Why a winter wedding is something to embrace.

Wrap a faux fur shawl around your shoulders, place a few throws over your furniture and cuddle up to find out how to create the perfect winter wedding.

1 Deck the Halls

If you plan to marry in November or December (and sometimes even January) your venue may already have seasonal décor in place, such as the beautiful black and gold bar we’re installing at Kent House Knightsbridge. Speak to your venue to find out what their styling plans are and how you can incorporate them. Many venues will have glamorous schemes planned featuring additional lighting and seasonal floral displays.  If you’re not thrilled with an overly Christmas display or don’t fancy lots of red and green then ask your venue if they can be removed or toned down. Don’t forget to either visit your venue in the evening or ask to see images of evening events so you can picture how they create a warm and inviting vibe.

Winter events tend to be more glamorous because of the typically richer fabrics, deeper colours. The winter palette is warm and rich and a lovely alternative to the pastel colours of summer. Embrace bold, deep earthy colours like emerald, black and gold, claret, blush and ivory or berry, forest green and silver.

2 Seasonal Blooms

You may feel that a winter wedding doesn’t give you many blooms to choose from but there are plenty of flowers that either bloom all year long or are only in season in winter. This is the season to embrace greenery for your colours to play off against; think ivy, sprigs of yew and holly. Seasonal flowers, greens, dramatic reds and crisp shades of white will help you create a beautiful winter wedding floral arrangement. And flowers aren’t the only things that you can include, dried grasses, thistles, feathers and fruits (like kumquats) create interesting textures. We love hypericum berries, amaryllis, camellias but don’t overlook the under-appreciated carnation – they’re available in a variety of colours and used en masse can be really eye-catching. Seasonal ornaments such as berries, white birch branches make a gorgeous wintery statement and are easy to get hold of; try pine cones for cute winter place cards.

3 Candles are Your Best Friend

Is there anything more romantic than a candlelit wedding? A winter wedding gives you the chance to create a beautiful intimate atmosphere using lighting to create a warm glow. Place lanterns around the aisle and to create a path through your venue or highlight feature. Candles and tea lights are an easy way to create a festive atmosphere anywhere in your venue, just use different heights and thicknesses to create interest. Soft lighting lends itself to the overall romance of the evening so think about introducing some mood lighting. A roaring fireplace or outdoor fire pit can transform the dark into a warm inviting area and provides a flattering light.

4 Flavour inspirations

Introduce some of the flavours of the season to your menu. Welcome your guests at the door with a warm cocktail or mulled wine to set the scene. You could create your own signature winter warming using ingredients like cinnamon, cloves and apple.

When its cold outside guests want comfort food so ditch the dainty canapes and instead think about serving some classic winter warmers such as mini beef Yorkshire puddings instead. Get guests involved and chatting over cheese fondue and later in the evening keep the frosts at bay with a hot chocolate or marshmallow toasting station.

5 Picture Perfect

You don’t have to skip the outdoor photos just because it’s cold. Layer up and slip some long warm underwear on underneath (if you’re wearing a long dress then no-one need know!) and embrace the cold; get some cosy boots and warm mittens to acknowledge the season in your photos. Baskets of blankets and pashminas for guests to pick from are appreciated if guests want to join you outside but it doesn’t all have to be winter warmers: sequins and beading are ideal for winter and look amazing in photos so think about adding some sparkle into your attire. And if you’re lucky enough to have some snow then rush outside to capture this unique moment.

And before you disappear into the night have your guests line up as the carriages arrive and light your path down to the car with sparklers. Trust us, it will be the wedding photo that you want to frame.

Kent House Knightsbridge is licensed for civil weddings and with its great location makes the perfect central London wedding venue.  The Rutland Room is licensed for 96 guests and The Library for 72 guests. Rates on request for civil ceremonies followed by a short reception. Our venue has capacity to hold up to 300 guests and is very popular for reception celebrations following a wedding service.

If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you produce and style your wedding or arrange a showround of Kent House Knightsbridge then please get in touch and we can chat through your requirements. For more information about our wedding venue visit our wedding page here or visit our wedding gallery to see more images of our Knightsbridge wedding venue

TEL : 0207 591 3838 – EMAIL : events@kenthouseknightsbridge.org