Tips for Planning a Holiday Season Wedding
The holiday season is a time for celebration and joy — a wonderful setting for a magical, memorable wedding. But planning a holiday wedding can prove challenging, as couples try to balance their annual family traditions and celebrations with their special day. Thus, holiday wedding planning requires both careful planning and flexibility. Curated by our passionate team of wedding planners, here are five tips for successfully planning a festive wedding during the holiday season this year.
Stay Classy with Holiday Décor
When planning a winter wedding during the holiday season, aim for a festive, yet classy aesthetic. Don’t overdo the holiday decorations. Excessive or tacky decorations, such as Santa-themed dinnerware, inflatable holiday characters, and over-the-top, gaudy tree ornaments, will look cheesy and may even detract from the special, romantic atmosphere.
Instead, choose a few festive elements to incorporate into the decor, such as draping long green garlands with accent berries and classic red ribbons across the room or using jingle bells for different details from wedding favors to the wedding cake. Theming around festive, non-traditional color combinations, such as white and gold or blue and white, or green and gold, can offer a subtle way to incorporate the festive feeling this holiday season.
Schedule Holiday Season Weddings in Advance
The holiday season is the busiest time of the year. From religious celebrations to family get-togethers to holiday parties, many guests will have other personal commitments during this time. Scheduling a holiday season wedding far in advance will help guests fit this celebration into their other holiday commitments, resulting in fewer last-minute cancellations.
However, given the busy time of year, couples should remain courteous and understanding of scheduling conflicts, to respect their guests’ priorities, which may or may not mean attending the wedding.
Avoiding Scheduling Weddings on Major Holidays
To be respectful of the diverse cultures and religions of guests and vendors, try to avoid scheduling weddings on major holidays. Couples should be considerate of all important holidays, not just the ones they and their families celebrate.
Major holidays include Día de Los Muertos, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Advent, Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, Epiphany, and more. For dates not listed, do a Google search to double-check. If they cannot choose a non-holiday date, they should be aware of this scheduling conflict and accommodate those it affects.
Festive Food & Drink for Holiday Season Weddings
For a festive atmosphere, supply holiday-themed food and drinks for guests at the wedding. Choosing a fare that has personal significance for the couple and their family can add an extra special touch to the day. For example, offering a traditional holiday meal with family recipes and comfort foods can put guests at ease and create a sense of togetherness. Spice up the wedding catering menu with seasonal flavors, such as gingerbread, pumpkin spice, and peppermint. Other festive ideas include a DIY hot chocolate or s’mores bar.
Bring the Holiday Spirit to Weddings Planning
Beyond holiday decorations, look for creative ways to embody the holiday spirit at the wedding. Firstly, couples should reflect on what the holiday spirit means for them, whether that’s being charitable, giving gifts, or another special tradition. For example, couples may choose to have guests donate to a charity they care about, instead of buying them gifts from a registry.
Options include Samaritan Purse’s Operation Christmas Child, Toys for Tots, and the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program. For gift-givers, they can design festive wedding favors for their guests, such as baby pine trees to plant, holiday food favor baskets from local businesses, or personalized ornament favors.
Start Planning Your Holiday Season Wedding Today!
With these five tips, you will be on your way to planning the perfect holiday season wedding. At Knowles Hospitality, northern New Jersey’s premier wedding venue, our wedding planning team wants to help you plan your magical winter wedding this year. Check out our wedding gallery to see some of our latest success stories. Contact us at (973) 732-2360 to connect with our wedding planning team today! Happy Holidays, everyone!
