Happy Thursday! I am delighted to have below the first ever guest post from the lovely Jo Cowan and Claire Chapman. They run Belle Bridal in London and are here to guide you through all things Festive wedding! Enjoy ….

With long nights, clear frosty mornings and cuddling in front of an open fire, Christmas is one of the most romantic times of year. When planning a wedding, there’s no better time to choose if you love accessorising and making your wedding fit to burst with little touches that bring out the magic of the day.

You’re almost so spoiled for choice for winter wedding ideas that it can be difficult to nail down some ideas — but fear not! Here are five important things to keep in mind while you organise your special day that can give it that gorgeous winter twist.

1. Play Around With Your Lighting

The long nights of winter mean one thing: fairy lights and fires. When the Christmas lights go up, the world instantly seems brighter and the winter blues are chased away. Experiment with lights draped in different patterns around your wedding venue. If you have a wedding space with an outdoor area, you can make use of the trees and bushes to drape lights through. You could even spell out your names in the lights, or make love hearts.

For a more intimate feeling, you can really make use of candles to your advantage. Not only are they inexpensive, but the flickering light will create a warm glow that’s flattering for all ages. Just make sure that you try your makeup out in candlelight before your big day, to check that the tones work. If you accessorise with jewellery, try and choose jewellery that catches the light, to better reflect the flickering candles and create a truly romantic atmosphere.

2. Embrace the Whimsical in Your Table Settings

If you’re crafty, you can really go all out with creating your own whimsical table decorations for your wedding. Instead of name cards, why not make gingerbread biscuits with names on them? Or how about collecting baubles for each guest with a name card tag attached? Not only are they seasonal, but they’re create memories of the day for your guests to take home.

You can also theme the food and drink to reflect a wintery feel. Have mugs of hot chocolate ready and waiting on the tables for your guests to warm up with, and instead of a punch bowl, how about some mulled wine? Decorate the middle of the table with fake snow and candy canes and the tables will look beautifully festive.

3. Hunt Through Wedding Dress Sales in London

Christmas is off-season for weddings, so take advantage of this and browse through the wedding dress sales in London or your nearest big city, to see what you can find. Wedding dress sample sales in London are great ways to find something spectacular that you possibly wouldn’t be able to afford at other times of the year.

When choosing your dress for a Christmas wedding, don’t just think of it as just a dress, but part of the entire outfit. You can accessorise with gloves, faux fur shawls, stockings and other layers that will both keep you warm and add to your outfit’s overall look. When you’re visiting wedding dress shops in London, you can hunt through vintage jewellery shops, looking for oversize pieces that will reflect the candlelight.

For a Christmas wedding dress, look at styles like ball gowns or lace-covered wedding dresses. While spring and summer are seasons where less is more, in the winter, you can be more excessive with your dress and style. Choosing a dress that’s more covered up is also an excellent way to keep warm, as well as being a beautiful option when done right.

4. Be Bold in Your Colour Choices

Winter is the time for dark, rich colours like emerald green, dark teal, burgundy red, royal purple, silvers and golds. If you’re choosing fabrics, then pick satins, velvets, or something similarly heavy will bring warmth into the room. You can match the colours in your table settings, your flowers and your wedding party outfits.

Colours aren’t only important to make the room more interesting, but they can also change the mood of your guests. Depending on what atmosphere you’re trying to create, aside from the dark, rich colours bringing warmth and opulence into the room, choose colours that you want to reflect the tone of the day.

5. Don’t Be Afraid of Accessorising

An important tip from wedding dress fitters is to take the accessories and shoes you’re planning on wearing with you when you’re fitted. So when you go to the wedding dress shops in London, make sure you take some of the accessories you plan on wearing with you. Especially for a winter wedding when you’re free to accessorise so heavily, the shoes, jewellery and layers you’re planning on wearing can make or break your decision about a particular dress.

It doesn’t have to be just jewellery, either. If you plan to have your hair up, you can even accessorise with natural red berries or pine cones, or sprigs of holly, as a small bit of colour in your outfit. You could even go bigger and make yourself a flower crown. You’re sure to look beautiful and to carry the feeling of Christmas with you as you walk down the aisle.

Christmas isn’t a time to hold back when you’re planning your wedding. If you’ve chosen a date during winter, go all out in decorating and accessorising. Your guests are sure to remember the magic of the day for many years to come.

Author Bio: Jo Cowan and Claire Chapman have been running their wedding dress company in North London for over six years. Belle Bridal is a family-run business which aims to deliver the highest standard of service. They specialise in sample dresses, so you can get a designer gown at a fraction of the price.