Ah, winter. For many brides, it's not just a time of year. Instead, it's a dream as distinct as those held by any other bride who's envisioned a fairytale extravanza, garden party, or evening black-tie affair. The fact is, fields of snow and ice-lined trees make for Alps-sized glamour that few other seasons can match.
So, let's skate through a few popular interpretations of the winter wedding ... and favorite favors to round them out.
Woodsy Bird and Twig
One of the newest, super-chic ways to do a winter wedding is the woodsy bird-and-twig and rustic forest theme. Hold this type of wedding in a Victorian mansion, or a classic ballroom with lots of dark wood. Start with colors like ice blue, bright white and brown, then add in a touch of emerald.
To give your setting a winter forest feel, draw on faux snow, bare-branch centerpieces and floor arrangements, and tons of candles and table lanterns. Rent cast-iron floor lanterns joined with organza swags to line a path through your reception. Tuck pussy willows and twigs into chair sashes. Make liberal use of grapevines, pine garlands and wreaths studded with snow-tipped pine cones. Finish the look with a glorious bird-and-twig topped cake.
As for favors, try mini birds nests' filled with Jordan almonds, twig-lined votive holders, or grapevine Adirondack chairs.
Related ...
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A Victorian-Style Christmas
For many brides, a classic Christmas wedding lets them combine one of the biggest days of their lives with a holiday that's been a lifelong favorite.
For this type of wedding, pick a venue with warm wood paneling, and ideally, a fireplace and hearth. You can hang personalized stockings for your child guests ... or your wedding party.
Terrific colors for a vintage feel: burgundy, cream and gold make a warm and sophisticated palate. Or Christmas plaid and white, which is traditional and rich, yet underused. Hunter green, copper and white is chic, even regal. Mostly-monochromatic weddings are also popular — and perfect for — this time of year, whether it's black and white with cranberry accents, or almost all-white weddings with a few touches of dark ivy green.
Set the stage early with rich invitations drenched in satin ribbons and wax seals. For drama, consider dressing your flower girls as angels, complete with sweet feather wings. For the bride, you might see a regal cap-sleeved gown with scarlet panels in the train or bodice. Popular bouquets range from all-white callas, stephanotis and roses to luxurious all-red rose arrangements, spiced up with hypericum berries.
As for bridesmaids, they'll look lovely in burgundy or hunter green velvet, carrying ivy-wreathed candles or silver lanterns down the aisle. When it's time to depart, have your guests ring tiny silver bells for lasting good luck, and wave goodbye from a storybook horse-drawn sleigh.
Christmas-Style Decorations and Favors: The Details
Evergreen trees and twinkle lights are the building blocks to this look (though with any luck, your venue will have plenty up already). Scent is a wonderful event secret, too: spray the room with an evocative nutmeg or cinnamon concoction, scatter clove and orange pomanders in strategic locations, or simply light some holiday-scented candles.
Then, add a few festive touches: a wooden sleigh for the gift table, a stacked-gift card box (and stacked-gift style wedding cake!), potted poinsettias to set off important tables, and sprigs of holly or pine plus a single red rose tucked into chair sashes. Dress up your tables with velvet runners, and place small potted pine trees in the center, with ornament favors dangling from branches or gift-box style favors tucked underneath. Fresh pine garlands are brilliant for setting the mood and tantalizing the nose. Also, consider hanging colorful ornaments at varying heights with microfilament from candelabras or even overhead chandeliers.
Favorite favors for this old-fashioned celebration? Try rich bar treats in lidded, ribboned favor boxes, such as gingerbread or brownies. Personalized ornaments are also wildly popular, since they're so fun to display, and help your guests to remember this day for years after. Although not strictly favors, cookie buffets are a splendid way to treat friends to recipes that have long been family treasures. And other popular choices include miniature snow globes, personalized cocoa cones, and tiny pine saplings or spring bulbs.
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A Winter Wonderland
All glam and glitter with a fairy tale mood, this type of wedding earns
oohs and
ahhs from the moment guests enter the room.
Your venue choices are flexible, but lighting counts. Keep ambient levels low to play up twinkle lights, lanterns and candles, blue uplights on the walls and pin lights on your trees and bare branch arrangements.
Classic color for a winter wonderland wedding? Ice blue and white. But a fantasy pink and mixed-metals theme is popular now, and so is an elegant combination of navy and silver.
For invitations, go with a sophisticated letterpress design: try a delicate silver tree above pale blue lettering. Then, underline the theme with a flower girl who tosses out foil snowflakes from a powder-blue pail ... or carries adorable white pomanders resembling snowballs.
