Winter wedding? Pros and cons!!

I am getting married next week, so I am having a winter wedding. That being said, I live in Los Angeles, so it does not snow here...but I will try to share with you what I think. I always wanted a winter/ fall wedding because I find it more glam. You can use beautiful rich colors like reds, golds, purples, etc. Winter evenings are beautiful indoors. You can get a beautiful fur/ or faux fur wrap for your dress, I have marabou. If you have snow, that is perfect for some very glam shots with your new hubby, you can also have a wedding with lots of sparkle, you can do a winter wonderland theme, a rustic lodge theme, a glam black and white theme. You don't have to worry about people being too hot, it always better to bundle up! ( imagine getting married in front of a grand fire place with twinkling lights and candles *swoon*) You could have a hot chocolate bar or a smores bar...yum! The best thing about winter esp. Jan is that venues offer very good rates and pretty much everyone is free in Jan since the holidays are over.

Well, it's cheaper, but the weather can really be tough if you're in an area that gets winter. We are booked right through Jan/Feb and March; the price difference is significant and how nice is it that in a season where not much goes on, your guests will love having something to look forward to!

I agree with Celia, many vendors are eager for business and many venues will give you a deal.

I am getting married in February of 2016. In Phoenix LOL. So although it's cold for us Phoenicians... Our families back east will looooooooove 50-60 instead of -30 LOL. Plus we got $1000 off our venue since it's technically in their slow season and an excellent price for our caterer! (Same reason.. Slow season)

I would hate a winter wedding and here's why:

1) its COLD

2) You can't take any pictures outside

3) You can't have an outside ceremony

4) Pasty white skin

5) Dry skin

6) Snow could derail your plans, making it impossible for friends and family to travel to your wedding

7) Its nasty outside and the dirty slush snow ruins your shoes, gets the floors all dirty,etc.

8) Around/right after the holidays which is a very busy time for people and people are strapped for cash, which may seriously limit friends and family who are able to attend

Plus, did I mention...its COLD????

haha

I had a winter wedding and even incorporated in into the wedding theme. We had the ceremony and reception in a hotel which ensured our guests would have a place to spend the night if they couldn't get home; plus we didn't have to worry about the weather going in and out of locations/venues. Also as they didn't need to go in and out, my bridesmaids, MOH and flower girl didn't take weather into consideration when they chose dresses (they all ended up with either short dresses or high-low dresses. Long dresses are expensive to hem).

As others have said, my photographer and DJ offered discounts for off-season bookings. When we set our date (which was the Saturday after Thanksgiving) it lent itself to a theme. I knew every venue we looked at would have Christmas/holiday decorations out so I decided to embrace that by using a winter/Christmas theme. I used snowflakes on my invitations, we had snowflake Christmas ornaments as favors and I had separate snowflake ornaments with the names of family members/close friends that had passed. I used mini ornaments a lot (in the bouquets and on my cake topper) and we used Christmas ornaments for the guests to sign (instead of a traditional guest book) and displayed the ornaments on a Christmas tree in the ceremony and reception rooms.

You could add a fur (or faux fur) muff or a white wrap to your attire to bring in the winter feel.

Cons- Weather,weather,weather

May I add that weather can be a problem any time of year. I know many people that would rather drive in the snow than in the pouring rain. Personally I would rather be cold than hot. When I was a bridesmaid in May of 2014 I was miserable because the bride picked a full length dress of us and then had us outside in the heat and humidity for pictures (at the church and then at the reception site).

@Theresa, that's true, but rain rarely shuts down airports across a region or completely prevents people from being on the road for days the way that snow can.

Around here airports close or delay for rain almost as often as snow. The airports seem to have better plans/equipment at the ready for snow but not rain.

Snow is the only reason I did not pick a winter date.

I had a 12/13/14 wedding in Houston. All of my family and friends needed to travel from California. Some couldn't make it, but I was pleasantly surprised by how many could! I love this time of year. I loved using candles, cranberries, and lights as decorations. I loved serving hot apple pie moonshine. I loved the warm, festive vibe we created for our day!!

With that....it was 70° and cloudy. We picked a venue with an indoor option, and I had bad weather plans for photography. I took care of my skin for weeks in advance (mindful of dry and chapped).

I think with winter weddings, they are absolutely doable, but you must be realistic. More people cannot come. You MUST have a bad weather plan, and be happy and content with it. I knew I wanted outdoor pictures and ceremony, but was also happy with my alternate plans. Be mindful that it gets dark early, which effects photography.

After living through terrible blizzards that occurred at the most inopportune times, I told FH that under no circumstances will I be getting married OR birthing children during the winter. (Read: you have more guts than me).

That being said, the season can really add additional beauty to a wedding. Definitely take advantage of outdoor photo opportunities and venues that showcase the winter wonderland. There are stylish snow boots that work well with some wedding dresses.

I love winter weddings. The only reason I didn't pick a winter wedding is because I always wanted to get married outdoors and I live in Michigan so... yeah that wasn't gonna happen lol

I'm getting married next Saturday the 17th.. I chose a winter wedding because I wanted to wear a long sleeve lace wedding dress (which I did not wind up wearing), my venues did not offer me any type of discount for being off season, I as well enjoy the dark colors and the sparkle, I thought snow pics would be really nice, once i start sweating I tend to never stop so anything with even remotely some heat would not have been good for me.. Did we take a chance? Sure! But next Saturday is supposed to be sunny and 37 degrees.. Fairly warmer for January!

