Winter wedding inspiration at Rivervale Barn

Winter at Rivervale Barn is a romantic, twinkly and heart-warming affair that blends wintry landscapes and frosted gardens with a cosy barn serving winter warmers. The barn always sparkles at this time of year, and with a festive spirit in the air, guests are always ready to have a good time.

Here are some of our favourite winter wedding ideas to inspire designs for your big day.

 

Winter wedding colour schemes

White and silver

White and silver, perhaps with a hint of ice blue or evergreen, looks stunning in winter. It’s seasonal, it’s bright even on a dark day and the touches of silver glitter add a glamorous feel that is reminiscent of frost and snow. Consider white flowers, bridesmaids in silver dresses, a glittery manicure, white chair covers with silver bows and lots of eye-catching wintry decorations.

 

Jewel tones

Alternatively, opt for rich jewel tones with hints of gold for a warmer look. Deep reds and burgundies, sophisticated emerald greens and even dark sapphire and peacock blues give a really luxurious feel to a wedding. Add plenty of warming textures with velvets, silks, satins and even a touch of tweed if you like. Think large and loose bouquets, bridesmaids in long gowns and lots of candlelight.

 

Metallic tones

Metallic tones, particularly gold and bronze, look great in winter and warm everything up. You might use metallic details on your table plan or in your stationery. You could tie golden ribbons around napkins, or you might add metallic touches to your wedding signage or wedding cake.

Winter lighting

Nothing creates a warming atmosphere quite like lighting. Our Dining Room Fairy lights are just perfect in winter, to add romantic, twinkling light to the room.

You could fill glass domes with fairy lights which look fantastic when grouped together for added impact. Or hire huge light-up letters for a wow factor decoration.

Warming touches

Including a few cosy, warming touches will be much appreciated and remembered by your guests. Baskets of blankets are always appreciated, especially if you’re heading into the gardens for photos or into the Courtyard for evening food. Cute gloves also make great favours for winter weddings and don’t forget a pair of boots for yourself. Slip these on before going outside for photos to protect your beautiful wedding shoes, and remember that your wellies could even be your ‘something blue’. A big shawl or chunky knit blanket also makes a great prop for those romantic winter photos, too – we like any excuse to snuggle up!

Winter photo ideas

Winter weddings need plenty of mistletoe, and you absolutely must share a kiss beneath it! This is a perfect post-ceremony photo opportunity.

Umbrellas are an often overlooked winter wedding prop that can make for beautiful photographs, particularly with the right backlighting. Head outside for romantic rain shots you’ll both remember for a lifetime.

Festive details

Many couples include Christmassy details in their winter weddings which is a surefire way to get guests in the mood for celebrations.

Cosy winter wedding favours are a festive must-have. Candles with a winter scent, candy canes, hot chocolate mixes, homemade marshmallows, crackers, festive chutneys, gingerbread men or even personalised baubles or copies of your favourite Christmas books for younger guests. Wrap them beautifully and add a tag to create a place marker, and your guests will feel as if Christmas has come early!

Get creative with wedding cake flavours and include those that remind you of the season, such as warming ginger spice or a boozy fruitcake. Why not decorate your cake with pine cones, berries or festive figurines for added winter feels?

You’ll always find a huge Christmas tree at Rivervale Barn over the festive period, so why not let this inspire your decorations? Set up a smaller tree as your seating plan with guests’ names written on tags, use baubles to hold place cards, and even include miniature trees in your table centres. For a more contemporary twist, use Manzanita branches and cover them with jewels or sparkling decorations.

Winter foliage

Foliage is a winter wedding must-have. Add lots of foliage to your bouquets and floral decorations, particularly varieties that give that really wintery vibe. You can also look to include pine cones, cinnamon sticks, berries and anything that gives that seasonal look. Wreaths are great decorations, hung on chairs or behind the top table.

Winter wedding food & drink

What is winter without warming food and drink? Our on-site catering team devises the most tempting winter menus imaginable. We love the warming delights of Pimms Winter Cup and the indulgent boozy hot chocolate station – both perfect winter warmers. Traditional mulled wine is always popular, or for something a little different, we can certainly recommend warm spiced cider to chase the cold away.

Hearty favourites will keep everyone happy for your canapes, so include small-but-mighty shepherd’s pies, mini fish and chips, mini beef burgers or even mini Yorkshire puddings with roast beef and horseradish cream.

Winter can be such a sociable season too, so continue this theme with a hearty main course, served family style to each table so every guest can help themselves. You could even nominate one of your guests to take on the role of carver.

Real winter wedding inspiration at Rivervale Barn

There’s no better way to inspire your winter wedding theme than to showcase a winter wedding we’ve been thrilled to host at Rivervale Barn.

 

A winter wonderland wedding

Christmas is the perfect time for celebrations, and Imogen and Nathan’s winter wonderland wedding was a truly amazing day. The couple filled the day with sparkle, handmade details, lots of delicious food and plenty of love and happiness.

“As soon as we walked into Rivervale Barn, we knew this was the one we’d been waiting for. I loved the fact that everything was under one roof, and it had everything we wanted – high ceilings, a modern look and a gorgeous barn style. The outside area was beautiful, and the gardens and lake were so picturesque. It was magical, and as soon we walked in, you could just feel it in the air.”

The couple decorated the venue with tall glitter birch twigs in the Ceremony Barn and an incredible arch across the barn doors that was finished with baby blue uplighting. Imogen added huge silver glitter snowflakes, snowballs and lanterns. Cherubs decorated the Dining Barn, and the couple gave their guests personalised baubles as favours whilst Rivervale’s own huge Christmas tree glowed all night long.

Get in touch to plan your winter wedding at Rivervale Barn

There’s no doubt about it – winter at Rivervale Barn is cosy, romantic and beautiful. We would love to welcome you to the barn for your personal show round, so do get in touch to book your visit now. We’re also here to answer any questions that you might have on 01252 413232.