These cheap and creative ideas will help transform your postponed wedding and fit in with your new date...
As soon as you finished screaming "YES!" into the sky, pulled your fiancé off their knees and kissed them like you've never kissed anyone before, your brain probably exploded like a confetti cannon and started to plan your big day -- and the first thing every bride-to-be does first is set a date and then book the venue.
After that, after you've picked your date and chosen your season, everything else starts to fall into place; your colour scheme, menu, decor, favours, everything. Usually this is amazing, but with so many couples forced to postpone their big day, a lot of people have been left wondering what they can do to change their big day to fit their new date.
Couples everywhere have had to push their wedding date back. Some have had to move their spring wedding to the autumn and others have had to move their summer celebration to the middle of winter, which can feel absolutely heartbreaking.
But it can also be incredibly exciting, especially with these creative ideas to help you celebrate the wedding you originally planned while easily transforming everything to fit with your new date. What a story you'll have to tell:
1. Get Your Venue To Send Seasonal Inspiration
If you had been dreaming about celebrating your love story at an outdoor wedding this summer, don't panic just yet because most venues have a Plan B tucked up their sleeves in case there is a change of weather (this is England, after all). So ask your venue if you can either book a tour around their indoor spaces or, if you can't do that because of the current guidelines, have them send you photos and some real-wedding inspiration.
2. Welcome Your Guests With A Warm Tipple
You may have imagined your guests drinking Pimm's in our walled garden as the sun shone down, but no one is going to be disappointed with a nice warm drink to slurp on their arrival. A glass of mulled wine, a tasty hot toddy, a splash of hot spiced cider or one of these festive cocktails -- and let's not forget plenty of hot chocolate for any kids and non-drinkers coming to raise a drink in the name of love.
3. Add A Little Bit of Ambience
Spring and Summer weddings have something in common: an endless stream of natural light. But autumn and winter weddings can go one better: ambient lighting; moments of wow that make guests stop and stare and say "isn't that gorgeous". Think string lights and lanterns, fire pits, candles and a backdrop of fairy lights dangling behind the top table. That's how to create a moment of atmosphere when the sun goes down.
4. Root For Seasonal Fruits
Nothing will make your wedding feel more on point than getting creative with some seasonal fruits, especially if you use them to make your centrepiece and tables pop. Things like fresh figs and plums, pears and polished apples are a great way to add something special to your table displays without having to spend a fortune. And if you want to get creative with your place settings, try writing your guest's names on red pomegranates for an extra autumnal detail.
5. Pro Tip: Feathers Forever
For one of our favourite autumnal looks, look no further than feathers. There's something about the texture that screams cosy winter vibes, whether you add them to your bouquet or pop them on your groomsmen's lapels as boutonnières. And the best thing: you can go for any feather you fancy. Pheasants, peacocks, ostriches, anything.
6. To Have & To Hold In Case You Get Cold
Do you know what's better than chilling outside on a warm summer evening? Wrapping up in a think, comfy blanket in the middle of autumn.You may have had different ideas for your venue's outdoor areas, but you can still make the most of them -- all you need is a basket full of blankets, some heaters and a canopy. Voila, your little patch of the great outdoors just got the hygge makeover.
7. The Sparkler Exit Is Super-Special
Anyone that's a fan of our blog will be able to tell you we're massive fans of the sparkler exit, and we probably always will be. Of course, a full-on fireworks finale would look incredible against the midnight sky, but heading off for your honeymoon as your favourite people in the world whoop and cheer and wave you off with sparklers will become your favourite wedding photo, fact.
8. Winter Wedding Crowns
There's something magical about seeing a bride walk up the aisle with flowers in her hair as the sun pours down, but just because you've had to move your big day to the colder seasons doesn't mean you can't live out this flowery fantasy. Dried flowers always make for great autumn alternatives while frosted foliage specked with berries will give your winter wedding all the feels.
9. Add A layer To Your Gown
Wedding dressed work all year round, whatever the season. That said, you may want to think how you'll keep warm outside, which is great news because bridal jackets are just about the coolest things ever invented. Think matching hand-painted leather jackets for a badass edge, or a funky denim number or, if you're getting married in winter, go all out with a cool shearling coat (oh and make sure you think about a) your footwear and b) your bridesmaids too).
10. The Dreamiest Cake Flavours
We love a lemon and elderflower cake as much as the next human with taste buds, but those flavours were made for spring. That's why we recommend you think about changing up your cake flavours to something more wintery; something with berries and cherries, ginger and cinnamon, plums and pears, apples and nuts, and then add them to classic, rich and bold flavours, such as a chocolate or red velvet cake.