A winter wedding has one big advantage: darkness. In the UK the sun sets around 4pm in December, which means most of the day — the meal, the speeches and the whole evening — happens under artificial light. Get the lighting right and a winter wedding feels warmer and more intimate than any summer one.
Start with warm white
Cool white light feels clinical on a cold night. Warm-white festoon and fairy lights are the backbone of almost every winter scheme, strung over the dancefloor, along beams or across a marquee roof.
Our Lunar Rig festoon and uplighting is installed by the same crew that runs the bar, so the whole room is planned together.
Uplighting for depth
Uplighters at the base of walls, pillars and trees add depth and stop a large room feeling like a black box. Amber and soft copper suit winter; deep jewel tones work for a more dramatic evening.
Programme the lights to change across the day: soft and warm for the meal, richer for the first dance, brighter on the dancefloor.
A focal point everyone photographs
Illuminated LOVE letters or your initials from Lunar Lights glow brightest in a dark room, and give guests an obvious place for photos.
Candles, and what venues allow
Many venues — barns especially — restrict or ban naked flames. Check before you buy fifty pillar candles. Battery candles have improved enormously and are safe on every table.
Plan around the sunset
Schedule photographs early, while there's daylight, and accept that the drinks reception may be indoors. Our wedding day timeline shows how to fit the day around early dark.
A lit bar is a warm welcome on a cold evening, too. Pair your lighting with wedding bar hire and the bar becomes part of the scheme.
More wedding planning: weddings by Lunar Events Group