If you’ve always dreamt of having an outdoors wedding, but if you’re getting married during the winter, don’t panic: contrary to what most people believe, it’s not such a difficult task to pull off a successful outdoors wedding during the winter.
It does, however, require quite a fair amount of planning and arrangement to make sure that both your you and your guests are as comfortable as can be. For starters, know your limits: you might have always wanted to have an outdoors wedding but a below zero temperature might put most of your guests off the wedding. No one wants to sit outside during an ice storm, no matter how close they are to the bride and groom. In fact, if you’re reckless about hosting an outdoors winter wedding, you might even end up losing most of your wedding vendors, especially the videographer, cameraman or even DJ.
Having said that, if the weather conditions aren’t too hostile, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t hold a great outdoors winter wedding. For example, you can have ushers pass on new complementary scarves and gloves for each guest to wear during the ceremony. Think about your bridesmaids as well: instead of imposing your dress choice on them, allow them to pick out their own dresses and see which outfit they would feel more comfortable in. Faux fur coats and shrugs are fantastic options for both the bride and her bridesmaids. By that same token, the groom and groomsmen can don thick, floor-length coats over their suits.
Winter often rhymes with strong winds or maybe even gales. This is why it’s also important to invest in a sturdy gazebo or tent to host the reception. This can be quite an advantage because it will allow you to string some fairy lights, hence adding some extra decor. In fact, there’s no reason why you can’t hold the actual ceremony right under the gazebo, especially if there’s chances of snow.
To show your guests that you really appreciate their presence, be sure to hire an usher to pass around mugs of hot cocoa prior to the ceremony. After all, everyone loves hot chocolate, right? You may even have a tea, hot chocolate and coffee station at the reception. Similarly, skip the light wedding nibbles in favor of hot and filling dishes which will bring some added warmth to your guests after the ceremony. Think fried chicken, baked or whipped potatoes, macaroni and cheese and the likes. These may not be the type of dishes that you’ll typically find on wedding buffet tables, but, they’re definitely the sort of food that anyone would appreciate during winter.