Winter is not often thought of as a wedding season, and that’s a shame because this season offers an opportunity to create your own unique take on the traditional ceremony.

The right venue, colors, fashions, and decor can create a magical winter wonderland showcase for a bride and groom. If winter is your season, there’s no reason not to celebrate it by marrying the one you love amid the golden glow of soft lights on a winter’s evening.

Another advantage of a winter wedding is less competition. Your friends and family won’t have to decide between one wedding or another in the same week, and you’ll be more likely to get your venue on the date you want, as well as able to score better deals from vendors who will be happy to have the business. Plus, with the money you’ll save, you can afford to jet off to a tropical paradise for your honeymoon if you’re really craving sun and sand.

So scroll through these ideas and see if a winter wedding might be just what you’ve dreamed of.

Venue

Unless you live in the deep south or are planning a destination wedding to someplace warm, an outdoor wedding is off the table. But picture these possible romantic indoor settings:

• for a smaller wedding, the rustic intimacy of an old country inn, with candles aglow and the fragrance of cinnamon and cider wafting through the air
• for outdoor lovers, the bracing warmth of a ski lodge, a roaring fire inside and snow-dusted pine trees outside the picture windows
• for a larger wedding, the stately grandeur of an old historic home, the bride and her wedding party descending a tapestry-lined, weathered stone staircase clad in faux fur wraps or capes

Think warm, think cozy, think romantic, and the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

Colors

Traditionally, humans have lamented the dearth of light and color in winter, and have used the greens of spruce and fir and the reds of apples and berries to create indoor winter cheer. While these would be natural colors to incorporate into your wedding, what about shades of blue: the pale blue revealed in a pile of newly shoveled snow in sunlight or the velvet blue of a sky filled with stars at midnight.

Winter also readily lends itself to gold, the better to catch and reflect the available light: a sparkling chandelier, hundreds of candles, or the fire’s glow. Varying shades of cream can suggest the froth of spiced whipped cream topping steaming hot chocolate. Or go all in on the season with the suggestion of ice everywhere: crystal and white or silver adorned with snowflakes and icicles, white candles and white flowers.

Decor

We need light in winter, not the harsh glare of spotlights, but the fairyland glow of strands and strands of miniature holiday lights, the flicker of candles or even torches, and the sputter of old-fashioned lanterns. For florals, go all white with roses and poinsettias, or pops of color with dahlias, berries, and evergreen branches. Bring a touch of nature indoors with dried herbs, twigs, branches, pinecones, and nuts, which can easily be incorporated throughout the decor.

If you’re the type who likes to take the path less trodden, as well as save money wherever possible, a winter wedding might be just your thing.

And be sure to check out Decode 1.8’s beautiful line winter formal dresses for mothers of the bride, bridesmaids, and wedding guests. You’re sure to find the perfect style to suit any winter wedding setting and theme.