18 July 2020
Blog
· Wedding
Postponing Your Summer Wedding to Winter
How to transform your Spring/ Summer wedding to work for Winter
With the last of my Summer weddings having now been postponed, it seems I will have to wait until next year now for Summer weddings. Like many suppliers, my couples have either rescheduled to an Autumn/ Winter wedding or to 2021.
My heart really goes out to all those couples that have had to postpone their wedding date. Your planning may have extended a little longer now, but they will be just as beautiful and special. With this in mind, I’ve teamed up with some fabulous vendors to help make this a little easier with some ideas when changing from a Summer to Winter wedding…
Photography – Ellen Forster Photography
When it comes to moving to an autumn/ winter date, make sure to revisit your on-the-day timings. With the days being shorter, you may need to bring your ceremony forward to make the most of the daylight. This way you’ll still be able to capture some beautiful daylight portraits. And to even get those gorgeous golden hour shots too. Have a look around your venue with your photographer too, to scout out the best outdoor and indoor locations for winter!
With having a wedding later in the year, means having to think about the weather a little more too. Although we hope for glorious sunshine, it doesn’t always happen. That doesn’t mean we can’t still get beautiful photos though, inside and out! Don’t spend your time stressing about something you can’t predict on your wedding day. If you are happy to have photos in the rain or snow then we are ready for it! In fact, we love it! It’s more opportunity for unique photos. Remember, rain when you’re ‘tying the knot’ is supposed to be good luck. It means your marriage will last, as a knot when wet is extremely hard to untie.
You may have had to postpone your wedding. It may not even be at the same time of year. But what it does not change, is how much you love each other. You WILL get married! Imagine how crazy beautiful your wedding day will be now. Filled to burst with so much love and celebration. And because everyone you love is there. Now that’s the kind of wedding day you want!
Stationery – Clare Gray Designs
If your wedding date has changed, you’ll need to let your guests know. There are so many great ways to do this. If you have the money in your budget and want to send out new invitations this could be your opportunity to rethink the style and design of your invites to reflect a change in season. If you love your original invitations why not send them out again? Same style, same details, different date.
Or if you don’t want to send out printed invitations again, or perhaps haven’t got the money in your wedding budget for a reprint, why not consider sending a digital change the date card? I can work with you to adapt your original invitation design, keeping colours and styles the same, but updating the details for you to send out to your guests via email. If you have postponed your wedding and want to let guests know quickly, you can download one of my free “we’re postponing” digital announcement cards here.
Clare Gray – Clare Gray Designs
Winter Planning tips – Amethyst Weddings
My key points for any couple moving their wedding from summer to winter would be as follows:
Be prepared to compromise with the time table for the day. A summer wedding has more scope for outdoor activities and in the winter there is less daylight so make sure you discuss with your photographer the best times to take photos. This may mean bringing your ceremony time forward to make the best of the shorter amount of daylight during the winter months.
Check with your venue if they have an indoor space you can use for photos if it is too cold or wet outside.
Can you provide a coverup for your bridesmaids to protect them from the elements?
Add extra lighting to your room and table decor, because it gets dark earlier in the winter months. You can enhance your decor and a cosy feel by adding LED lights and candle light.
Siân Bowron – Amethyst Weddings
How to rework your florals – Kate Kashiri
Couples whose weddings have been affected by Coronavirus and their weddings moved from spring or summer to autumn and winter do not need to worry. Your wedding will still be fabulous with a few amendments without changing your entire wedding plans. If your spring wedding had light yellow colour scheme these can be swapped with vibrant yellow and orange blooms will look great in autumn weddings. Speak to your florist and they will help with the flower changes and will advise you which flowers will be season. Winter has a variety of flowers which will make your wedding beautiful from anemones for a modern look, poinsettia and white hypericum. You can also add light to your wedding tables by having coloured candles which will bring ambience into the ceremony and reception areas.
Kate Kashiri – Kate Wren Flowers
Venue Styling – Fabulous Functions UK
Incorporating foliage into your décor is a fabulous way to transform your venue décor from a summer vibe to an autumn or winter pallet.
Create an overhead canopy of lush greenery and foliage and add hanging baubles with tea lights. You can also add florals in white or other chosen colours of the season. Complement this with a gorgeous garland of lush greenery for the table décor. Add your florals and lots of candles and tea lights. This adds warmth and ambience to the décor. The beauty of this is you can still keep the dresses you have already bought for your bridesmaids and they will complement the venue decor beautifully.
Another gorgeous way to transform from a summer to a winter vibe is with the use of Manzanita trees, add loads and loads of hanging crystals and hanging globe filled with tealights, the crystals will catch the reflections of the flames and create a graceful dance on your tables. You can also bring in your florals by adding a mini garden at the base of each tree. Again add tea lights and you have created some beautiful centrepieces for your table décor.
Fabulous Functions UK has a ton of ideas and will be happy to have a chat to you, explore your ideas and make suggestions for your venue styling.
Sandra Trusty – Fabulous Functions UK
Hairstyles to compliment your dress – Bespoke Bridal Hair by Nicola Marshall
Now that your wedding has been postponed, it may be to a complete opposite season or be close to a seasonal holiday. This may impact the style you choose or give you some scope to become a little more creative with your ideas.
‘Your hair should always compliment your dress, not compete with it.’ If you have changed season you may have changed or tweaked your dress to suit this. So hand in hand with any changes you should think about changing your hairstyle. For example if before you had a summer wedding with a backless dress and had chosen a free flowing down style, maybe now you have added a detailed bolero or jacket to keep you a little warmer if you are now a winter bride. To show off the detail of this why not think about changing to an upstyle? Also think about the weather for the time of year. If it’s more likely to be wet and damp curls may drop a little quicker, but hey with English weather it’s anyone’s guess!
You could even get a little more creative if you’re having a wedding near a seasonal holiday such as Christmas or Easter. You could incorporate this into your style with some holly or berries or even some mini eggs like I did for my Easter inspired post! If you speak to your bridal hairstylist they will be more than happy to advise you on what will work best for you. Good luck with all your postponement plans!
Nicola Marshall – Bespoke Bridal Hair by Nicola Marshall
Happy planning!
Whenever you to choose to plan your wedding for or postpone it to, don’t forget it will be just as amazing and full of love. The fabulous suppliers featured in this blog are all here to help with your wedding plans. And I know they will be so happy to help you plan the most amazing wedding! For all your photography questions, check out my ‘services page’ or drop me a message. I’d be so happy to hear all about your wedding!
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Because every love is important and I want to tell yours exactly as it is.
© by Ellen Forster Photography