As for the bride, she might wear a gown embellished with glittering embroidery reminiscent of snowflake patterns, plus a white faux fur stole and silver and crystal accessories. Popular choices for the bouquet: all-white roses or callas bound in an aqua blue ribbon wrap. Alternately, some choose a Swarovski crystal bouquet made from silver or gold wire.
Wonderland Decorations and Favors, In Depth
As everyone knows, twinkle lights plus iced branches and potted trees are key to this theme. Contact your local greenhouse or an event planner if you're having trouble tracking down trees to rent.
Then, choose silver Chivari chairs instead of the usual chair covers and sashes. Make liberal use of clear vase gems and LED lights, and reflective water features such as floating candles in clear glass cylinders. For centerpieces, you could also fill clear Eiffel vases with metallic gold ornaments in navy blue and silver, topping them off with acrylic-iced branches or curly willow. Dress up special tables with snowball candles, and don't forget to order an impressive ice sculpture (complete with lighting to set it off). A candy buffet of white and silver treats in clear containers impressively sets the mood. Finally, white faux fur trim makes a fun and sassy accent for chair backs, vase rims, pillar candles, card boxes or gift tables.
As for favors? Popular choices include mini champagne bottles (after all, 'tis the season!), diamond-shaped crystal paperweights, silver snowflake stoppers, forced white crocus bulbs in festive pots, or silver kisses in a wine glass.
Related ...
Fresh New Ideas for a Winter Wonderland Wedding
The Aqua Blue Wedding
How Sweet It Is: Building the Candy Buffet of Your Dreams
Speak Up and Link Up!
The winter wedding comes in so many glorious forms and flavors. Does yours hark back to the past or beckon us into the future? Tell us about your color scheme, venue and inspirations .... then trade ideas with other winter brides. Don't forget to post some pics!
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I am looking for a sleigh cake stand too, and my wedding is in December 09!!!! Anyone selling a sleigh stand???? I can’t afford to spend 400 on one, but let me know if you have one a little cheaper!!!
I made a sleigh cake stand for someone for a Nov. wedding.
Your readers are asking and looking them. Hope we can be of help.
Betty Jo- That is a great sleigh! Can I ask how much one of those runs?
Jackie
We sell the one in the picture for $400.00 plus shipping
We do custom orders, you can others at my web page
at IdeasInIron at the cake stand page
contact information is there also.
jackie & other brides,
if you find the perfect sleigh or prop but the cost is kind of staggering (lol), there are options. I see brides renting out their high-end items after the wedding to other local brides. A few rentals and you can often make back most of the cost. Craigslist might be really good for finding clients. You could also try the local boards on TheKnot. I think they allow ads like that on the local boards (not 100% positive).
Another option is to resell it here. Save all the packing materials! Have your wedding, snap some gorgeous pics, then pick one of the winter pages here with a healthy “board” below it and offer it up. You will probably find a buyer. Just a thought!
I had a Santa Sleigh made last year 2007 for my daughters wedding,I am also selling the item this year.
Tammy-How much for the gold sleigh cake stand with reindeer? I have a wedding in 5 weeks and would love to have it!
Tammy,
This sleigh is fantasitc, I love it! Do you still have it / is it for sale / where did you get it made? I really want one!
Any help you can give would be much appreciated!
Geraldine
i love it me and my husband are renewing our wedding voles in nov we where going to do it last year on our 30th but he had a heart attic and we did not have the money so we are trying to do it this year i was wonting to no how much you are asking for this that is what i need for my cake thanks
how did you make it and out of what
I am preparing for a winter wedding…actually not until next year. Here are a few things I am looking for. Our colors are black, white, and silver. I am looking to have my ring bearer(s) wear black velvet. I’ve seen some suits with knickers but due to the horse and sleigh rides I have planned, I would like the 4 and 3 year olds to be warm enough. Any other ideas?
hey Jenna,
Have you considered taking red to offset the other colors….It’s very beautiful. My sister took the same colors and the red just made it look elegant….
Hi! Could you help me? I´m getting married in December, and i want a winter theme wedding. I’ve seen some pictures of weddings with trees with lights, like the ones you show above. Where can i find them? Do they have a particular name?
Thank you for your help!
Hi Livia, do you mean just the lights? You can find the white lights used in weddings by searching (try ebay) for twinkle lights, fairy lights or white wedding lights. You can also buy them in net form like you see on some of the trees above: try “white net lights.” These typically come strung on a white wire so they look much more inconspicuous on the white and silver bare branch arrangements or white christmas trees you see in winter wonderland weddings.
