Are you planning a winter wedding? You don’t have to get married to a Christmas theme! Just follow Oaks Manor Events’ tips and ideas for the perfect wintery wedding day.

Choose Your Colors

Many brides choose reds, greens, and winter whites for their seasonal weddings. That certainly doesn’t mean you have to! Choose your own palette of colors — even pastels work with frosty undertones. Jewel-toned colors are also a huge hit for this season.

This is the time to break out that fur — real or fake — or a dramatic cape to wear over your gown. It will look amazing in your outdoor pictures!

Make Your Own Wonderland

Just because you’re getting married in the winter doesn’t mean you have to have a winter wonderland theme. Choose small accents — one of our favorites is a hot chocolate bar — to complement the season, but you don’t have to plan everything around the winter theme. It’s your day. Embrace as much or as little of the season as you want.

Foods and Florals

The availability of certain foods and flowers will change in the winter months. Work with your caterer to craft a seasonal menu. Your florist may recommend wintery flowers such as white roses, calla lilies, and poinsettias, but the decision is all yours.

Wear What You Want

Don’t feel that you and your bridesmaids have to wear long-sleeved gowns. Wear the dresses you want! A thoughtful attendant gift is a soft pashmina or shawl to keep warm during and between outdoor pictures.

Schedule Your Photos Carefully

If you will be taking outdoor photos, remember that it gets dark quite early in the winter. Make sure everyone knows the schedule and is available for the photos before evening hits.

Coat Check

Your guests will likely be wearing winter coats to your event, so a thoughtful addition to any reception is a coat check.

Inclement Weather

Be prepared for inclement weather. Talk to both the ceremony and reception venues about what to do if poor weather prevents your wedding from taking place.

Receiving Lines

Rather than having your receiving line in a place where guests will have to wait in the cold, like on the way into the reception, plan ahead. Receive your guests where they can stay inside to congratulate you.

Wedding Favors

Instead of the usual wedding favors, consider a soft, light blanket that your guests can use throughout the day when there’s a chill in the air.