Why Winter is a wonderful time of year for a wedding!
Of course, the days are much shorter and darker, meaning your photographer will have to be able to utilise flash and work in low light conditions. Remembering that a lot of venues will not allow the use of flash during the ceremony.
Depending on the style you require you will need to plan the timings of the ceremony, for example, if you are looking at natural light photographs, it would be best to have the ceremony no later than 2.00pm to make use of the best light of the day. Your photographer will need to work quickly to make the most of the daylight and of course not keeping you or your guests in the cold for too long.
It is essential when booking your photographer that they are experienced with all manner of lighting conditions, can they deal with shooting groups after dark, do they have extra lighting? Are they able use the darkness in a way that enhances your portraits, great lighting in a nighttime portrait can make the most incredible images.
A Winter wedding can really be stunning, and there will be some photographs that are achievable only in the winter.
There may be elements of your day that will have to be missed. For example, the big group shot, one that is great to get, but if you are talking past sunset, then some serious lighting would be needed, and you simply may not have the space or time to achieve this. Also the confetti photographs, they always look lovely when caught spontaneously but if lighting is needed it simply won’t work!
Plan for the worst case scenario, it sounds dramatic, but it really is essential.
Think, if it snows, will you be able to make it on time, will your photographer be delayed? It is worth thinking about and it might be an idea to put your photographer up for the night before in a hotel, you don’t want them not being able to make it due to bad weather!
Of course the added romance of snow can make winter weddings especially photogenic, the main thing is dressing for the occasion. A pair of wellington boots and an umbrella should be a priority and can make some unusual and quite unique photographs. One of my personal favourite images, although taken in the summer was the Bride and Groom with an umbrella in the rain.