While I wouldn't choose to have a winter wedding (I love the summer too much!), I would love to be a guest at a winter wedding. It seems like weddings are almost always sandwiched into a few months, this gives something to look forward to during the winter. It is also nice for guests because the costs of attending weddings is usually all within those few months too. A bonus for you would be the reduced venue and vendor costs too. I'd be all for it, especially if you love the winter yourself, it would make sense.

If you live in a region that actually has winter -- as in ice and snow -- you always run the risk of inclement weather. I was married on January 30, and it did begin to sleet on my wedding day. Funny, I didn't care. I was in a bridal gown, I looked amazing, and I was thrilled to be getting married to my husband. I really didn't care how many showed up, but the decision was made to delay the ceremony -- almost 40 minutes -- because we knew people were on the road. Thankfully, the church, the pastor, and the reception venue were absolutely accommodating, and I lost no time in either venue. They even let us have our full cocktail hour and the four hour reception my parents paid for.

However, there are some huge benefits. Number one is cost. It is cheaper to get married in the winter. The second big draw is that you can actually have an afternoon wedding at 2:00 or 3:00 PM, but the sun will set by 4:30/5:00 and you will have the feel of an evening reception. When the sun goes down, the party gets going -- regardless of what time the clock says.

If you live in a region that actually has winter -- as in ice and snow -- you always run the risk of inclement weather. I was married on January 30, and it did begin to sleet on my wedding day. Funny, I didn't care. I was in a bridal gown, I looked amazing, and I was thrilled to be getting married to my husband. I really didn't care how many showed up, but the decision was made to delay the ceremony -- almost 40 minutes -- because we knew people were on the road. Thankfully, the church, the pastor, and the reception venue were absolutely accommodating, and I lost no time in either venue. They even let us have our full cocktail hour and the four hour reception my parents paid for.

However, there are some huge benefits. Number one is cost. It is cheaper to get married in the winter. The second big draw is that you can actually have an afternoon wedding at 2:00 or 3:00 PM, but the sun will set by 4:30/5:00 and you will have the feel of an evening reception. When the sun goes down, the party gets going -- regardless of what time the clock says.

I live in Boston and years ago a friend got married in November. The bridesmaids had beautiful black velvet dresses. Ended up being in the mid70s! But her decor was beautiful. At my venue there are many pictures hanging up of couples in the snow... These are some of the most beautiful pictures I've ever seen.

Well I just got married in the end of November (start of December) wedding over Thanksgiving in MN...in the woods of MN. It snowed in the days up to the wedding and on Sunday after the wedding. It was 18 degrees high on Friday of the wedding and Saturday of the wedding it was a warm and happy 34 degrees.

My advice...if you want a summer wedding the discount isn't going to likely be worth the difference of having that. But if you love the cozy feel of winter, hot drinks, friends gathering, blankets, thicker fabric etc then embrace it.

I think my biggest regret about having a winter wedding is not being able to have the wedding outside (there is something so incredibly priceless about a warm sunny day when the wind blows just right and everyone is just so joyous to be breathing it all in)...

and that our venue is a summer mecca (which is why it was so much more affordable in winter) so a lot of the things that are usually part of the experience were not included (pontoon boats and other fun summer things)...the things that make the area famous were shut down for the season (bumper cars, water parks, business, restaurants).

Thankfully the winter activities were fun too...sleigh rides, winter bonfires and smores, and winter fireworks. Otherwise I have no winter wedding regrets! It was so wonderful to have everyone together and I adore my outside photos which we happily took. The ground was frozen and we didn't experience much of the grey slush. The sky was beautiful and crisp. No weather issues preventing people from arriving and people felt relaxed...and not like they had just been going to back to back weddings or traveling every weekend on fun summer plans.

Pro's:

1. Discounts-Venue was almost free and even the min's dropped

2. Lodging was WAY cheaper for guests because they had a wedding discount..in the summer they don't have a wedding lodging discount.

3. Lodging was available to get..in the summer they are at capacity every day almost.

4. Things say cold in your car that you want to stay cold

5. Some people have less busier winters (My family are seasonal business owners so finally we could all breathe enough to enjoy an event).

6. Groomsmen rarely overheat in their suits

7. No dying of overheating for anyone. (people won't complain about it being too hot).

8. No mosquitoes or unlikely sunburns

9. Fun ice fishing and outside snow photos. Scarfs and mittens make great accessories.

10. Cozy feeling inside...

11. Long holiday weekends

12. Less weddings to compete with

13. Cheaper vendors with the off season (even if just slightly it can make a difference)

14. Cute winter props to wear. Cardigans, wraps, plaid etc.

Con's

1. Winter is cold....and cold can put a damper on things if you expect it to be warm like.

2. Winter weather can all of a sudden impact travel

3. Sun sets way earlier which limits outside photo ops and sun setting photos are complicated unless your having a way earlier or way later ceremony.

4. People will complain about cold

5. No wild flowers

6. Imagine summer and all the glory of summer....it isn't summer (this can be a con).

7. Lakes are often frozen over

8. Temptation to do a x-mas theme or winter wonderland

9. Photographers cameras acting up in the cold

10. Red noses in photos

11. No outside wedding (and really all outside weddings have a lot more low key feel and beautiful feel about them vrs then inside weddings