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How to plan a simple but elegant wedding during the winter you’ll love. I’ve coordinated for couples on a budget. Here are some tips and ideas I have used for winter weddings.
A winter wedding on a budget can be easy to design. Here is how to set up a winter-themed wedding that is affordable yet stunning. Follow these charming planning steps for a wedding you and your guests will love.
Find cost-effective ideas for coordinating a winter wedding that can be fun, creative, intimate, and cozy.
Winter Wedding Venue Ideas on a Budget:
Winter in the Southern Hemisphere is from December-February. Where winter in the Northern Hemisphere is during the months of June-August. Keep this in mind when planning a winter wedding and consider outdoor versus indoor or a combination of both.
For example, December is typically an expensive month to rent a venue or a restaurant in the USA due to corporate holiday parties. Food and beverage minimums are higher in December, making it difficult to host a smaller intimate winter wedding. The most affordable winter months are January and February. See my article on food and beverage minimums.
Some of my favorite winter weddings I have coordinated were held at a private residence. Both were under 75 guests. The vibe was genuine, and the guests felt welcomed and relaxed. One of the best parts of holding a wedding at a private home is the limited number of rules to follow. This allows creativity to soar without a banquet manager or venue owner squashing your fairytale dreams.
When deciding on the venue and your budget, think about your guests and where they will be traveling from. As well as the overnight accommodations they may need. I realize it’s hard to think about the perfect wedding and chilly rainy weather conditions rolled up in one day. However, it’s far better to be prepared, so you and your guests can embrace the day and enjoy the moment.
If the dream is to have the ceremony outside, have a backup plan just in case the ceremony needs to move inside due to weather. I recommend that both the ceremony and the reception be held at the same location for winter weddings. This way, guests do not need to journey to a secondary site if the weather does not cooperate; Grandma shouldn’t have to roll through puddles on her walker.
Creating a winter-themed wedding can require some extra setup time. If the wedding is being held at a private residence, this will allow more time to pull it all together. Many venues only allow 1.5 to 2 hours for setup and teardown.
Winter Wedding Timeline Ideas:
Winter months turn darker earlier. For example, let’s say sunset for a February wedding is at 5:30 pm. In this scenario, the ceremony should start between 2:00 pm-3:00 pm in order to capture sunset/twilight images. Below is a sample winter wedding timeline:
- 2:00pm Ceremony Begins (based on a 30-minute ceremony)
- 2:40pm Bride, Groom, Bridal Party & Family Photos
- 2:45pm Cocktail Reception Begins
- 3:45pm Reception Guest Seating Begins
- 4:00pm Grand Entrance – Bride/Groom First Dance
- 4:15pm Blessing or Welcome Toast (by Bride/Groom or a Parent)
- 4:20pm Buffet Dinner Service Begins
- 4:50pm Toasts/Speeches (no more than 3 in a row)
- 5:15pm Cake Cutting /Dessert Bar Opens
- 5:30pm Bride/Groom Sunset-Twilight Photos
- 5:50pm Dancing
- 8:00pm Wedding Ends
Bonus Tip:
Consider putting an earlier time on the actual invitations by 15-30 minutes. This will help ensure guests arrive on time for the ceremony in case there is rain, snow, or the venue is tricky to get to. Especially for smaller weddings. Who wants to walk down the aisle and see empty ceremony chairs, or worse, your favorite great auntie hasn’t arrived yet.
Buffet vs. Plated vs. Family Style:
Buffet service is more cost-effective. Plated dinner service is more labor-intensive since each individual plate needs to be prepared and served. Plus the additional staff is needed for plated service, so everyone at the table is served at the same time. Family style is more expensive since all dishes are placed on the guest tables, and guests serve themselves. A caterer will charge more for this option since more food is consumed. This is also messy, and any beautiful table decor ideas you had can’t really be done due to the lack of space.
Winter Wedding Flower Ideas on a Budget
Best flowers for the winter:
- Carnations (most under-appreciated flower. Carnations are affordable and available in a wide range of colors.)
- Amaryllis (red, white & bright colors)
- Hypericum Berries (can be used for Boutonnieres)
- Sweet Peas
- Camellias
- Poinsettias
- Calla Lillies (caution-poisonous flower)
- Tulips (bloom in the winter)
- Roses are available year-round
DIY and purchase flowers at a flower market. The coordinator, family, and bridal party can help with trimming arrangements and setup. The dollar store has a great selection of vases and jars to use for flowers.
If you don’t feel adventurous enough to make the bouquets, you can hire a florist just for the bridal bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres. Then tackle the flowers for the ceremony site, reception tables, and welcome table on your own to cut costs. For small weddings with 50-75 guests, an outside florist can charge up to $1,500.00, so DIY flowers are a great option.
Be sure to have any floral arrangements low profile If you have a portion of the wedding outside. For example, if there are cocktail tables on a patio, flower arrangements too high or too top-heavy will blow over with the slightest amount of wind.
