“A winter wedding can be ultra-glamorous, cinematic and let’s not forget – magical. With the right elements and the team from Wedding Concepts by your side, your winter wedding can be a wonderland!”
At Wedding Concepts we push boundaries – regardless of the season or time of year! So we asked the biggest fan in the Wedding Concepts team of winter weddings, coordinator Kate Rawbone, to share with us her favourite design and menu concepts as well as inspired décor ideas for couples wanting to exchange their vows in the chilly season.
He proposed. You said yes. Now it is all about finding the perfect venue on the perfect date. Immediately your mind jumps to the wonderful summer months of February and March and perhaps even the gloriously cooler Spring months of September and October. However, have you considered the original and creative opportunities that present themselves for a winter wedding? A winter wedding can be ultra-glamorous, cinematic and let’s not forget – magical. With the right elements and the team from Wedding Concepts by your side, your winter wedding can be a wonderland!
We might not have the dreamy addition of snow in most parts of South Africa but there is something truly special about our winters. The dreaded South Easter of the Cape has moved on and this is the time when winter rains create a lush green landscape for all nature lovers. The Northern Provinces are dry and toasty during their short days and end with the most colourful sunsets in shades of orange and pink. Where ever you are in the country, inventive winter wedding concepts for décor, luxurious stationery and even food and drinks will ensure a festive celebration your guests won’t soon forget!
Keeping Warm!
Some might think that winter immediately dictates a formal dress code, however, there’s absolutely no reason to go black-tie. We found a rustic venue with a barn for one couple, got a fire started and kept it sweet and casual. It was of course for us to ensure that guests stayed warm, so we welcomed them with a selection of white and dark hot chocolate. Another idea is to try something a little more traditional such as apple cider or sherry, or like we did for a British couple, tea and scones! Have your ceremony under an oak tree or in a garden that has been decorated with strings of gentle fairy light or festive Chinese lanterns. We wanted to ensure a soft, romantic glow for a cosy winter ceremony in Stellenbosch, so we opted to use stylish plinths adorned with a variety of hurricane vases and candles in varying heights to add mood and ambience to the special moment. For another wedding we replaced formal seating with hay bales or a mixture of antique lounge furniture and gave each guest or couple a knee blanket to keep them warm. There is something romantic about snuggling up to the one you love in wintry weather!
The Menu
This is where nostalgia can take over and reign true and even kids food can still be sophisticated! These days caterers have clever tricks to give comfort foods an upscale twist. We recommend that you replace the usual sushi or seafood canapés with winter treats like mini lamb or beef pies, steaming hot soups served in shot glasses and even miniature grilled Gruyère cheese sandwiches! Keep starters relatively light with a pate & Melba toast combination or opt for a creamy pea and pancetta risotto – guests loved this combination at a wedding we co-ordinated last season! We’re waiting for a risk taker to choose a memorable main course like a “gourmet” mac ’n’ cheese flavoured with truffle oil and topped with a crispy breadcrumb crust, or organic lemon and thyme roast chicken served alongside creamy mash potato and country style winter vegetables. If you want something a little more formal for dinner, one can replace the chicken with Lamb Shank or Oxtail cooked in a deep port sauce. Dessert can be a wintery feast for the eyes! For a rustic barn wedding, we went wild with platters and vintage sweet jars filled with mini pavlovas, nougat and home-made brownies, accompanied by fun post dinner drinks like mini Irish coffees, espressos, Grappa and hot milk to dip cookies into. Warm late night snacks can be anything from mini pizzas, hamburger sliders or for something completely different, how about bringing in a genuine hot dog stand that serves hot dogs and fresh French fries in paper cones. It will be a big hit with your guests!
Winter Décor & Stationery
A winter wedding opens up a whole new variety of décor concepts and design ideas for wedding flowers and décor. We substituted fresh confetti with dried oak leaves or alternatively if you want more colour, use a mix of autumn leaves. For a couple that were avid gardeners and loved fragrant herbs, we created confetti consisting of white roses petals and subtle sprigs of lemon thyme, rosemary and lavender buds. Fresh floral arrangements can be mixed with fynbos, succulents and even wheat, berries and dried features like tiny pine cones, twigs and wood. We have some of the best availability of winter blooms in Southern Africa like daisies, tulips, roses, lilies and daffodils. If you want a more formal and traditional arrangement on your reception tables, opt for sophisticated and elegant irises and gladioli, or the strikingly sculptured strelitzia. We love tulips and they are especially popular in the winter months and bloom in a wide variety of rich and warming colours. For an Autumn barn wedding we had them arranged so that their bulbs and roots were still visible – this added a wonderful organic and countryside element to the look. To bring the outdoors inside I would suggest using real sprigs of fluffy cotton flowers to create the allusion of snow on the table.
To finish off the look the team at Wedding Concepts never forget about the details! We used natural and rustic materials like twine and hessian wrapped around vases and candles, as well as in the follow-on stationery to keep the appearance natural and rustic. Once we contrasted these with lace, silk and cotton which changes the décor instantly into something a little more sweet and romantic.
Lastly, we always ensure plenty of soft lighting to create a warm ambience – this is important. We love candle light so by gathering groups of pillar candles of varying heights onto plinths or windowsills, and ensuring plenty of low, subtle candle light on the tables; will only serve to add to the mood. When the party starts its always important to have a cozy lounge pocket set-up near a crackling fire and away from the dance floor for those wanting a comfortable spot to chat and chill out.
Favours:
This is another area that one can truly think out the box and get creative! At Wedding Concepts we have a fantastic range of gifts that suit all seasons. Present gents with engraved stainless steel hipflasks filled with a real Cape Brandy to keep them warm. An outright hit as gifts for the ladies, and one of our favourites, is offering high quality pashminas with a personalized Thank You note from the two of you. Not only is this a fashionable gift they would treasure but it will also keep them warm during the latter part of the celebration. If you are foodies, give your guests the gift of a spiced hot chocolate mix or hot cocoa mix with marshmallows presented beautifully in a personalised tin. All these gifts will be something that your guests will enjoy and treasure.
From conceptualisation to creation the Wedding Concepts team will guide you in defining your wedding day as you’ve always imagined it – even if you can’t find the words or images to help you put pen to paper. If you’re more of a summer, spring or autumn bride, a wedding at any time of year will be beautiful, however everything from food to flowers is seasonal, so be sure to set the date at the time of year when you will be able to have all your “favourite things” featured at your celebration.
Images by Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, Gavin Casey, Ryan Graham, Christine Meintjes and Jean-Pierre Uys