On the other hand if you’re decorating real pines or spruces, you want string lights with the traditional green wire, so it’ll blend in.
Does that help? Write back if I missed your question!
hi, im getting married this dec… i want a winter wedding here in the phil…i still can’t decide of the best colr combi… please help
Hi
Im having a winter wedding (no snow during that time) and im wanting to know what is the best colour combination (2 or 3 colours). I dont know whether to go dull as it is winter or bright.
Please help
Regards
it is the christmas time go all out girl the flasher the better but make sure that all eyes are on you becouse it is your day and you will never forget it
Please please help me with sleigh cake stand.getting married 29th november and want xmas theme.
Hey all,
Im getting married 27th Decemeber….im having a lovely sliver….snowy kind of theme! seem as though we dont get much snow here! Can anyone recomend any good favour ideas or place settings?? Thanks
Has anyone found the sleigh cake stand?? I am getting married Dec 6, 2008 and I am looking for it. If anyone has any ideas where I can find one please let me know!!! Thanks!
I found some reindeer that are very similar at Target in the Christmas stuff, but still working on the sleigh
So I found something that I think might work….it’s under cinderellas carriage. It looks like the same sleigh just take out the horses and put reindeer. Still looking tho!!!!
hi im getting married in lapland, not for 3 years yet but want to get some ideas. im looking for snowflake favours made of maybe glass or crystal, has any1 spotted something similar? i really want something special as going to lapland is an experience in itself, id be grateful if any1 could help. thanks
hi im getting married on december 6,2008 and i need ideas?i like to red in the wedding? one of my ideas is romantic rose?
I am getting married December 1st this year and I want to keep it all Christmas themed so I am going to hire someone to play Santa and come in and hand out my favors to my guests from a stocking. Any ideas please email me at jennyp9803@yahoo.com
i am getting married on 1st jan durin winter and want to go with a beach theme but in doors will it look odd i dont want christmas theme and the colors red or maroon PLS help
hey for a cute winter favor idea use wedding bell cookie cutters with the phrase…….”truly cut out for each other” if any one has any unique ideas please email me @ seriwo8@aol.com
Ladies…after looking extensivley for 8+ hrs I dont think this is an actuall stand. I looked closer and I believe the stand its self is seperate from the horses and santa…I found similar square stands to that of the sleigh and then I looked for raindeer figures and a santa…Im almost positive this is how its done…the only other option is the fantasy horse and sleigh stand which is 400+ dollars and not nearly as nice…..:D>-
I believe you can get that cake stand at http://www.cakedeco.com or http://www.wilton.com i think one of them has it
im getting married december ythis ywar aswell and i really want to find out where to that cake stand!!!
I could not find the cake stand on those two suggested websites. does anyone have any other ideas?
I am looking for ideas - weekend wedding, winter favor (baskets). I have no idea what to put in them, besides coco and choc.
if i live in florida and am having a florida wedding in the month of feb. is there restritions on wedding colors? should i stick with winter colors?
which would be the best for romantic setting in a plantation mansion on a lake outside wedding sunset time with ivory/ champage instesd of white?
chocolate and pale yellow
chocolate and light blue/ tiffany blue
chocolate and hunter green / emerald green
chocolate and red
or do you have any other suggestions
I am looking for DIY christmas crackers that I can build myself and put my own favour inside-loads of sites sell them ready built or in colours that don’t suit. Any ideas??
does anyone know where i might find the cake stand & reindeer displayed on this page????
Does anyone know where i might find the cake stand & reindeer displayed on this page? My wedding is in December of this year. This would be great :D)
Thank You
I really want that cake stand! Please if anyone knows where to find it…. I have looked all over the internet for it.
I too would love to know where the cake stand and reindeers can be found.
As the rest of you I too would like to know where to find that cake stand!!!
OK, I know it’s not exactly what the picture shows, but i thought you might be interested in a horse and carriage cake stand I found on http://cakedeco.com.au/product.asp?productID=1818. I don’t think I can upload the pic, and there’s not link for it on the website, but if you’d like to email me (dgiliberti@comcast.net) I can send you the picture they sent me - or - you can use the contact info on the website to get the pic sent to you directly. (BTW- it’s pretty expensive!)
I would REALLY APPRECIATE it if someone would give me info on the cake stand. That is an awsome idea. I have looked on tons on websites, and I can’t find anything like it.
Did anyone find the cake stand? Does anyone know where to find it?
I would love to know if anyone found that cake stand anywhere. I totally love it and im having a winter wedding and it would just fit right.
Girls, anyone found out where we could get that cake stand? As like some of ye, I too am getting married in December and tha cake stand would be perfect.