When I got married, we opted for a summer wedding and whilst we were lucky enough to have sunshine, dare I say it, we still had our challenges. Our photographer had to find the only spot of shade to minimise our squinting, my husband was absolutely sweltering in his three-piece suit and a couple of our guests had to leave early as they got sunburned! That’s not to say that we didn’t have the most amazing day, we really did, but having now worked in the wedding industry for five years and seen how beautiful winter weddings can be, I do wonder why we didn’t even entertain the idea.

Getting married during the festive season, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, does bring with it all the promise of cosy warmth, flickering candlelight, roaring fires, hearty food and an all-round sense of hygge. There’s something about being locked inside in the warm whilst the weather does its worst outside that feels intimate and special and by leaning in to the season, you avoid all those worries about the weather and the expectation is already set for cooler temperatures. So, with that in mind, let’s show some winter wedding inspiration that embraces the festive colour palette without being overly cliché!

Like a scene from a Christmas film…oh hang on!

The setting for our styled shoot is Cornwell Manor, a beautiful Georgian-fronted manor house set within a 2,000 acre estate in the stunning English countryside of The Cotswolds, and if you’re familiar with your Christmas films, then you’ll know that it featured in The Holiday as the venue for Cameron Diaz and Jude Law’s lunch date! Whilst it’s unfortunately not available for weddings over Christmas, it does provide us with a perfect backdrop to show how you might style an elegant winter wedding.

Embrace a traditional palette but make it modern

Embracing a traditional festive colour palette of red, green and gold meant that this shoot could have been in danger of looking like Santa’s grotto, but by keeping the styling elegant and simple with modern touches, it was pure sophistication!

Set against a canvas of white tableware and tablecloth, the wedding flowers, which included touches of blush and burgundy embedded in deep forest greens, were allowed to pop. Touches of gold then added a sense of opulence, reflecting the candlelight and matching the gold statement wedding cake.

The modern wedding cake was designed to provide drama and showstopping interest. The gilded wafer paper bows wrap around the cake like a Christmas present ready to be unwrapped, and the body of the cake is hand-painted with gold marble and embellished with bas relief flowers to echo the decorative nature of the room. If you look closely enough, there are fairy lights entwined between the bows to add that extra festive sparkle once the lights dim.

Couple seated at Christmas wedding breakfast table

Bride and groom toast at Christmas wedding

It’s all in the detail…

The devil was in the detail for this shoot with extra attention given to the stationery, which used luxury paper, vellum, gold wax seals and handwritten calligraphy; setting the tone for the whole wedding styling. Delicate bridal accessories, festive cocktails and hand-made white chocolate heart favours with gold leaf added those special touches that your guests really will notice and appreciate.

Gold and white chocolate heart wedding favours

Bride and groom portrait at Cornwell Manor

The bride and groom…

Finally, we come to the bride and groom. Dressed in a classic suit and tails, the groom complements his bride who wears a gorgeous floor length plunging dress complete with a magnificent cape embellished with leaf detail that makes her look like a veritable snow queen! The second dress is covered with lace and her wavy hair is swept up in to a chic and informal up do, ready to dance the night away!