Preparing for a Winter Wedding
A winter wedding can be gorgeous, glamorous, and full of magic — especially here in the lush Sea to Sky Corridor, with its snow-capped mountains and misty forests. Planning your celebration for mid-winter means the romance of glowing candles, the luxury of soft fabrics and faux fur, and the joy of yuletide cheer. What’s not to love?
But, let’s be honest: a winter wedding is also a bit more unpredictable. Sometimes there’s a little (or a lot) of rain, or it’s chilly, or there’s a bit more snow to walk through than you hoped for.
No matter what your day brings, though, it’s going to be exquisitely beautiful, and better than you ever expected. Here are our best tips for planning and preparing for the winter celebration of your wildest dreams.
You can picture it perfectly: the freshly-fallen snow sparkling in plump piles on the cedar branches behind you; the icy lakewater glittering in the golden light; the temperature just warm enough that nobody needs a jacket and elegant winter outfits are on full display.
Trust your photographers
At the Whistler Wedding Collective, we know our way around winter weddings! Your photographers will come fully prepared, so that you don’t have to worry about logistics. They’ll have a shovel to clear walkways, elegant matching clear or black umbrellas for you and your wedding party to use, and an upbeat, optimistic attitude even in the gloomiest weather. With all the details taken care of, the process of capturing your photos is going to be so much fun!
No matter what the weather decides to do that day, your talented photographers have the skills to capture Whistler’s stunning landscapes in your photos. We won’t resort to indoor photos, no matter what: we know you want to capture the magic of the Sea to Sky Corridor in your photos, and that’s what you’ll receive! Not only that, but your local photographer will know the secret locations where the magic truly comes alive.
Bring the right gear
You’re going to want to come to your wedding day with everything you could possibly need to feel warm, comfortable, and at ease. Here’s what we recommend:
Bring comfortable flats or cute boots you can change into, so that you don’t have to wear your expensive heels through snow or mud.
Pack a pair of cozy tights, and some for your bridesmaids, that you can wear hidden under your long dress. Once you head inside for the reception, you can sneak away to take them off!
Bring along a few extra pairs of mitts or hand warmers for your whole wedding party to use. They can use these to warm up their hands in between shots, which avoids red hands in photos.
And don’t forget things like lip chap (no chapped lips in the cold here!) and a cozy jacket for between shots.
Prep ahead of time
All those things we mentioned that you should bring for the big day? Don’t wait until the day before to pack it all up! A few weeks, or even months in advance, start getting all of this together, so that when your wedding day comes you feel totally calm and prepared. Try finding a beautiful tote bag that can store all the things on your list!
Another thing to consider about a month in advance is your skincare routine, especially if you’re prone to dry skin. Colder winter temperatures can mean dry, chapped skin and lips — so start a moisturizing skincare ritual a few weeks in advance. On the morning of your big day, be sure to use a high-quality moisturizer and to put chapstick under your lip colour!
Your dress, of course, is another thing you can plan well in advance. Take the potential weather into account when choosing your gown: maybe you want it to be long enough to hide cozy tights underneath, or short enough that it won’t drag on the ground through snow and mud. You could opt for long sleeves, or a glamorous faux-fur shrug or stole.
With a little extra planning and preparation, your winter wedding can be a smooth, easeful, and incredible day for you, your wedding party, and all your guests — regardless of what the weather decides to do that day. Taking care of the details ahead of time will bring you the deep peace of knowing you chose the most elegant, cozy, and romantic time of year to celebrate your love!
Ready to work with the Whistler Wedding Collective for your dreamy winter wedding? Book Now!
