Winter is ideal weather for North Indians to plan their wedding as the weather is oh-so-romantic and sets the perfect ambience for all the shaadi celebrations. Although it is the perfect season to tie the knot, there are a few things every bride needs to keep in mind during her winter wedding planning. Here are the things you need to watch out for, for hurdle-free wedding functions in the colder months of the year.
1. Delayed flights and trains
Be prepared for all flights and trains to get late due to the fog. Your friends and family are bound to get late because of this, and thus, it is better you keep a timeline in mind for their arrival. Also, keep a check on their estimated time of arrival for you to send cars for their pick up from the airport/ station accordingly. And because of cancelled flights/ trains, be prepared for some last-minute dropouts too.
2. Choose the venue wisely
Day weddings in winters are beautiful. Having a vedi outdoors for a day wedding is perfect but it is not always a good idea to have an outdoor vedi if you are going to have late night pheras. It is bound to get colder at night and you obviously don’t want your guests feeling cold and uncomfortable! Also, having an outdoor venue means additional cost as you would need to get heaters fixed all around to keep everyone warm.
3. It is going to be the peak of wedding season
You will be getting married during the peak wedding season which equals to all the wedding vendors demanding exorbitantly high prices. It is possible that the venues and hotels also get booked out during this time. Therefore, start your wedding planning in advance and book all the wedding vendors as well as the venue ASAP.
4. Keep the lighting in mind
Winters mean early sunset, and so you need to keep the timing of the photography sessions in mind and discuss the same with your photographer as well so that there is no issue with the beautiful memories of your wedding.
5. The fabric of your lehenga
As a bride, there isn’t much you can do to keep warm in winters. Since you obviously cannot wear any warmers or layer yourself, we have some suggestions for the fabric of your lehenga. It is advisable to get your lehenga in velvet or silk fabric as they both are thick materials and will keep you nice and cosy. Both these fabrics look rich and add a royal look and feel to the outfit.
6. Make the decor warm and cosy
Use lots of candles and diyas as part of your wedding decor. This will not only brighten up the venue, but also add some natural warmth to the area. How dreamy will this look?!
7. Do not delay your honeymoon bookings
Since you will be getting married in the months between November and January, it is advisable to make your honeymoon bookings on time. This is the time for holidays all over the world and everyone is going on vacation. So the cost of air tickets and hotel bookings is at its peak. Plan your honeymoon in advance and make your reservations well in time to avoid the steep rates.
8. Plan the draping of the dupatta and blouse style according to the weather
If you have an opaque dupatta, you could line the inside of your dupatta with a thin pashmina shawl in the same colour. Once draped around your body, the shawl will not show and since pashmina is a fine fabric, it won’t even add any bulk to your outfit. This way you can look amazing and stay warm too. As for the blouse, opt for one with full sleeves in silk or velvet. These look good and you won’t catch a chill either.
9. Hot chocolate station
While the wedding rituals are going on, keep your guests warm and snug by keeping a hot chocolate/ coffee counter. And everybody loves tea in kullads so you could have everyone wrap their fingers around the kullad and sip on a warm beverage.
10. Winter skin tip
Thank God that winters do not give you frizzy hair and melting makeup! And to avoid dry skin on your wedding day, sleep with a humidifier in your bedroom a night before. The humidifier will help keep your skin hydrated and also give you a bridal glow!
11. Keep warm clothes in your trousseau
Post marriage you will be invited to endless dinners and parties, thus it is always a good idea to keep warm shawls in your trousseau. There are various types of pashmina shawls available in the market and work well with both Indian as well as western wear. You could also invest in a velvet stole or dupatta in a colour of your choice – they look super stylish.
12. Serve winter-friendly food at the shaadi
While summers are all about cold desserts like kulfi and rasmalai, winters are about warm gulab jamuns and gajar ka halwa. Make sure you include winter-friendly food in your menu. Have a tikka counter too – this is a ‘hot’ favourite for many.
13. Wedding card gifts
Everyone wants to be unique and creative while choosing their wedding card and the accompaniments that go along with it. Since there is always something sweet sent out with the wedding card, winter months are a blessing as they offer a variety of food items for that. You could send gur, rose flavoured almonds or even a box of dates. Sending out flavoured honey bottles is also a ‘sweet’ accompaniment.
14. Keep your guests warm
Keep some blankets handy for your guests to snuggle up while the wedding rituals are taking place. You could also add your and your fiance’s initials or the wedding date on these blankets and let your guests carry these back as a memory of your wedding.
15. And keep yourself and your fiance warm too
While you both sit for the pheras, wrap the back of your chair with woollen stoles. This will especially keep your back warm when you’re in a lehenga-choli. Have ‘bride’ and ‘groom’ monogrammed on these stoles and give the photographer a chance to click some adorable pictures.
