Don’t let the prospect of cold and snow scare you away from a winter wedding. With a little bit of prep, winter weddings can be an absolute dream! Spoiler alert: Winter is actually my favorite season for weddings and portraits 🙂 Keep reading for my top 5 tips for a perfect winter wedding!
Invest in Chic Warm Accessories
Ladies, the best thing you can do for yourself and your bridesmaids is to invest in some chic warm accessories. Shawls, wraps, furs, etc. There are SO many beautiful ways to keep yourselves warm and toasty during your portraits. And the best part is, layers like these photograph like a dream and they allow us to stay out in the elements slightly longer which means more photos for you! Win win!
Worried about not being able to show off your beautiful gown? We can always do some portraits with your warm layers on and some with them off.
Dress for the Weather
If wraps and jackets aren’t your thing, do yourself a favor and get a dress that’s built for the weather. Opt for long or 3/4 sleeves and thicker fabrics.
Make your Guests Cozy Too
If your wedding venue has a draft and/or you’re braving a semi-outdoor ceremony, consider their comfort and gift them cozy blankets to stay warm. A hot chocolate bar is another fun idea for winter weddings – maybe your guests are greeted with a hot chocolate station as they arrive at your ceremony..who wouldn’t love walking in from the cold to that?!
Timing
You need to be really conscious of your timeline for a winter wedding because we are working with a very short window of light at that time of year. Unless you’re having a brunch wedding (which is a super fun idea for that time of year by the way!), you need to plan to do all of your portraits before your ceremony if you want that soft, pretty natural light. The only other way around this is if you have an early (think 1pm) ceremony and then a 2-3 hour gap before cocktail hour.
Footwear
Be mindful of where you and your bridesmaids will be walking during portraits. If you’re going to be walking through snow I HIGHLY recommend telling your girls to wear snow boots (practical AND so adorable!). This isn’t the time to wear strappy open-toed heels. Maybe there’s no snow, but the sidewalks are likely to be a bit icy. In that case, I would recommend all the ladies wear cute flats, at least during transition. If you all want to change into a heel once we’re stationary, that’s a great compromise.
Bonus: Hand Warmers
The one thing I ALWAYS encourage my couples to purchase ahead of their winter wedding (or engagement session for that matter) is a stash of hand warmers for each member of their wedding party. Guys can keep them in their pockets, girls can hold them against their bouquets. These are a life saver and help keep you warm throughout your outdoor portraits!
So there you go! Winter is truly a beautiful time of year to get married – take advantage of it!
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