The wonder of a winter wedding
No wait lists plus discounts, fireside settings, and spectacular photographs are among the top reasons for nuptials in the cold, writes
When Olivia Hemus got married last month, the choice of season – mid-winter – was both about convenience but also a passion, shared with new husband James Kirkpatrick, for the colder months.
‘‘We both love winter and the snow but, to be honest, it was more of a ‘which weekend are we free in the next 10 weeks?’ question, and there were only two weekends in mid June!’’ she says.
Hemus says some of the highlights of her winter wedding were ‘‘seeing everyone glammed up in their finery – fur coats and all – having mulled wine, and the cosiness of a fire that immediately sets an intimate tone.’’
The newlywed would definitely recommend a winter wedding to anyone considering it.
‘‘With a summer wedding you have to lock everything in so far in advance as it’s obviously a popular time of year to get married. We found with our short lead time that we still had plenty of options as it’s not a busy time of year.’’
She says the weather was the most important factor that needs to be considered for the big day.
‘‘Have a backup plan if you’re thinking of an outside location. We had planned to have everything inside but moved it outside two hours before our guests arrived as the weather was beautiful, which was a total bonus.’’
Kath MacKenzie, creative director of Queenstown wedding planner’s One Fine Day, agrees.
‘‘The top considerations are the elements in our alpine location. The weather in the mountains can change at any time and fast, so keep in mind a very good Plan B option.’’
She says ‘‘heli weddings’’ are very popular but warns that ‘‘marrying on top of a mountain in the snow is a lot colder than you think, so choose your attire and footwear carefully, and make sure your guests do too’’.
MacKenzie says most couples choosing to marry in the winter months are looking for a snowy mountain-top ceremony followed by a cosy reception with roaring fires, minimalistic styling and quality local cuisine.
‘‘Winter weddings tend to be more intimate affairs with a smaller number of guests, opening up a number of options for venues.’’
Queenstown-based wedding photographer Carla Mitchell recommends also thinking about the timing of elements of the day.
‘‘As we lose the sun earlier in the winter, it’s a good idea to check out the ceremony/reception venue at that time of year before booking.
‘‘You can have a ceremony at 4pm in the summer and still have six hours of sunlight, but in the winter the venue might already be in the shade at 2pm.’’
For those wanting great outdoor wedding shots, Mitchell says brides can wear stockings under their dresses and should buy a warm topper – such as a fur
coat – which complements their dress.
Wellington wedding dress designer Sally Eagle says long lace sleeves are ‘‘definitely a must’’ and have been on-trend for a while now.
‘‘Brides love the idea of long sleeves but tend to decide against them when getting married in summer for practicality.
‘‘I am such a fan of winter weddings as they can look so beautiful, and brides then get to wear the long-sleeve dress they’ve been dreaming about,’’ Eagle says.
‘‘We find that our brides like to still have a bit of skin showing, even with a winter-style wedding dress. A fitted long-sleeve dress with a plunging neckline or open back works beautifully.’’
Eagle says they also make a lot of dresses with a separate longsleeve lace top that can be removed later in the day for dancing.
Another bonus of a winter wedding, according to Eagle, is keeping costs down.
‘‘Often venues do off-season prices for the winter months, and there is also more chance the venue, florists, photographer, etc will be available in winter as they will have fewer bookings.
‘‘I know I would love more winter brides.’’
As for suits, Paige McElroy of Working Style says winter weddings generally take a more formal approach to dressing, with a large number of grooms opting for black tie or a three-piece suit.
‘‘While black tie speaks for itself, we are also advocating suits to be tailored in luscious flannels and contemporary Donegal tweeds.
‘‘The tweed allows the groom to dress with a little more character while maintaining a sophisticated handwriting.’’
And when it comes to decor and flowers, Shaye Woolford of Bay of Plenty events styling and floristry company, On My Hand, says the moodier palette for wedding outfits – ‘‘black tuxedos, plum or forest green bridesmaid dresses, etc’’ often dictates a lighter approach to the venue styling.
‘‘So with flowers, some like to add colour to offset neutral tones and others prefer to go for simple green and white.’’
Another trend for winter weddings that Woolford is seeing is the introduction of colours like dark red or black, copper and burnt orange.
‘‘Using furs, hides and lots of lighting is also something I’m noticing.
‘‘The winter ceremony areas we’ve set up recently have always been outside, but definitely moving into an indoor space for dining.
‘‘We’ve had such beautiful weather lately that it has actually been more stable than summer!’’
‘With a summer wedding you have to lock everything in so far in advance as it’s obviously a popular time of year to get married. We found... we still had plenty of options as it’s not a busy time of year.’ Olivia Hemus