A Winter Wonderland

“Married when the year is new, he’ll be loving, kind and true…” – Anonymous

It’s always somewhat surprising that winter is not a more popular choice* of season when couples are deciding when to tie the knot.

As much as the traditional vision of a sweet May bride has obvious appeal, there is unique inspiration with each and every season……and winter has its magical attraction, and Christmas time itself is after all a popular time for friends and families to all meet together, so why not provide the perfect excuse!

Witness the Spartan beauty of winter, the architectural magnificence of bare trees, seed heads, glistening with frost, swirling low-lying mists, bursts of colour emerging from red berries, glossy evergreens; dramatic sunsets painting the sky… deep rich colour accents and textures of fur, wood and metallic detailing, all adding opulence and glamour, these are the highlights of a winter wedding.

Here at Doxford Hall, our ten acres of gardens and grounds, include formal gardens, a mystical Yew tree maze, stone architectural detailing, ornate iron work, surrounded by woodlands, and all sharing the same pared-back allure in the wintry sunlight.

Shorter days lead to longer nights, a cloak of darkness inviting evening celebrations to include candlelight and open fires, adding an elemental atmosphere to the bridal revelry.

Country house interiors come into their own at this time of the year, offering sumptuous furnishings, open fires, and rich colour schemes – mirrors and candelabras serve to enhance the occasion, whether it be a glittering banquet in the Ballroom, with its crystal chandeliers; nuptials in the George Runciman suite, with its deep claret walls, or an intimate candlelit celebratory wedding breakfast in the Frank Henry Mason room.

Bring the ‘outside in’ with wild floral displays, masses of evergreen bursting with white, nude, or deep crimson blooms, trimmed with pine cones, feathers, contrasting against deeply pigmented velvets and metallics (this season, think copper and bronze as a change from the usual silver and gold) – ornamental trees, and sparkling fairy lights need not be confined only to the yuletide season.

Cosy details to add to your guests’ comfort…. perhaps provide fur throws, mulled wine, miniature mugs of hot chocolate with brandy and marshmallows, roasted chestnuts, cute ear muffs, or even a real reindeer or shaggy Shetland pony, to greet guests at the entrance.

Certainly winter is a thrifty time to be married, an added bonus, and you can then splurge extra cash on an exotic honeymoon – the southern hemisphere comes into its own in our colder months, opening up a whole host of wonderful locations for you and your loved one to be the envy of friends and family.

(* winter weddings accounted for only 9% of weddings taking place in 2017, according to bridebook.co.uk survey, by contrast summer was 49%)