Winter weddings aren’t as common as weddings during the other seasons, especially in locations where the winter gets bitterly cold. Just thinking about the potential for blizzards is enough to scare a lot of people off—no one wants to find out more than half their guests can’t show up last minute because they’re snowed in! But more people are opting for winter weddings, and if you’re not sold on your wedding date yet, it’s worth considering.
There are more dates available.
This one is particularly useful if you’re planning a short engagement or you’ve been talking to dozens of venues and they’re all saying, “We’re completely booked.” If you opt for a winter wedding, you’re bound to have more options for dates—not only for your venue but for your photographer, caterer, florist, cake designer and all your vendors. During the off-season, venues and vendors tend to be less booked so you can really be picky about who you work with.
You’ll save money.
Having an off-season wedding is one of the easiest ways to save money. If you’re dying for a Saturday wedding in a premier location, you can save thousands of dollars by booking in the winter instead. And if you really want to have an inexpensive wedding, plan your winter wedding for an off-season day like a Thursday or another midweek day. It’ll be easier to get people to take off days midweek in the winter because you aren’t competing with their summer vacations!
You won’t be competing with peak season weddings.
Speaking of competition, if you have several other friends and family members who are engaged, planning a winter wedding means you won’t be competing with them. You won’t have to hash it out about who gets which date and whether the weddings are spaced far enough apart for your wedding party and guests to enjoy both. You and your partner can really relax, sit back and feel like your wedding is all about your relationship.
You can honeymoon somewhere warm—or do a destination wedding.
Winter weddings are the perfect excuse to book a destination wedding or choose a tropical honeymoon. It’s worth noting that you’ll save less money on a destination wedding if weddings are in peak season in that location (or it doesn’t get that cold in the winter), but it’s still possible to find a deal on a warm location in the dead of winter. It also makes for a great honeymoon if you and your partner like traveling to warm places. You can have a romantic, cozy winter wedding and then pack swimsuits and beach towels—and everyone you know will be extremely jealous.
You can plan a unique look for your wedding day.
If you’re someone who likes out-of-the-box attire and decorations, a winter wedding will really allow you to get creative. It’s a great season for layers and you and your partner can experiment with ambiance. In the winter, it’s suddenly not as taboo to don a cloak or a scarf at your wedding, so use that to your advantage.
It’s great for bringing in any winter traditions.
Do you and your partner love to ski? Does your family always do a gingerbread house smashing contest? Are you really into candy canes? Do you always play board games in January because it’s too cold to do anything else? Winter weddings are the perfect time of year to incorporate your favorite winter traditions into your wedding for extra sentimentality. Break out the fireplace and blanket forts!
