Been proposed to this winter and want to have winter wedding? Our guest blogger Maxine from Eltham P

Summer is the most popular season for weddings but here are some reasons to consider bucking the trend…

Winter can provide the most perfect time for a wedding, with a stark landscape and moody skies, it can look stunning in contrast to a cosy, amber lit interior. It is a time for the comfort and luxury of the indoors, for hearty food, warmth and celebrations. A manor house or palace is the perfect space for creating this atmosphere for your wedding, often benefiting from existing décor and rustic tones.

Eltham Palace for instance, provides features such as a warmly lit drawing room, under-floor heating and a collection of art that speaks of 1930s glamour.

Here are some tips for making the most of your winter wedding:

Floral decorations

Winter is a great time for DIY with inspiration coming from the natural landscape. To add some wintery touches to your decorations, you could sprinkle the wedding breakfast tables with acorns brushed in gold leaf and consider using sprawling table centres such as ferns to create a dramatic effect.

For bouquets; gladiolus, white hydrangea or lily of the valley all work well. You could also scatter in some silver birch branches for a contrast of texture.

Herbs are another lovely decoration and rosemary or mint can add a really nice scent a bouquet. Or dust the floor under the tables with rosemary and it will create a beautiful scented room, a great hidden touch!

Wrap Up Warm

Wedding and bridesmaids dresses alike can look stunning with fur muffs or shawls in ivory tones or a dusky shade of pink or grey.

And don’t forget about your guests! For the ceremony you could place a tartan blanket and mini hip flask on every chair so guests can stay warm and cosy during their ceremony. And as favours, you could have hand warmers, mini hot water bottles or a jar of ‘make your own hot chocolate’.

If any of your wedding will be outdoors, even just for photographs, you may want to incorporate some chimineas or other outdoor heaters.

Food & Drink

On a cold day it’s a great idea to choose warming and hearty foods.

Medieval banqueting is perfect for this. Think platters of cheese, stews, meats and pies. Banqueting tables also look stunning and dramatic as an alternative to rounds.For drinks, consider something warming such as mulled wine or hot apple cider. Or be inspired with one of English Heritage’s traditional fruit wines or meads.

Lighting

Lighting is crucial to creating a feeling of warmth and brightening up rooms as the night draws in. Amber lights are perfect for this, without being too harsh. We recommend uplighters for the walls and a ceiling wash. You can also add accents of light by pin spotting the tables in a stark white which creates a beautiful contrast of lighting. You could also use LED lights to line the rooms or tables.