It would be fair to say that weddings are pretty seasonal nowadays. In other words, if you were to talk to most venues, there would be months at a time where there would be absolutely no bookings.
Once upon a time, winter was a period that was avoided like the plague by brides and grooms around the country. Now, this is changing somewhat. While it’s not quite as fashionable as a summer wedding, it’s certainly increasing in popularity. In fact, you only have to take a look at the wedding of Stephen Varanko III to see that this is well and truly the case.
It’s Varanko that we are going to primarily focus on today. We will now take a look at some of his best suggestions for hosting a winter wedding without any blips.
Consider just having one venue
As we all know, winter is unpredictable at best. It’s for this reason that simplicity needs to be at the heart of your wedding, and this includes the venue itself.
By having a ceremony and reception at multiple venues, you are immediately opening up the potential for things to go wrong. The weather can result in cars not being able to pass through certain roads, and overall just create some real chaos.
By having everything at one venue, all such aggravation is avoided. Not only that, but guests don’t have to freeze to death as they attempt to navigate from one location to another.
If you really don’t want everything housed in one venue, at least try and make the distance between the two as short as possible. Again, the longer the distance, the more chance of things going wrong.
Photos should be at the start of the day
Couples pay big money for photographers, and it’s no surprise why really. The benefits are endless and lifelong, so you should be looking to protect these in whichever way you can.
As we all know, the days are much shorter in winter. It immediately means that a photographer is without his elusive light as he begins to take photos later in the day.
To combat this, make sure all of the big photo opportunities are placed at the start of the day. You’ll benefit from that natural light which will ultimately make your day appear much better in years to come.
Forget the champagne arrival
Nowadays, it’s pretty common practice to welcome guests with a glass of champagne (or sparkling wine, if you are that way inclined). While such a touch is always going to be appreciated, in the depths of winter it might be advisable to opt for a different approach. A hot drink arrival might be just what the doctor ordered for many of your guests, and allow them to warm up to enjoy the day’s specialties.
Of course, this suggestion isn’t just limited to drinks. The overriding message is that you should be catering for the warmth of your guests at every opportunity. If everyone is too cold, it’s simply going to result in people heading home early and your big day ending prematurely.