Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of having a Winter Wedding. When my other half proposed on Christmas day 2009 I immediately set about planning our big day!  There is so much fun to be had planning a Winter Wedding, I just didn’t know where to start! Preparation is key and you can never be too prepared.

I wanted to give our female guests something different for their favours and I came up with the idea of using baubles. We went straight into the Christmas sales at our local garden centres and were bombarded with hundreds of discounted baubles. Some of them were 70% off – bargain!

When we got the baubles home we printed mini luggage tags for each one saying Tom & Hayley 11.12.10. We then placed the baubles in their own acetate boxes on a bed of pearlescent shavings, and finished each box with simple wrapping string. It can take a while doing it this way but the results are well worth it.

I wanted to create a magical atmosphere.  To achieve this we blacked out the church windows and placed candles down the aisle and throughout the church.  Behind the alter stood a real Christmas tree with twinkle lights.  This all added to the effect.

As I am half Polish I wanted to incorporate as many Polish ideas as possible into our wedding. My parents went to Poland a few months before the wedding and gathered a few items, such as the tea light candle holders handmade in Krakow for my bridesmaids to hold down the aisle.

Adding little touches can make all the difference when taking photographs. Again, I wanted something unique for my photos so we bought some silver letters to spell the word LOVE.  Simple touches like these can create a great photo!

My family are the most important thing to me, it wasn’t enough just to have them there, I wanted as many of them to get involved as much as possible. My two cousins Emma and Neil play in the Highley Brass Band. With it being a winter wedding I asked them if they would mind playing a few Christmas tunes during the reception drinks. Before we knew it they had gathered other band members to come along and play for us. It was truly magical and all our guests loved the atmosphere the band created.

Last but not least, we all know there are many things to take into consideration when it comes to planning a wedding; my advice is taking your time.  Visit as many venues as possible even those that on “first brochure impressions “don’t appeal to you. We had our wedding reception at the Curradine barns, Worcester. I grew up only a few miles away from the venue, had visited it many times when it was a Christmas barn and held art exhibitions. I had no idea it was a wedding venue!

Last but not least, really take the time to enjoy your day – it will disappear in the blink of an eye!