We were blessed with perfect weather on our wedding day. It was exactly what we had hoped for. A crisp, cold day complete with winter sunshine and blue skies. I woke at around 5.30am, unable to sleep any longer, and watched the sunrise through my bedroom window. The grass surrounding the hotel looked as if it had been dusted with icing sugar and the early morning light danced across the frosty bonnets of cars parked nearby.
1. Sunshine, Daisies and Glamping for a Beautiful Humanist Woodland Wedding 2. Sunshine and Corn Fields ~ A Charming, Old Fashioned and ‘Eco Vintage’ Somerset Farm Wedding 3. A Tulle Cloud Skirt and Red Shoes for a Liberty London Inspired Colourful Wedding 4. Two Weddings In One Day – A Colourful and Multicultural Celebration! 5. A Monique Lhuillier Wedding Dress for a Fun, Relaxed Outdoor Wedding in Devon 6. A Wedding Dress of Embroidered Vintage Table Cloth for a Bride With Flowers In Her Hair 7. Sunflowers, Sunshine and a Relaxed 1970’s Vintage Fashion Vibe 8. Sunshine, an Ice Cream Van and an Austin Healey ~ A Vintage Inspired Garden Fete Wedding 9 + 10. Gold Sequins, Glamour and a Wedding Camp Village in the Garden 11. Wedfest! An Edwardian Vintage Wedding Dress and Tipis in Cornwall 12. Melina and David’s Whimsical and Sunkissed Oxfam Engagement Shoot
The strange thing about our decision to marry in the middle of January is that under normal circumstances I possess a deep loathing of winter and all that goes with it. Once the excitement of Christmas has passed, you’re left with a long and arduous wait for spring to appear. It’s cold and dark and usually wet. If it snows, the country is thrown into chaos and I come under increasing pressure to adopt sensible footwear. Bleugh.
However, when it came to selecting a date for our wedding my opinion shifted. The bleakest months of the year suddenly seemed romantic, the cold an excuse to cosy up to my new husband. There were other, more practical, considerations too, not least the fact that marrying out of season meant we enjoyed a sizeable discount on the cost of our venue. Moreover, the need for warmth spurred my decision to wear a feather trimmed coat designed by Joanne Fleming, an accessory I now can’t imagine my wedding day without.
1. Tweed, Antlers and Charity Shop Finds ~ An Eco-Friendly, English Countryside Inspired Wedding 2 + 8. Two High School Sweethearts & Their Beautifully Handmade, Rustic Barn Wedding 3 + 4. Delicate Lace By Justin Alexander For A Pretty Yellow Barn Wedding 5. Jenny Packham for a Midsummer Nights Dream Inspired Woodland Wedding 6, 7 + 10. Annabel’s wedding in Whitby 9. Easter bride
The day itself was everything I hoped it would be. No regrets. Of course, that’s not to say I haven’t entertained the idea of what our wedding might have been like if we’d chosen to marry at a different time of year…
Sometimes I dream of centrepieces heavy with the first flowers of spring. Daffodils, narcissi and lily of the valley mingle with freesias and tulips and sweet peas. The air is thick with their intoxicating scent.
Or I picture a day of blistering heat, where we marry outside against a backdrop of blue sky and fluffy white clouds. We treat our guests to ice cream after the ceremony and spend the evening dancing barefoot under the stars, drunk on the magic of a midsummer’s night.
1. Who’s That Girl? 2. A Slice of Shoreditch Style ~ A Relaxed, Cool and Contemporary East London Wedding 3. Stephanie Allin Lace For An Elegant Scottish Winter Wedding 4. An Art Deco, 1920’s Inspired London Winter Wedding 5. A Hooded Cape Veil and Cymbeline Dress for a Vintage Inspired Winter Wedding 6. A 1950s Style Tea Length Wedding Dress For A Vintage Inspired London Bride 7. 1940s Vintage Lace for a Winter Wonderland Wedding ~ A Bridal Photoshoot
Perhaps it is autumn. Maybe the trees have started to turn, but a hint of summer sunshine lingers on, setting the horizon ablaze. Sometimes the leaves have already started to fall and they crunch underfoot as I make my way towards our wedding venue. Either way, the setting for our ceremony is bursting with vibrant shades of orange and red and gold. As darkness falls, the temperature drops and suddenly the sky is alive with fireworks.
But I always find my way back to winter eventually. Pulling my coat a little tighter around my body and retreating into the feathers that frame my face. I lean into my husband’s body for warmth as we pose for photos outside while our guests remain cosseted in the bar. A winter wedding means roaring fires, rich food, hot drinks and guests in elegant winter coats.
The season in which your wedding takes place dictates many things, from the clothes you wear to the flowers you carry and the food your guests will eat. There’s different light at different times of year, which means different photographs too. In the UK you can’t rely on the weather at any time of year, but snow is unlikely in August and pure, brilliant sunshine unheard of in early February. There’s plenty to think about and a whole host of pros and cons to consider whichever season you find yourself drawn to.
1 + 2. A Coral Celebration of Felt Bouquets and Buttonholes, and 1000 Paper Cranes From Recycled Wedding Magazines 3. A Village Fete Themed Wedding Inspired by the Bride and Groom’s Grandparents 4. A Relaxed, Rustic and Alternative October Wedding Planned in Just Nine Weeks 5 + 7. Penguin Books and Jesus Piero – Navy and Blue Fill a Castle Full of Colour 6. Edwardian Style Wedding Dresses by Sally Lacock
So, what time of year have you chosen to marry and why? Is your wedding ‘seasonal’ in every sense of the word? Have you chosen to incorporate any elements that relate to the period in which your celebration will fall?
Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below, and be sure to head this way for some seasonal inspiration too (or click on the images above to be taken to all our weddings relating to that season)…
Franky