Who should get corsages and boutonnieres? Immediate family members not in the bridal party should receive a wrist corsage or boutonniere.
Boutonnieres:
- Groom
- Fathers/Step-Fathers
- Groomsmen
- Brothers (if not in the wedding party)
- Grandfathers
- Ring Bearer
Boutonnieres are Placed Over the Buttonhole on the Left Lapel of a Suit Jacket
Wrist Corsages:
- Mothers
- Grandmothers
- Step-Mothers
- Sisters (if not in the wedding party)
There are no strict rules on this, but be consistent and don’t forget a sister-in-law or brother-in-law. If you have a large family and a small budget, you can skip this or just provide for the parents and step-parents too.
Winter Wedding Setup Ideas on a Budget:
If the ceremony and reception are being held at the same venue or private residence, use two different spaces if possible. If the plan is to have a brief ceremony outside in a garden, backyard, or patio area, have an indoor backup plan ready in case the weather does not permit so. It’s nice to have options for guests to have a patio to get fresh air, and there are always a few smokers. A cigar bar is a nice touch too.
Lots of fairy lights create a cozy, intimate space. Look for branches in your yard and spray paint them white. Lights, white branches, and greenery really give that winter vibe. When the wedding is being held at a private residence, there are more options available on where to place decor and string battery-operated lighting.
Different sized candles placed at the ceremony site and on guest tables add to the warmth of the space. Venues tend to have strict rules regarding candles, and the flame must be below the rim or jar of a vase. Led lights are also a good option too. Real candles are more cost-effective. Be sure to purchase thicker tea lights that are longer lasting than the standard size. And no need to be matchy-matchy. Dollar Store has a great assortment of glassware in a variety of sizes.
Warm-up your guests with a hot cocoa or apple cider bar as they arrive. This is a lovely touch, especially if the ceremony is outside.
Guest Gift Favors – blankets, pashminas, or scarfs displayed at the ceremony site or near the reception are great thank you gifts for your guests. You can never go wrong with adding individual hand warmer packets to the gift goodies. Older guests get a lot colder more quickly than the younger crowd.
A S’mores Bar is an affordable option for a dessert bar. Tabletop electric S’mores makers are available. Check with your venue to see if this will be allowed. Some venues may allow setup outside only due to any mess. A firepit (portable or stationary) is a wonderful option that guests will love.
Story Time:
In Southern California in February 2012, a bride I worked with was adamant that her ceremony and reception needed to be outside. Many of us tried to discourage her when we noticed the weather called for high winds around 7:00 pm on the evening of the wedding. The venue staff and I wanted to move the entire event inside the main home on the apple farm where the wedding was held. It would have been crowded, but it seemed like the best choice for the comfort of the guests. Finally, myself, the bride’s father, and even the groom gave up, and we honored the bride’s wishes to keep the wedding outside.
The staff and I set up the entire event outside, and it started to get a bit windy at about 3:00 pm, just before the ceremony. Apples lined the ceremony aisle, and as you can imagine, apples were rolling everywhere. We survived the 20-minute ceremony and then went right into the cocktail reception.
A week before the wedding, I suggested a tent be rented, but the bride didn’t want a tent. The bride wanted a dinner reception poolside under the stars. Well, earlier in the day, an enclosed tent was delivered (ordered by the bride’s mom) to accommodate the 125 guests. Here’s the thing about tents, heaters should be included within a tent with a temperature control setting system. Stand-alone heaters should never be placed inside a tent. This is a fire hazard.
Close to 7:00 pm, a few things happened simultaneously; shortly after dinner and cake cutting, the wind started picking up before the champagne toasts. Security also stopped a groomsman from rolling a heater from the ceremony site into the tent. Meanwhile, the General Manager showed me the tent’s exterior and how the anchors supporting the tent were not staying into the ground due to the high wind. At least it wasn’t raining, but moments later, the power went out, and it was dark.
We immediately evacuated the tent to the main house. Security retrieved the generator from the barn, and the banquet staff moved the dessert bar, coffee/tea/water station, and chairs to the house. No one was hurt, and we managed to flip the setup indoors in 20 minutes.
The bride and groom had their first dance to candlelight surrounded by friends and family, while the bride’s cousin sang their first dance song, acapella.
We received a letter from the bride and groom two weeks later. They apologized to the venue staff for their poor judgment and praised the team for not complaining and executing a magical wedding they will never forget, nor will we.
~ Check out my article, How to Get Married for Free: Or on a Small Budget ~
Conclusion:
Colors such as emerald green, dark navy, red, or burgundy are classic colors for a winter wedding. Neutral soft-tone colors work well too. A winter-themed wedding can be magical on a budget. Check out Facebook Market Place for wedding items on sale. Also, combe through Pinterest for ideas and inspiration. Then be a savvy shopper and duplicate your finds as thrifty as possible to make your dream winter wedding come to life. Enjoy and have fun on your wedding day steps.
~ Happy planning and enjoy your wedding day steps ~