'Tis the season!

Christmas is quickly creeping up on us, and a lot of engaged couples getting married at this time of year,  take inspiration for their wedding from the holiday season! And what a good theme to have.  Let's face it, everyone defines a wedding as something different - but for me a wedding is all about the family being there, getting together, joining sides and celebrating the love of the two getting married. Due to this, the Christmas wedding theme is one of my all time favourites, as Christmas itself is my favourite holiday of the year where families visit and celebrate together. A wedding at this time of year, therefore, is an opportunity to celebrate with twice as much excitement.

But how does a bride-to-be decide on how to incorporate the Christmas spirit, in a stylish, elegant and subtle way, and having the day still be all about the newlyweds? 

 

 

Firstly, she needs to decide just how much of Christmas she wants involved. Whether this be full-blown "Winter Wonderland" with fake snow, a Santa Claus, reindeer and Christmas songs. Or subtle decoration, such as a nicely decorated tree in the corner, wreaths on each door of the venue, mince pies and mulled wine. There are a billion and one ways a person can incorporate the Christmas spirit into their day, so I'm going to highlight a few ways it can be done, from minimalistic, to stylish, to full-blown Narnia...

 

The best place to begin on deciding any theme, is colour. With the Christmas theme, there are many ways you can go about it. Obviously - there is the typical crimbo colours that spring to mind; rich reds, forest greens and deep golds. This is a classic, and can really heighten the Christmas excitement all whilst pulling off a very memorable wedding. This colour palette also works great for a bride who is wanting to get married in another colour other than ivory or white. With the next two most popular wedding dresses after ivory and white, being red and gold... why not push the boat out and wed in a Christmas colour yourself? Take inspiration from this Vera Wang red dress from her new 2013 spring collection...

 

Style: Kendall

This rich red, strapless gown is draped in tulle, Chantilly lace and ruffle detailing.

 

The great thing about wearing an unusual colour for your big day, is the fact that you can be even more adventurous and different from any other wedding. A different coloured dress kind of sets its own theme in a way, as its unexpected, and unique; which allows you to include elements of surprise throughout your day to make it truly memorable. For example, with the bride in a different colour, why not put the bridesmaids in ivory to include that traditional style... with a twist.

 

 

 

 

If you're wanting something a little less classic, and a little more contemporary, why not try an all white colour palette? A very risky and difficult theme to pull off, but when done right - it can certainly make a massive impact on the guests and the atmosphere of the wedding. By "all white", its very easy to imagine a clinical, cold look, but it can be warmed up by adding a splash of other colours. Why not include a warm, deep purple, or navy blue to warm up the colour tones?

 

If planning on an all white theme, you want the guests to feel comfortable and at ease in your wedding reception, and I personally love the set up of this table decoration below. The black table cloth and the warm, glowing candles really add a sense of magic and mystery to the ambiance and will ensure that your guests can roam around freely without worrying about marking or staining and crisp white table decoration...

 

 

One of the great things about marrying at this time of year, is the fact that the sun goes down a lot earlier. Some would obviously think of this as a disadvantage, but why not making the most of it? Create a cosy and warm atmosphere by playing with lighting, whether that be candle light, or a cool, modern, luminous glow like the photo below...

 

 

To take a step closer to the traditional, why not pick a venue that allows you to have open fires to really give that toasty, winter feel. Between the ceremony and the reception, allow your guests to roam around rooms that have wide open fires, where they can mingle, sip mulled wine and nibble on some mince pies!

 

 

A couple planning a wedding are also faced with the issue... "Do we invite children?". This again depends on what sort of atmosphere you want, I understand that some prefer that sophisticated feel, all adults, enjoying fine wines and culinary delicacies. However, for a Christmas wedding, if you really do want that family-togetherness feeling, I feel that children are a must! They again, heighten the excitement... and entertainment. If you're worried at all about them running havoc and causing chaos at the venue... fear not! At Christmas plenty of distractions and games can be organised for the little ones, to ensure that you can relax and not worry about having to pay any unexpected damage costs the next day. Have you thought about hiring a "Santa" to keep the kids occupied whilst the adults mingle? I understand at first thought, it may sound a little tacky and "shopping mall" like, but I've seen it been done and it can work really well.

 

 

So if you have your heart set on a Christmas wedding, I hope this post may have inspired you to add some little touches you hadn't thought of before. Good luck with your wedding! And don't forget to e-Mail us your photos to voguebride@gmail.com to feature as our "Bride of the Day" on Instagram and Facebook.