The Top Five Things Every Christmas Wedding Needs

1. Christmas Cookies

Christmas cookies in my family can mean a variety of different cookies! My mom always made Chocolate Chip cookies for Santa, but my mother-in-law always did sugar! Now that I have my own kitchen, I get to make whatever cookies I like! I love making decorated sugar cookies, or dipped chocolate-dough sugar cookies with peppermint pieces.

For our Cranberry and Canoe styled shoot, Erika from The Savory Soirée made a stunning assortment of decorated sugar cookies. Erika’s cookies are immaculately detailed and taste as amazing as they look! These beautiful cookies really brought the holiday feel.

If you’re planning your own Christmas wedding, make sure to elevate your dessert display with some show-stoppers like these!

2. Red & Green Decorations

Embracing the colors of the season doesn’t mean you have to compromise on elegance! Everyone knows that red and green are “Christmas colors”. But it doesn’t mean incorporating these colors into your day is an automatic cliche. There are plenty of elegant and subtle ways to use hues of red and green so your wedding feels like a winter wonderland (instead of Santa’s Workshop).

For this styled shoot we used red goblets as well as clear to dilute the obviousness of a red glass. The florals brought by Pamela of Island Girl Flowers added a variety of reds and greens, but again we brought in whites and pinks to soften the look. Our naked red velvet cake with soft white icing is an out of the box choice for a wedding cake, but the heart (and tastebuds) want what they want! The idea for the cake creation was brought to life by Manda Bakes Cakes.

Another subtle way to bring in holiday colors is to incorporate them into your bridal party’s attire. Cranberry and wine red bridesmaids dresses provide a great alternative to true red, and emerald and evergreen are good color options that tend to look great on all complexions. Go bold and set the scene for your guests before they even arrive with a bold invitation suite like the one created by Stephanie Gould.

3. Sparkly Accents

On any given day I am a silver girl, but when Christmas rolls around I get a soft spot for all things GOLD! We have a set of ornaments that my parents save for me to put on the tree every year: the twelve days of Christmas in thin gold plate cutouts. The set is gorgeous and it may be the reason I love gold this time of year.

For the shoot we introduced the sparkle with the placemats, plates, and cutlery. The plates included seasonal sayings like cheers, merry, and joy, which created an elegant nod to Christmastime. We also had the privilege of borrowing a Kleinfeld beauty from Cherie Amour Bridal Resale that shined with it’s own bling in an ode to snowflakes twinkling.

Whether you’re a big fan of glitter or not, some element of sparkle will elevate your wedding. Enjoy adding a little or a lot of gold, or silver! Let your makeup artist add something sparkly to your eyeshadow like Libby of Blush Works Beauty and Co did for our model.

4. Evergreens

Any wedding’s florals are partly dictated by the seasonal availability of the blooms. Evergreens and other winter-thriving flowers are perfect for the chilly weather! Pops of red are fun against the variety of greens that grow year round.

The bouquet and decoration flowers were a wonderful mix of red and green! The fun collection of scarlet and mossy shades completed the tablescape.

Remember to work with your florist to find the flowers and greens readily available around Christmas to help capture the theme and save on floral costs.

5. Ornaments

Embrace the idea of using ornaments for your Christmas themed wedding– but elevate them to something everyone will envy! Glass, wood, or paper ornaments are ripe for personalization from calligraphers. Think outside the box when using ornaments in your wedding. Not only can they solidify a holiday theme, but are something that guests can keep and use for years to come.

Amy of Amy Scripts created the ornaments for this styled shoot including the “bride” and “groom” bulbs and the wooden “tis the season” cutout. The ornaments decorated our dessert table to complete our holiday feel.

Planning a Christmas wedding but need some help? Contact me at Kelsey.Grace@TheWeddingEngineer.com for a free 30 minute consultation!

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