Winter wedding tips

In the deep of winter in the UK the night time settles in pretty early – usually around 4pm by December time. So, if you’re planning a winter wedding, what do you need to be aware of in order to get the best from your day?

Why have a winter wedding?

If winter weddings are a bit of a pain because of lack of daylight, why have a wedding at winter? Well, the top reasons I’ve heard are:

• We love a honeymoon destinations which has the best weather during the UK winter (such as the Caribbean, the Maldives or Thailand).
• We love winter! The snow, the crisp, fresh morning and the Christmas feel.
• Our preferred venue is already booked during the summer.

So, you’ve decided you’re going to get married in winter. What extra preparations do you need to take?

Your wedding day

Since it’s likely to be dark by 4-5pm and rather chilly, you need to be aware that your guests will want to spend a lot of time indoors. So, you should make sure that any essential parts of your wedding which must be done outdoors (such as the group shot of everyone and photographs of yourselves) can happen before 3.30pm at the very latest.

You should also prepare for poor weather, just in case. That means finding a venue which has fantastic options for photographs indoors.

Colour scheme of your winter wedding

It is common for winter weddings to have a colour scheme which is a little darker and richer than a summer wedding. If you are having a winter wedding, consider colours like red, greens, purples and blacks rather than yellows and light blues. This is purely a personal taste issue though.

Photographing your wedding in winter

So, now down to the part which is closest to my heart – the photography.

Clearly, to be able to photograph well I need light. If there is no light available I must supplement the light with external flashes. If there is still some light available I’d still like to be able to photograph using the available light, which means using expensive cameras and lenses. Not all photographers have these options or are particularly experienced at using “off-camera flash” (which just means a flash on a stand, triggered wirelessly – it’s important to use the flash off camera for the best effect), so do ask to see examples before booking your winter wedding photography with them.

First off, your venue may have a beautiful front which you could make use of. Here are a couple of examples lit with off-camera flash. The dramatic photographs which you receive can look fantastic and make some couples consider a winter wedding as their preference.

Next, is an example showing how an indoor lit venue can look if photographed using mostly available light:

Finally, it’s also important to be able to be able to produce a beautiful group shot using off-camera indoor lighting. Both of these photographs were produced using a two flashes – one for the people and one to add a bit of brightness to the background, which can look rather stark and foreboding otherwise.

To finish…

Winter weddings are definitely growing in popularity as couples find that they can have their first choice venue and still have a fantastic, fun day. If you’re planning your own winter wedding, get in touch to  discuss how I can help.