inspiration, browse our gallery or contact us now to discuss your needs, and let’s help you create your very own winter wonderland.

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