Reds and greens certainly reflect the season, but overdo this colour combo, and your wedding may seem more holiday-oriented than you intended.
Consider a less-is-more approach to your colour: Silver and white with crystal accents can add some serious glamour to your winter wedding. For your ceremony, try a white velvet aisle runner trimmed with white satin ribbon, or decorate the altar with a crystal curtain backdrop adorned with hanging strands of elegant white orchids. If you’re exchanging vows outdoors, get your guests in on creating the ambience by giving out clear umbrellas to friends and family members as they arrive.
The Wedding Flowers
Red roses, lilies, and amaryllis are decidedly winter wedding flowers, but if you step outside the flower box, and you’ll find a variety of options for winter blooms.
Consider fuller wedding flowers, such as white hydrangeas. White boutonnieres can be perfect when they’re accented with greenery, but they also look great with a simple white ribbon. Add sparkle to your bouquet by wrapping the stems in ribbon embellished with crystals.
Centrepieces
Go beyond glowing candles to add both warmth and romance to your reception site.
If you want to heighten the drama, bring in the icy outdoors with ice-carved vases on your reception tables. Have your florist fill the vases with tall winter-white branches and hanging crystals to reflect the light from the tables. Surround the centrepieces with candles, and top your tables with white table linens and frosted glass china.
Place Cards
Miniature sleighs and holly motifs stamped onto your place cards would spell out the season pretty clearly, but they might not dazzle your guests.
Leave everyone amazed as they retrieve their place cards by making the entire table sparkle. Have the cards hand-calligraphed in silver ink and attach them to individual crystals with a ribbon. Hang each from an oversized crystal candelabra centrepiece for a new take on the popular place card tree.
The Music
A classical pianist playing during dinner is a sure way to create an elegant ambience, but consider a more unexpected accompaniment.
For a twist on the tunes, consider hiring a Capella quartet to sing background music at your reception. Have the group sing your favourite jazz and pop songs to set a welcoming and festive tone for the evening. If you’re into a more classical sound, hire a cellist and ask that Vivaldi’s “Winter” be included in the repertoire.
Cocktails
A winter cocktail calls for warm, comforting drinks. You really can’t go wrong with hot chocolate and warm cider, but it’s your wedding — why not take every opportunity (drinks included) to add an element of surprise?
Serve up white hot chocolate in small espresso cups and advocar in small punch glasses for your guests as they arrive. At the bar, offer saketinis (Japanese rice wine and sweet-flavoured vodka) in glasses rimmed with sugar crystals.
The Cake
A wedding cake trimmed in red or green ribbon or topped with roses looks pretty, but bakers who are willing to push the fondant envelope can reflect the winter in totally creative ways.
Play up the season with a white, vintage-style cake, dusted with edible silver powder. For accents, have your baker add a white sugar ribbon and crystal drops cascading down one side of the cake.
Honeymoons
While many couples flee the blustery weather for warmer (and sandier) destinations for their honeymoon, a winter wedding can segue perfectly into a snowy escape.
Embrace the season and rent a cosy log cabin, or join the jet-setters at a luxurious hotel in Aspen for some serious skiing, wining, dining, and snuggling.
