Winter Wedding tips by Kerry Ann Duffy

I absolutely love Winter Weddings and in the past few years, some of them have even had more sunshine than the Summer! I tend to photograph a lot of weddings at Ferry House Inn during the winter and even Christmas time, which is extra special!
There are lots of things that it’s worth considering and planning when you have a winter wedding, to ensure your day runs as smoothly as possible and that you and your guests have the most wonderful time.

CHECK THE TIMINGS

During the winter months, the sun will set much earlier, meaning that there is less daylight for your photos. While it’s fantastic to create dramatic evening shots, you will still want to make the most of the available light so that you can get lots of photos that show off your gorgeous dresses, hair and makeup that you will have spent a lot of money on. After all, it’s not often you get to look and feel as amazing as you will do on your wedding day........ even the most camera shy brides gain a lot more confidence in front of the camera and its great to make the most of your photographer to get lots of beautiful photos of you all.

If you have a twilight wedding, I would recommend getting ready a little earlier than you might have planned and booking your photographer for a bit of extra time, so that they can arrive when it’s daylight and you can sneak outside for a few photos before the ceremony. That way, even if you don’t get to have any outside photos as a couple, you will have still have some photos of yourself and maybe your bridal party too.

BEAUTY PREP

​Our skin changes during the winter months and its needs a little more TLC. The cold and wind means that we need to change our skin care regime to ensure the skin still glows. This is especially important if you want your makeup to look flawless on the big day. I always recommend that my brides get in touch with a good therapist for facials when they begin planning their wedding and you can read more about that here.... https://kerryannduffy.com/beauty-wellness/

BE PREPARED FOR BAD WEATHER

If the weather is bad it can cause travel problems here in the UK as we all know! It only takes a sprinkling of snow to send everyone into panic mode and everything comes to a standstill. Therefore, it’s worth thinking about how much travelling you and your guests will need to do on the day. The benefit of the Ferry House Inn is that is has lots of accommodation! So, while it’s in a remote idyllic location, your guests can book a room and know that they can enjoy the wedding without the worry of travel plans.

NEVER MIND THE RAIN

Rain is pretty likely during any season and is something that you will be likely to be checking for as soon as you possibly can. Firstly, try not to panic! It’s unlikely that it will be pouring all day long, and I’m an expert at finding the breaks in the cloud to steal you away for some portraits. However, if the forecast really does look gloomy, I’d encourage you to roll with it. There’s something breathtakingly romantic about a dance in the rain. I promise to be quick, and not to let you get too soggy!

STAY WARM

The sun might be shining but it’s still going to get cold!.....
Winter sun is just so pretty but it will only keep you warm for so long. As the sun doesn’t stay high up in the sky for as long during the winter months, we do get some stunning sunsets, but it does mean that it will begin to get chilly in the afternoon, even during early spring. There are so many beautiful accessories that you can use which will keep you warm under that long dress and you will be wearing can hide all sorts of winter warmers underneath! I had a bride who wore the most gorgeous vintage wool stockings that looked surprisingly sexy but kept her legs nice and cosy in her snow boots. That was a snow wedding in Poland, but the same principle can be applied with layering up under the dress. Footless tights that are hitched up above the ankle would keep you lovely and warm and no one will ever know that you are wearing them and come the evening when you are nice and warm, just whip them off. Fur and feathers are great for keeping warm too. A little feather cape or boa will keep you and your bridesmaids warmer than you think, as will a fur stole draped around your shoulders. They add warmth without taking away the glamour which I love. If you are keen on having lots of photos outside, then a pair of flats (or even wellies) are always a good idea. That way you can hitch your dress up and have photos in allsorts of lovely locations that you would usually think impossible. On the coldest of days a blanket can also be a god send to keep you warm in between shots. I will sometimes get a bridesmaid to accompany us so that they can help us with these things.

EMBRACE THE SEASON

Go with the season and use it as inspiration for your favors, cake and venue décor. The Ferry House Inn ALWAYS looks stunning at Christmas time and I have loved photographing so many beautiful weddings during the festive season. Candles look so beautiful for winter weddings and I don’t think you can ever have enough. They create a beautiful romantic ambience and a stunning backdrop to photos. It’s very common that a venue will not allow real candles, but there are great alternatives such as candles with battery operated flames, or you can add more light by draping and trailing lots of fairy lights to make everything look more magical.

GO WITH THE GLAMOUR

If you like a bit of sparkle, then sequins and glitter can look fantastic in photos. I especially love the sequin linen from The Sweet Hostess and they do all sorts of colours to suit your theme. If you want to up the glamour you can introduce a dress code. People love an excuse to get all dressed up without fear of being ‘overdone’ I recently photographed a wedding where the groomsmen were all in Tuxedos and it looked fantastic.

kerry ann duffy photography

Take a look at some more of Kerry's wonderful work at - www.kerryannduffy.co.uk