Simple Tips to Keep Your Guests Warm for Your Winter Wedding

Snow falling, hot chocolate, twinkly lights - it’s hard to believe that winter is considered the “off-season” for weddings. Sure, the weather can be less than favorable at times, but your wedding can still be a romantic (and cozy!) celebration of your union. Not only are there cost benefits to having a winter wedding (prices are significantly cheaper in the winter months), but it provides an intimate, magical ambiance to your wedding. You don’t have to fully commit to a holiday theme, but it would be smart to incorporate the season into your floral and color palette choices. Whether you’re considering an indoor or outdoor (yes, they’re possible) winter wedding, we’ve listed five tips below that can help you plan the winter wonderland wedding of your dreams!

Coat Check

This first tip is less about physical warmth but more about keeping hearts warm –– make sure you have a coat check set up at your venue! This may be the last priority on your wedding checklist, but for winter weddings, it’s a must-have. Your guests will most likely be braving chilly and possibly even snowy weather to attend your wedding, and it is assumed they will be in all the winter attire - large coats, scarves, gloves, boots, etc. It’s a nice gesture to offer your guests a place they can safely store their belongings, so they don’t have to lug their winter gear around all night or keep an eye on the back of their chairs while trying to have a good time on the dance floor. Trust us, your guests will thank you for this.

Consider Travel Time

Photography by Jane from the Thompson Photography Group

In most other seasons, you can have your ceremony and reception venues in two completely different locations, but for winter weddings, you should consider how long it will take your guests to travel between venues. Harsh weather can cause commutes to take longer and be more unsafe for your guests. If you can find a venue that can encompass both your ceremony and reception, where your guests may only have to endure a short walk in the cold, that would be the most ideal location to keep your guests comfortable.

Create A Cozy Environment

Cold and gloomy weather on your wedding day doesn’t have to be such a downer. You can create a cozy reception lounge that all of your guests can flock to when they get chilly. Set up some outdoor fire pits or heaters and have a space set up inside where guests can relax on couches to get warm. Even if you want a completely outdoor reception, consider renting a large, heated tent, so you still get the winter landscape views without the potential frostbite.

Hot Beverage and Food Station

An open bar might be the first thing on guests’ minds, but what they’ll appreciate even more for a winter wedding is an open hot beverage and food station. You can serve classic holiday drinks like a Hot Toddy, hot chocolate, eggnog, and coffee. DIY s’mores stations are also very popular for winter weddings, where guests can make themselves a warm snack, either outside at the fire pits, or you can create wood fuel stations for an indoor s’mores bar.

Blanket Wedding Favors

For a wedding favor that will keep guests warm during your reception and they can use post-wedding, you can provide blankets either with your initials stitched in or simply the colors of your wedding palette. Even if you don’t want to give blankets out as favors, it’s still a good idea to offer them at the reception so guests who tend to be colder can use them.

Share this with a bride who is tying the knot during the winter months. Need a wedding gown that will look beautiful and keep you warm? Browse our collection of wedding gowns and accessories for a few winter-friendly options!

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