‘Tis the season to get married!
2020 has sadly disrupted one of the things we love the most here at The Swan – Christmas Weddings! Usually, this is one of the busiest times of the year for us, with the calendar full of beautifully wintery weddings. But of course, this year has been very different, so we’ll just have to make sure we do it even bigger and better for Christmas weddings in 2021!
Because there is nothing quite so magical than a Christmas themed wedding with twinkly lights, candles everywhere and the gorgeous foliage that winter provides us with. Just because it’s Christmas, it doesn’t mean you have to use bright red colours and have your decorations taken over by Santa ornaments – there are so many ways to create a festive, yet subtle and tasteful setting without it looking naff.
Deck the halls!
With holly of course, but also with spruce, magnolia, conifer and cedar. For some traditional, wonderfully festive aromas also incorporate rosemary, pine and pinecones, star anise, orange pomander balls, dried orange slices, scented candles and whole cinnamon sticks. You can easily create a beautiful centre piece for round tables by getting a large log slice with a few candles and your foliage set all around it, or for long tables create a centre runner with all the above spread across the middle of your table.
If you are getting married in a venue such as a hotel, it’s likely that they will already have the venue dressed for the Christmas period and so to save on overbuying Christmas decs, check with your venue first to see what they already have planned in terms of lights and trees and other bits you may have thought of including.
Wedding Candles
There is nothing that symbolises winter and Christmas so much as candles and twinkly lights! Fill your venue with candles and tea lights; pillar candles in different sizes, tall dinner candles in just white or different colours (black, reds, greens, silvers and gold for extra festiveness) or scented candles in form of cinnamon, winter warmers and pine to create a gorgeous festive scent that will fill the venue and make your guests feel cosy and warm when they arrive.
Festive tipples and Snacks
Christmastide and weddings are both renowned for revolving around food and drink and in this cold weather you definitely need to get those extra calories in to keep you warm!
So why not indulge your guests with some delicious treats throughout the day – create a Christmas market feel to your drinks ceremony reception with stalls of different treats from mince pies, doughnuts, s’mores and boozy hot chocolates, and in the evening let your guests feast on hot turkey and stuffing sandwiches and delicious roasties to fuel those hours on the dancefloor!
If you want to keep it traditional and offer canapes, there is nothing better than a bit of Christmas party food! Pigs in blankets on cocktail sticks, smoked salmon blinis or mini turkey sliders are always a winner to go with your drink of choice…
..and whilst on the subject of drinks, this time of year offers so many options to provide to your guests during the drinks reception, such as mulled wine and cider, eggnog or fun baileys shots. And there are of course lots of fun and unique ideas for Christmas cocktails – gingerbread martinis, cranberry mojitos or why not a crushed candy cane rimmed glass with a deliciously classic cosmo to get the guests’ festive spirits up!
Your time to sparkle!
For your wedding dress, this is the time where you can add as much sparkle and shimmer as you like! And to keep warm, a classy, fur-trimmed cloak to make you feel like a proper princess or a simple soft feathered jacket to complement your dress.
When you plan your outfits for your bridal party, go with sequins, metallic colours with lots of dazzle for the ladies and dress the groomsmen in dark greens and burgundy – if not the whole suit then perhaps just the ties and pocket squares. Buttonholes can include thistle, pine cones or a deep red rose.
Other charmingly festive details
- Have a mistletoe hung up for guests to have a cheeky kiss underneath, or who knows, it may even spark a new romance of which you can be thanked for later!
- Snow-fetti! Swap the traditional dried flowers or paper confetti to beautiful snow-like confetti for that extra wintery touch in your wedding snaps
- Have a gingerbread house replica of your wedding venue! Challenge yourself and make your own – it could be a great task to master together or simply have it made professionally – either way, it will be a great showstopper to wow your guests!
- Fireworks! Nothing ends a night like a fireworks display – it’s the ultimate symbol of celebration so what better feature to sum up your wedding day and night!
Wedding Bouquets
We have already mentioned all the gorgeous greens of Christmas and as much as it looks absolutely stunning as decorations you might not want to hold a big bouquet of spikey pine branches and sharp holly. White and pale greens such as eucalyptus or succulents, with deep reds to add a pop of colour (large roses, peonies and amaryllis) will look stunning against your wedding dress.
Carols and Hymns
Play the most romantic Christmas songs you know – it could be for the ceremony or simply background music for the drinks reception or wedding breakfast. Here are some of our favourites:
Real Love – Tom Odell
Can’t Fight This Feeling – Bastille
Driving Home For Christmas – Chris Rea
A Christmas Love Song – Barbra Streisand
White Christmas – Bing Crosby
A Little Love – Celeste
What Christmas Means To Me – Stevie Wonder
All I Want For Christmas Is You – Michael Buble
Merry Christmas Baby – Otis Redding
Baby It’s Christmas – Amy Grant
Merry Christmas Darling – The Carpenters
If you have room for it in your budget, then why not have a small choir to sing Christmas songs during the drinks reception?
Wedding Favours
Personalised Christmas baubles and snow globes, candy canes, bride/groom gingerbread men, miniature tipples and sparklers for impressive photos are just a handful of ideas for fun, festive favours guaranteed to put a smile on your guests faces!
So there are our top tips for your perfect Christmas Wedding in the Lake District! We cannot wait to see some gorgeous weddings at The Swan next year! 🎄
And did you know… we still have availability for December 2021 so if you are thinking about planning a winter wedding, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Swanderful wedding planner today! So why not visit our Lake District Wedding Venue?
As a highly regarded spa hotel in the Lake District, we endeavour you to relax and unwind in our spa before or after the big day!