Wedding Ideas for Every Season

Winter, spring, summer, fall — find beauty and inspiration for weddings every time of the year.

Winter Wonder

Want to get married when baby, it’s cold outside? Party planner to the stars Colin Cowie knows just what to do to warm up the crowd.

winter wedding inspiration
Photo Credit: Deborah Feingold

For a winter wedding in Vail, Colorado, Colin stood tradition on its head. Instead of the bride wearing winter white, she wore crimson — a blood-red duchess satin gown that popped against the fields of snow. Colin carried the red inside to the reception. The entrance to the tent was lined with banks of long-stemmed red tulips in urns of carved ice, and inside for dinner, more carved ice pillars cradled tightly packed roses.

Colin knew that the view at the mountain aerie where the reception was held was a scene-stealer, so he played up the gorgeous surroundings. “We lit up the entire mountain,” he says. And inside the cabin, he hung elk-horn chandeliers and pin-spotted each dining table, so the reception had a warm, cheery glow.

“The big thing everyone loves in winter is comfort food,” Colin says. So he served up ultra-luxe versions at the food stations dotting the room. “I did a fabulous caviar bar with a one and a half pound tin of caviar set in ice.” There was a stone-crab sta- tion with crab flown in from the famous Joe’s restaurant in Miami, a Scottish salmon table paired with vodka and aquavit — and other offerings included roasted veal loin with a pomme soufflé and a table of imported French cheese. And to keep the party going, waiters poured from generous magnums of Dom Perignon.

Colin’s favorite touch at this over-the-top winter bash? Guests each got a satchel embroidered with their name, for carrying their evening shoes. That way, they could wear snow boots as they rode the lift up to the reception, and slip into their wingtips or Cinderella slippers just before they walked into the ball.

See 100 more ideas for winter weddings ►

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