Picking Your Wedding Date / Thoughts About Planning a Midwest Winter Wedding
I didn’t shoot a wedding last weekend but I still woke up this past Saturday morning thinking of all of the brides and grooms out there preparing to say their vows amidst a pretty epic midwest snowstorm! While travel conditions may be unfortunate, I also know that most Winter brides are crossing their fingers for beautiful, fluffy white snow to fall on their big day!
It’s by far the least busy season for weddings photographers and the reasons are pretty obvious. While I am raising my hand high in the sky to be considered for your Winter wedding (I LOVE THEM!), there are definitely some things to consider before choosing a late November to early March wedding date in the midwest.
First of all, will you have a lot of out of town guests? Keep in mind that if people have a long way to travel, they may not be able to make it due to challenging weather. That said, even in warm weather this can be true sometimes. Weather is always unpredictable! So if you are a Winter and snow lover and want to take advantage of the beauty of this season and capture gorgeous snowy wedding portraits, then by all means, start planning!
That does bring me to my second point though. The portraits! You guys, I love snowy pictures and I have no problems whatsoever being outdoors in the Winter to get these gorgeous shots. But I believe I am in the minority in this. Your bridal party may feel differently, for instance, so it may be wise to expect a little pushback from the bridesmaids and groomsmen when it comes time to break the news about outdoor photos in the Winter time. My suggestion for this is to have your bridesmaids wear full length dresses, closed toed shoes, and some kind of warm jacket or shawl that will look beautiful in pictures. And that goes for the bride too! There are really cool options out there that will not take away from your vision, but add to it!
The final thing to consider is your timeline. I’ll be honest, Winter weddings do take some extra planning simply because of the sunset time. We all know how early it gets dark this time of year, and that does come into play when creating a schedule for the big day. The hard part about a Winter timeline is the fact that the sun sets around 4:00-5:00pm. This means that all of your portraits have to be done before then! The best idea for a Winter wedding is to plan your ceremony somewhere around 4:00 to 5:00pm and do a first look so all of your portraits can be taken before the ceremony with no awkward down time between finishing portraits and starting the ceremony. If you really don’t like the thought of doing a first look, then I would recommend doing an early wedding, say around 1:00-2:00pm, so there is plenty of portrait time afterward before the sun sets.
Every season has its pros and cons. It’s important to consider what is most important to you on your big day so you can make the right decision when selecting a wedding date. And if you’ve already set your date during the coldest months of the year, I hope you found some of these tips helpful!
Most importantly, if your heart is saying to go for it, DO IT! People may try to convince you otherwise, but I truly believe Winter weddings are the most magical of all the seasons! There’s something about Winter that brings an extra sense of comfort and togetherness that will make your day the truly wonderful and unforgettable experience you deserve!
The gorgeous Winter wedding featured in this post was of Catherine + Mike, who said “I do” in February of 2019 at the Eagle Point Lodge in Clinton, Iowa!