Wonderful Winter Weddings

We wanted to brighten your January with some fabulous ideas for the perfect winter wedding. Over the festive season many couples get engaged, after all “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”! Firstly, congratulations if this is you, what a journey you are about to begin…!

Christmas is such a magical, romantic time that as well as proposals, many couples choose to get hitched in the holidays. Winter Weddings offer many advantages as mentioned in our ‘Styling an Autumn Wedding’ blog including a greater choice of suppliers, who may be fully booked in the summer months and offer more flexibility out of the peak wedding season.

We think the Duke provides the perfect backdrop for a winter wedding, especially in January and February – it’s a chance to add some serious sparkle to the beginning of the year.

With typically less hours of sunlight during the winter months, ambient lighting is important to set the scene. Make the most of this by incorporating lanterns, glowing candles and fairy lights to create a sense of elegance and romance. Team this with sparkling table cloths or metallic embellishments which will reflect light around the room and create a truly magical atmosphere. We have stunning spaces to cater for small and intimate weddings as well as lavish, big days. The Ballroom looks beautiful with up lighters and fairy lights strung across the ceiling, it certainly has the wow factor as we saw in December! Flowers are a great way to add a splash of colour to your day as well as convey your chosen theme. Lush wreaths and evergreens are perfectly in keeping with the season whilst adding a touch of woodland charm.

Below left to right: The Mini Duke at Plymouth Pavilions Wedding Show, Flourish, The Mini Duke at Plymouth Pavilions Wedding Show

Below images: The Duke ballroom dressed for events, photographed by Artography

This combined with winter berry and jewelled burgundy tones can create an elegant yet understated look. For a twist on the traditional, why not contrast soft flowers with metallic foliage which combined with our elegant candelabras will look truly exquisite.

Below images: Flowers by Bloom and Flourish, photography by Liberty Pearl

With the hotels exquisite period architecture, including our sweeping staircase and floor to ceiling windows, you are sure to capture some fabulous photos of your big day! The biggest bonus with a Winter wedding is that you are not relying on the great British weather! Our spacious interiors give you many options for great group shots and we have some quirky ideas for original images.

Below left to right: Martyn Norsworthy Photography, Liberty Pearl Photography, Martyn Norsworthy Photography

Of course, if it rains and you want to brave the outdoors then why not take advantage of the weather by creating fun shots of you and your guests in colour coordinating wellies and umbrellas. You could even incorporate a faux fur wrap to keep warm in the crisp cold air! There is a small park space opposite the hotel and we are minutes away from the Hoe with Plymouth Sound in the background or the Royal William Yard is down the road and provides something different again.
Sparklers are the perfect way to add a warm glow and make for stunning photo opportunities! You could then supply a basket of blankets to take away the chill and welcome guests back inside. Imagine a group shot in the evening with the hotel lit up in the background and your family and friends spelling out your names in sparkling lights, we haven’t seen it before, but that would be a photo to treasure!

Below left to right: Liberty Pearl Photography; Bloom and Flourish and Stuart Brampton Photography; Bloom and Flourish and Melanie Barnfield Photography, headband by The Lucky Sixpence; Bloom and Flourish and Angel Wade Photography; Liberty Pearl Photography

Then return to the roaring fire in our Lounge Bar and indulge with a mulled wine or mulled Pimms. You could even have your own hot chocolate bar – the perfect tempting treat!

Favours are a lovely way to add a personal touch to your tables. They could include tiny fur trees which are perfectly in keeping with the season. Guests can plant them and remember your special day as they grow! Or how about jars of homemade treats which guests are sure to enjoy. As mentioned above, sparklers can make for lovely favours, you could even add a personalised card with the couple’s name and wedding date for something that guests can enjoy on the evening and then keep for years to come.

As mentioned in our Autumn styling blog, wedding stationery is the perfect way to convey a theme from the outset! We love Anon Design, they work with the couple to create the desired look, whether it is tweaking an existing design or coming up with a new creation, they are always happy to help! Just look at the stunning designs below, we particularly love the hessian brown contrasted with white fair isle effect – it works perfectly!

Below left to right: Images 1 to 5 – Anon Design; Image 6 – Hip Hip Hooray, Photographed by Liberty Pearl Photography

Below images: F3 Design

Wedding cakes provide another opportunity to have some fun and add the personal touch. For a traditional Winter wedding, nothing beats a crisp white cake adorned with red flowers or alternatively a white icicle affect, demonstrated wonderfully by Cut me off a Slice! Edible Essence have created an utterly stunning cake, with a jewel like ice effect, which is complemented perfectly with the invitations by Hip Hip Hooray.

Below left to right: Images 1 and 2 – Cut me off a Slice; image 3 Edible Essence and Liberty Pearl Photography; images 4 and 5 – Cut me off a Slice

The gorgeous outdoor shots below showcase Christine Trewinnard’s stunning handmade bridal gowns. They are perfectly in keeping with the season, the red velvet shawl and white gloves in particular look very elegant and make a striking contrast against the white gown.

Below images: Dresses by Christine Trewinnard

The ideas around wintery weddings are endless, you can have such fun planning the personal touches that will make you big day stand out.

If we could be your dream wedding venue, come and have a chat with our dedicated wedding coordinator who would love to meet you and hear about your plans. You can call Toni on 01752 275861 or email t.sharpe@thedukeofcornwall.co.uk.

Most of all we hope you have fun when planning your big day, enjoy the experience!