The Challenges of an Outdoor Wedding In Salt Lake City in Winter and How to Overcome Them

Some brides really enjoy the uniqueness of winter weddings in Utah and as a planner we love to see the winter beauty incorporated into weddings. They do have downfalls/drawbacks that come along with them and most of the time you aren’t sure where to start to find a solution to keep your day perfect. We have a list of some common setbacks and how you can approach the situation at hand to keep your day as perfect as you dreamed.

Five possible setback for you winter wonderland wedding:

The Holiday Season-

With winter weddings comes the holiday time which is a pretty big obvious obstacle. Some family members and friends may have some time off for the holidays already or they do not. It just simply depends on their job but not only do you have to work around schedules but you also have to work around some of those holiday prices too. Travel expenses may spike up due to everyone traveling to see loved ones so making sure you plan accordingly and communicate with your family and friends is a must!

Your winter wonderland isn’t guaranteed-

The snow is a great backdrop for pictures however sometimes the weather doesn’t work out the way you want. For example it snows but it could also melt before you get to take pictures based upon your day's schedule. It could also go the completely opposite way and snow too hard or for too long and then you are stuck inside or can’t get the dreamt pictures you hoped for. Something you can do is have a backup plan like props for pictures and a different setting for them. You can also plan your day based off the radar to time the pictures just right so you can get those beautiful snowy pictures.

Difficult traveling for yourself or guests-

Of course with winter weather comes difficult travel. Some roads could be closed or there may be too much snow or ice for your guests or even yourself to get to the venue. This can put a huge damper on your big day. Something you can do to prevent issues with travel is plan for a week that has good weather, this means continuously looking at the weather radar to keep up with what the weather is doing so you can plan accordingly. Of course it is hard to truly predict the weather because it can always change but monitoring it can prevent any major issues. Another great option to prevent issues is selecting a well trafficked area. Such as a venue that is in a location that a lot of people frequently travel by and plan your times accordingly as well. For example, have your wedding later in the mid morning/noon time. This can assure you that the roads are melted and safe enough to travel on.

Limited floral options-

Many flowers can not grow in cold areas so with this can come limited selection. Don’t be discouraged though, there are plenty of beautiful winter time floral options as well. Some beautiful options are Amaryllis, Sweet Peas, and Camellias to name a few. They have many options. Something you can also consider if you want a very specific type of floral is getting an imitation bouquet. This can expand your selection and provide variety for you floral arrangements for your big day.

Darkness hits earlier in the day-

With the cold months comes daylight savings time and this can put a damper on your day as it starts to get darker earlier. Fear not as there are many options you can take to prevent it from ruining your special day. Some examples are, set your time frame early enough to beat the sun but also late enough to get the ideal road condition time and photography lighting. You can also find a venue that provides an indoor option so once it does get dark outdoors you can switch to an indoor location and keep the party going.

Outdoor winter weddings are beautiful and it is important to list out possible cons and have a game plan set in place to tackle all those possible pesky issues that can come about. Don’t let these stop you from having your beautiful dream winter wedding. Everything can be solved especially with the help of a planner. The winter time also brings many benefits such as cheaper prices, more location options, and so much more!