The winter holidays are right around the corner, and what better time to dedicate your love? Find an extra reason to celebrate this year by planning your wedding around a holiday theme. The following ideas can serve as inspiration; feel free to throw in your own favorite family traditions as well!
Themed Hors D’oeuvres
Holidays just wouldn’t be the same without decadent food and drinks. Ask your caterer how to plan a wedding menu around your favorite seasonal offerings. Encourage mingling by serving your guests with trays of holiday-themed hors d’oeuvres. They’ll be delighted by these gourmet twists on the classics.
Evoke a taste of Hanukkah with crispy, golden mini-latkes. A fried potato patty serves as a versatile base for almost any flavor combination, and is a popular choice for nearly all guests. Turn it into a savory concoction with thin slices of smoked salmon and chive cream topped with a quail egg. Or, go in a sweeter direction with a topping of apple sauce, mint leaves, and fresh grated cinnamon. Serve an assortment of potato, sweet potato, and zucchini latkes for a more colorful selection.
Bring out the Christmas goose! Serve your reception with a glorious feast of finger foods. Small slices of roast goose can be topped with a port wine-and-cherry reduction and speared with a sprig of rosemary for a convenient bite with a grand taste. Alternate your platter with roast potato served in the same fashion for a vegetarian option.
Hors d’oeuvres can be sipped, too. Serve trays of shot glasses for quick quaffs of seasonal delights. Looking for a hearty taste? Alternate thin layers of warm pumpkin soup and sour cream in a clear shot glass for a rich, creamy burst of flavor. For a more adult taste, serve shot glasses of gourmet eggnog topped with fresh-grated nutmeg and slivers of white chocolate.
The Icing on the Cake
Your wedding cake is the perfect place to add a little holiday flair. Do you want to make it look like a multi-tiered gingerbread house with his-and-hers gingerbread figurines on the top? What about an edible Christmas tree with an angel topper? You can even draw inspiration from that other multi-tiered holiday delight, all iced in white… yes, a snowman! Collaborate with your bakery to create the perfect wedding cake in any shape you like.
Looking for something a little more traditional? Add winter sparkle to any wedding cake with small, elegant touches like sugar icicles. These can be ordered from your bakery or bought ready-made in multiple varieties like clear sugar or white peppermint. You can also dust your cake with sugar crystals for a glitter like newly-fallen snow.
Garnish dessert tables with holly leaves and red berries for a colorful effect, but be careful not to let them touch the food, as holly berries themselves are mildly toxic. Poinsettias are also beautiful and dramatic additions to table décor. Chocolate Hanukkah “coins” make festive table garnishes, and double as favors for the kids. Don’t forget the candles! Hang glass globes filled with candles from bare, decorative tree branches to create a winter wonderland in any room. (Check with your venue before lighting an open flame; you may need to substitute artificial candles for safety reasons. Hang artificial candles well above eye level, however, and no one will be the wiser.)
Stylish Holiday Bouquets
Winter brings with it an opportunity for creativity in flower design. While the usual avenues are still open to you, also consider some non-floral bouquet ideas for your walk down the aisle. Cheerful red holly berries brighten any bouquet, along with accents like perfectly-shaped mini-pinecones for a rustic accent. Bare, twisty Manzanita and willow branches add texture. Add a few sprigs of mistletoe and you’ll really give your bridesmaids an incentive to catch that bouquet.
Don’t forget arrangements of succulents! The icy green sheen on many succulents’ leaves makes them the perfect choice for a winter bouquet. Plus, they can be planted very easily afterward as a living reminder of your wedding day.
Let it snow! If you’re dreaming of a white wedding, design an all-white bouquet with a special eye for texture. Pair white roses with calla lilies, dogwood blooms, and white tulips for a simple, beautiful arrangement. You can even create a charming bouquet entirely featuring baby’s breath and white ribbons for a heavenly, cloud-like effect.
Celebrate Twice as Much
When you plan a wedding during the holiday season, you’re not only doubling your celebration for one year; you’re doubling your celebrations for years to come! A holiday anniversary gives you that extra incentive to really treat yourself–be it a special vacation, a generous present, or just an excuse to take a deep breath and appreciate your love for each other.
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