Christmas wedding planning? I love Christmas and so festive weddings are always extra special. Some of my favourite Christmas wedding inspirations include: carol singing, personalised baubles, crackers as favours, mulled wine to welcome your guests, berries in bouquets, Christmas trees & fairy lights to decorate your venue. I’ve asked some wonderful wedding suppliers I know, to share their top tips for Christmas wedding planning.
Christmas Wedding Planning
Christmas Wedding Styling
“Make it sparkle – The key to Christmas styling is lighting! Even if you are lucky to have a bright and sunny winter’s day, the light levels will drop indoors from very early afternoon. This is when candles and fairy lights will make your day sparkle! At Lapstone Barn, we include some fairy lights and candles on the day, but find out if this is the case at your venue. Wedding venue stylists offer incredible packages of fairy lights, to make your venue look really festive and give it the wow factor. Bear in mind that some venues don’t allow real candles – battery operated candles are quite effective but they don’t give out much light, which can have a big impact on the overall look of your wedding day.
Shimmer and shine – beautiful lighting on your wedding day will be elevated by including decorations and props which sparkle and bounce the light around. Think mirrors, metallic surfaces, sequins and velvet, which will all catch the light beautifully and bring the space alive. You can include some or all of these things in table decorations, runners and on table plans.
Florals and foliage – check when your wedding venue will be putting up their Christmas tree! Everyone’s own idea of Christmas styling is different, so check what is included so you know how much you need to add to bring your vision to life. Wedding venues are usually big spaces, which can be hard to create impact in. A simple but very effective way of doing this is to add several more Christmas trees with simple strings of white lights. Of course the sky is the limit with when it comes to foliage garlands, wreaths and festive florals!” – Katie, Wedding Coordinator at Lapstone Barn
Christmas Wedding Flowers
When you’re Christmas wedding planning, there are so many gorgeous festive floral options, including wreaths on doors, holly and ivy decorating staircases, Christmas trees & mistletoe hanging in doorways ready for that first kiss.
“Embrace all the beauty that winter has to offer by incorporating textures into your wedding flowers, such as berries and thistles for example. Mixing flowers with dried ingredients such as bracken is a great way to create natural designs inspired by the wintery landscapes you see at this time of year.
Some of my favourite winter flowers that are in season this time of year include hellebores, wax flower, euphorbia and ranunculus. Winter is also a great time of year for foliage too and I like to use varieties such as mimosa, seeded eucalyptus and senecio. If you don’t want your flowers to look too Christmassy you could opt for a rich jewel toned colour pallet made up of emerald greens, magentas and oranges which would be vibrant whilst still reflecting the wintry season.
The days are obviously shorter during the winter months so why not embrace this with your wedding decor by incorporating candle light on your tables, you can get tall tapered candles in a wide variety of different colours so you could opt for candles that compliment the colours of your flowers. Fairy lights also look beautiful at this time of year used inside and outside.
It’s always nice to include scented ingredients that reflect the time of year you get married and whenever you smell them it will transport you back to your wedding day. During the winter you could use rosemary for example or wax flower has a lovely lemony scent to it both would work really well in a bouquet or flower crown.” Joanne, Wedding Florist at Joanne Truby Floral Design
Christmas Wedding Stationery & Favours
“If you’re having a typically festive wedding, it’s always lovely to incorporate some winter foliage into your stationery designs, especially if you’re featuring some in the décor throughout your day. Whether it’s a sprig of holly or a hint or spruce, they can really take your designs to the next level and help tie everything together too. My ‘Natasha’ invitation suite, inspired by Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ features delicate hand-painted botanicals and is paired with a classic, elegant font.
A pop of burgundy or deep forest green with accents of gold or silver can also bring the festive theme into your designs nicely. You can opt for coloured envelopes, or even coloured place cards with gold or silver ink.
Personalised baubles can be a wonderfully festive touch if you’re wanting to combine your place cards and favours. They’ll also be something your guests can treasure for years to come.
If you’re wanting to tie in the theme further, you could even give your table names a Christmas twist. One of my past couples named theirs after the 12 days of Christmas and another named theirs after their favourite Christmas films.” – Katy, Designer at wedding stationery company, Olive & Millicent
Christmas Wedding Dresses
“When it comes to Christmas wedding dresses we automatically think sleeves, but we always encourage our brides to think about their day as a whole. Are you in a warm, cosy, fire lit venue? If so then you may find sleeves a little warm for the entire day.
For any brides getting married around Christmas we love the idea of layering so that you look can change throughout the day and to ensure you feel comfortable in your surroundings. Sleeves are wonderful for this time of year but why not think about a bridal top, cape or jacket to wear over your dress? Something that allows you to transition throughout the day. Like our bride Aly who wore a bias silk satin strappy dress but layered the design with a lace top & jacket for photos outside and at the ceremony.
We have a beautiful selection of wedding dresses with sleeves alongside many bridal top options to wear over your dress, we particularly love our beaded georgette for a real festive feel!” – Siobhan, Bespoke Stylist at Andrea Hawkes Bridal
Christmas Wedding Photography
Christmas weddings fall close to the shortest day, so when you’re Christmas wedding planning, be sure to check the sunset time for your wedding date & location as it may be before 4pm. If you’d like some daylight portraits, consider a first look before your ceremony or opt for an earlier ceremony time.
Couples often want the cozy intimate mood that candles and fairy lights can offer for their reception. Check with your photographer in advance that they have lenses that can cope with low light, without resorting to flash which can feel intrusive and disrupt the mood. You may like to consider adding a standing lamp where the speeches will take place, to provide a little more light while still keeping a warm glow.
Christmas Wedding Inspiration
If you’re Christmas wedding planning & looking for inspiration, you might like to check out some of my favourite Christmas weddings:
- Aly & Hugh had a Christmas wedding at Clare College Cambridge – with Christmas trees in the great hall, and the choir singing carols it was full of Christmas wedding inspiration.
- Kate & Kilian had a cozy Christmas wedding at Lapstone Barn – Kate’s something blue was her wool coat and bespoke baubles decorated the Christmas tree
- This festive Asian bridal shoot shows how red berries & pine foliage can be paired with chunky knits & faux fur for a warm but stylish Christmas wedding look.
- Ai Yun & Gary wanted London Christmas wedding photos taken, including at Leadenhall Market which is perfect with it’s colours of green, red and gold.
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If you’re Christmas wedding planning, you might also like to look through these Winter Wedding Planning Tips. I’d love to talk through your ideas and capture your wedding, please send me a message & let’s arrange a time to speak.
