Aoife Kiely
- 3 min read

Plan for a beautiful Winter Wedding

Updated: Jan 4, 2021

Wedding Photographer limerick Tipperary clare

If planned correctly, a winter wedding can be one of the most perfect days for a wedding. Winter weddings are slightly different to summer weddings when it comes to planning. Take time to insure you review your day with your photographer up until after your photographs are done & dusted. I have put together a list of top tips for the brides & grooms who are dreaming of that perfect winter wedding.

Timing is ESSENTIAL

When planning your winter wedding, bad timing can not be a part of your day, its just that simple as it affects everything. TIME IS EVERYTHING IN WINTER WEDDINGS, The more time that is wasted between "the little thing" trust me they will all add up these means that you will be taking time form your wedding photos. Depending on your location, the sun sets much earlier than on summer days. Winter sunsets can provide the most stunning photos of the whole day, the window of opportunity is very small. I would suggest that your wedding ceremony is no later than 1:00pm preferably 12.30pm and is kept as short as possible without being rushed. Is is very important that the bride and groom are on time, there is no need to arrive late. Have your family photos taken first so that your guests can keep warm indoors while you have your couple photos as the sun sets. Organize a list for family photographs with your photographer, also elect a person who knows everybody to gather these people, lastly just make sure all your family knows where they need to be and at the correct time so nobody wanders off. Ask guests to greet you inside the reception venue after your photos have been taken to avoid wasting time and getting cold as you leave the chapel.

Keep Warm

As you know the majority of your photographs will be taken outside, so please think about being warm. A nice fur shrug or pashmina that matches your dress is your best option, of course make sure the same is done for your bridesmaids too, nobody needs to be freezing and we defiantly don't want this coming through into your photographs. A change of shoes is also a great idea!

Night Shoot

Take advantage of the darkness! I would 100% recommend a night shoot, this takes about 5 minutes. Your photographer will have everything set up for you when you set out. There is nothing like a starry back drop to set the atmosphere. Sparklers are also a great way to send off the couple into a winter night & to get guests involved.

Location

I would suggest looking for a venue that will allow you to have both your ceremony and reception on their grounds. This is just to make sure your guests don't have to travel through snow, rain or bad weather.

Lastly - A tip for any bride or groom that is worried about bad lighting or bad weather. This goes for anytime of year. We all know Ireland doesn't have the best weather and if you are tying the knot either in winter or even summer taking photos outdoors can be restrictive. From my own experience having your venue in either an estate, old Georgian house or Manor, they will give you more options if the weather isn't so good on the day. You are almost always guaranteed amazing photographs outdoors and just as good indoors in a lot of ways, these house have so much character and usually have massive windows, for us photographers this mean fabulous natural lighting conditions, perfect for portraits & couple shots.

Below are some links to some stunning old fashioned houses around Ireland, some hold very intimate weddings with max of 50 guests and others to 300 guests.

Kilshane House - Tipperary

Inch House - Tipperary

Cloughjordan House - Tipperary

Ashley Park Hotel - Tipperary

Lisheen Castle - Tipperary

Dundrum House Hotel - Tipperary

Mustard Seed - Limerick

Springfield Castle - Limerick

Dromoland Castle - Clare

Castle Durrow - Laois

Glenlo Abbey Hotel - Galway

Marlfield house - Wexford