The short answer – Yes! With a great summer wedding season coming to close, we wanted to talk about the magic of a winter wedding. So can you have a winter wedding outside? Come with us and we’ll explain it all. Not only is it possible, but you may prefer it to the summer!
How Can You Have A Winter Wedding Outside?
Well it all comes down to one thing. The heat. The biggest concern about having a winter wedding outside is the temperature. The biggest decision you make to affect this is choosing your structure. Using an authentic Nordic Tipi makes this issue A LOT easier to handle. They retain heat incredibly well so all you need is a couple of heaters; combined with the heat from all your guests you will have a toasty wedding reception!
Obviously you can’t just take your summer wedding plans and move the date. There are a few things that need to be approached differently. These include your outfits, your flowers (if you’re having fresh), your subcontractors, and potentially your food.
You will presumably want to dress differently for the winter months, which is more of an opportunity than a challenge! Incorporate more layers into your dress, and go bigger and more fabulous than you would in the summer (who wants to be wrapped up in the summer sun?).A different colour pallet will most likely be on the cards too. You want to compliment the surroundings, maybe some pale blues to compliment the frost, or fresh greens to match the countryside.
Different flowers will be in bloom during the winter. This may change your choices but again, it isn’t a bad thing. As winter weddings are less common, using winter flowers will make your photos stand out against the sea of summer weddings. Your guests will take notice as they won’t be what they are used to seeing and they will be all the more memorable!
As for subcontractors, you just want to ensure heating is included. Get this sorted early and you won’t have to worry about it again! In fact, with a winter wedding and a good heating system, you will have more control over the temperature than any outdoor summer wedding!
There may be some subtle changes to your menu for a winter wedding; I doubt you’d want an ice cream truck in December! Instead think of warming comfort foods… Thick soups, winter vegetables, sticky toffee pudding!
Where Can You Have A Winter Wedding Outside?
In short, anywhere with enough flat grass! You will find that a lot of outdoor wedding venues close for the winter season, which may make your search a little more difficult. However, the beauty of an outdoor wedding is your venue doesn’t need to be a wedding venue! And moreover, those that are open often have discounted rated in the winter months.
Local fields, farms, and your own/a relatives back garden are all very popular options! With an outdoor wedding it is much more likely you will be able to find a venue near or overlooking a place that is meaningful to you and your partner. The possibilities are endless for how you can have a winter wedding outside. We advised taking a drive around your local area to find fields that may be suitable. It can be as simple as approaching a local farmer to ask for permission.
Make sure you either choose your venue during the winter, or at least try to picture how it will look at that time. Are the trees evergreen or will they be bare for your wedding? Are there rolling hills of grass fields to be covered in frost? How will the ground be if the weather is wet? All of these things are easy to plan for and will not be stressful if you have them in mind from the start!
What If It Rains?
Again, this will come down to the structure you choose for your wedding. In the UK, if you have an authentic Nordic Tipi, there are no concerns. These tipis are designed, tested and built in Swedish Lapland. They can cope with the harsh wintery weather of the north; British weather is no problem regardless of the time of year. Tentipi, the company who makes these amazing structures, developed a canvas specifically for this purpose. It is completely waterproof so doesn’t require treatment like other canvases and retains heat brilliantly. Check out this video to see how it compares to the highest quality ‘off the shelf’ canvases.
You can find out more about Nordic tipis Here. They are sturdy enough, warm enough, an beautiful all year round!
Other than this, it’s a simple case of keeping your suppliers (toilets, any outdoor food/drink carts etc.) close to the tents to avoid walks through the rain. Put matts down on well travelled areas to avoid mud! A bucket of umbrellas can also be an excellent idea to put by the entrance.
