FAQ: Everything You Need to Know for a Snowy Wedding Day

A snowy wedding day has the potential to be magical. Guests can talk through a glistening wonderland, curl up with warm drinks, and create life-long memories in your romantic and cozy space. However, winter weddings can also create challenges that can be distracting on your big day—if you don’t have the right team and prepare for them ahead of time.

If you’re currently searching for venues for a winter wedding, it’s important to know the right questions to ask the venue staff at each space. This will help you choose a location that can truly accommodate your vision and wedding goals, with or without snow. Here are eight frequently asked questions that we ask couples when they mention that they’re dreaming of a snowy wedding at Edlynn Farm.

 

1. Is the venue large enough to accommodate both my guests and décor?

With a winter wedding, you want to make sure the venue has enough space for both your guests and your ideal decorations. Maybe you want to have a grouping of Christmas trees or a sleigh for photographs. While these are wonderful additions, they do have the ability to take up a lot of space within the venue, taking away from guest seating and/or a dance floor space!

Before you start touring venues, write out your anticipated guest list, so the venue can help calculate how much space you need. Use this guest count number to determine if you might need to select a venue with a larger maximum capacity to accommodate your desired decor and guests comfortably.

2. What is the time frame for setting up winter décor?

It’s possible to transform your classic rustic barn wedding into a stunning snowy wedding experience, but setting up your decorations will take time. Christmas trees alone can take a few hours to set up, fluff, and decorate – especially if they’re tall.

Ask potential venues that you are touring what their policy is for decorating. Does decoration begin when the rental period begins? Is there the opportunity to pay for early access to the venue to start decorating earlier on the wedding day or even the day before? You want to ensure that you can use all the decorations that you have paid for and that the decor in the space matches the vision in your head!

At Edlynn Farm, typically our decoration window begins with the start of the rental period. We do allow couples to purchase additional decoration time, subject to availability.

3. What is the process for take-down?

While you might have a full team of family members, friends, and your entire bridal party ready to help you set up ahead of your wedding, fewer people are excited to take down decorations at the end of a day full of celebration! And for winter weddings with extra props or decor, there is the potential for a longer-than-normal clean-up!

Make sure to ask your venue how the clean-up window works. Is it a certain amount of time after the end of the rental period? Is it included in the rental period? Do they provide any staff members to help? The answers to these questions will help you finalize your timeline and ensure that you have enough hands to help remove your personal and decorative items once the wedding celebration is over.

At Edlynn Farm, we include one (1) complimentary hour at the end of a couple’s rental period to remove any personal and decorative items.  While Edlynn Farm doesn’t help with clearing any of those personal or decor items, we do handle the stacking and removal of our tables and chairs, along with the general cleaning of our barn, bridal cottage, and catering kitchen.

Ask your venue about the window to remove decorations, which we provide at Edlynn Farm. Don’t forget to check whether they provide any staff members to help as well. Knowing whether or not you have staff support will help you decide if you need extra hands to remove your items once the wedding is over.

4. Will you be able to keep my guests warm during the ceremony and reception?

If you are looking to host a winter wedding, you can expect temperatures to land in the 30s or below. Even hosting a mid-day or early afternoon wedding would only have temperatures in the 40s.

Don’t forget to talk to your venue about how they host cold-weather weddings. Ask how the venue is heated and understand the factors that come into play when trying to keep heat inside the venue, which can dictate whether you can be outside or not.

At Edlynn Farm, during the cold-weather months, we offer to host both the ceremony and reception indoors, with a quick room flip in between. During this time, guests are usually ushered to our covered patio for a quick cocktail hour, or depending on guest count size, they might even be ushered to the foyer area while our team handles the room changeover.

While we don’t provide heaters for the patio space, this is a rental that we approve to have used during cocktail hour.

5. How will guests stay warm during the changeover period?

Most weddings have a break of at least 30 minutes between the ceremony and the reception. The bridal party usually takes photos during this time while guests enjoy cocktail or mocktail hour. At Edlynn Farm, we also have an attached patio with a covered awning where guests can stand next to portable heaters, and sip on hot cider, cocoa, or espresso from the coffee cart.

Make sure to talk to your venue about what accommodations they provide and what you can provide. You don’t want your guests left out in the cold when they don’t have access to the main venue area!

6. Do you have mats and a coat station?

Many guests are eager to remove their heavy winter coats as soon as they are tucked inside a warm space and rightfully so! Talk to your potential venue about setting up coat hangers. This allows guests to hang up their parkas, hats, and gloves. Do they provide them or would you be allowed to bring those in?

You should also ask if the venue provides mats. These can soak up any snow, ice, or water brought into the venue on guests’ shoes, ensuring safety for everyone!

7. How will guests get from the parking lot to the venue?

If you’re looking at a large venue, ask about parking accommodations and how snow on the ground affects that.  Ask if there are any special accommodations for relatives who use assistive devices like canes or wheelchairs. If the venue has an unpaved field for parking, ask about the risks that come with mud and ice and how the venue treats those risks. And while we hate to mention it, ask if the venue has a backup plan to help a car get out if they do happen to get stuck.

8. Are the bathrooms indoors?

Some wonderful rustic venues have bathrooms that are in separate buildings outside of the ceremony and reception area. While these venues are beautiful, they can be frustrating on a snowy wedding day. Your guests will have to walk outside to use the bathroom. This means wrapping up in coats and gloves or making a dash through the cold!

It’s a small gesture, but make sure all of your guests will have a comfortable bathroom experience, not just the bridal party.

Make Your Snow Wedding Day Memorable for All the Right Reasons

The majority of your wedding planning will focus on finding the perfect party favors and stunning centerpieces. However, it’s important to consider the logistics of a snowy wedding if you are planning on tying the knot in the winter months to ensure everyone has a safe, comfortable, and low-stress time. Make sure that your big day is memorable for all the right reasons!