Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Weddings

Chat to other Mumsnetters on our Wedding forum.

Original poster

Christmas Wedding - thoughts please

81 replies

turtledovelove · 18/09/2021 14:16

Has anyone been to or had a wedding in the week leading up to Christmas? Is it a good idea? Will people be put off coming as they've got enough going on around that time of year anyway. Does it make it an extra special time of year to get married or does it just added stress and pressure to an already busy period?!

Would like to hear people's thoughts around this and own experiences. Partner and I are considering our own wedding for December 2022.

OP posts:
Ethelswith · 18/09/2021 14:26

A friend had a wedding just before Christmas, and I envied her. Carols for hymns! Really jolly occasion, great mood. Bride wore a dress she'd had made on creamy white velvet, and accent colour was gold (with red, gold and green in the flowers)

Yes, you need to give people plenty of notice, because they will be fitting in lots of other stuff. I think this is one of the times when it's useful to be having a small/medium sized local wedding, but if family/friends are far-flung there's not much you can do about that. Weather and general levels of traffic can be a PITA too, but not insuperable

RavenclawsRoar · 18/09/2021 14:28

I have been to a Christmas wedding! Personally I thought it was lovely. Since wedding invitations are usually sent out well in advance, it was easy enough to plan around it in terms of other social events. Also the couple are good friends of ours and invited lots of our other friends who we'd have been arranging to see anyway, so it worked out quite nicely in that sense. I also went to a NYE wedding once too, which was also good fun and actually quite a relief in terms of decided who to spend NYE with (as in, dh or my friends or family or just us....for some reason we quibble over that more than Christmas but with a wedding it was easy).

Bananarama21 · 18/09/2021 14:28

I wouldn't attend personally Christmas is an busy and expensive time for everyone I couldn't part with the money that it entails for outfits, drinks, travel it entails at that time of the year in all honesty however I have 3 dc so Christmas isn't cheap.

ItsJustASimpleLine · 18/09/2021 15:03

I wouldn't attend, I'm so busy that time of year and don't know where I would find the time.

But I agree it would a magical time and would love the Christmas theme. Could between Christmas and New Year be a option?

LawnFever · 18/09/2021 15:05

I’d love to go to a Christmas wedding, with plenty of notice I’d definitely go.

It can be a busy time but I’d prioritise a wedding as long as I knew about it early enough.

HappyTimeTunnelDinosaur · 18/09/2021 15:07

I love the idea of the theme, not sure if 22nd is a bit too close though as lots of people might be getting ready to travel to wherever they are spending Christmas. Could you maybe aim for a few days earlier or perhaps in the lull between Christmas and New Year? If you do it you should definitely include some sort of snow falling!

NatriumChloride · 18/09/2021 15:11

I think it’s perfectly fine - do what suits you and your fiancé the best. People will make an effort if you give enough notice, and it’s a really nice time of year anyway. A wedding then would be magical. Congratulations, OP!

Original poster
turtledovelove · 18/09/2021 18:17

Thank you for the responses. It does seem that the majority would be happy to attend a Christmas wedding given enough notice.

I love the idea but I'm equally aware of the expense that comes with Christmas. We have 4 children between us as well as birthdays thrown into the mix at that time of year!

We're looking at a relatively small wedding with 40 guests max. Not fixed on any particular date and are yet to find a venue that can offer what we'd like.

OP posts:
Ughmaybenot · 18/09/2021 18:29

Ah I went to a Christmas wedding a couple of years back, I think it was the 27th or 28th. It was absolutely lovely, a really magical atmosphere. Worth mentioning that the vast majority of guests were local and so there weren’t any big demand on our time or finances in order to attend.

garlictwist · 18/09/2021 18:40

I went to a wedding on December 27. It was a weekday (a Friday, I think) but because a lot of people are off work then it was OK. It was nice but it was a very cold day and the hotel was very hot so I didn't feel like there was much fresh air.

HaroldMeeker · 18/09/2021 18:44

My friend had a pre Christmas wedding (23rd). Candlelit venue, evening ceremony so it was all indoors, , 40 people, carols instead of hymns and it was truly beautiful. She loved every moment, and it meant her family were all together for Christmas day.

Ethelswith · 18/09/2021 19:24

If you do it you should definitely include some sort of snow falling!

My friends wanted a snowball fight in the churchyard, but the weather didn't co-operate!

And it's a good point from pp that if you gather people together for a wedding, they'll see family there, which might simplify things by reducing the number of other trios. And if seeing family they don't see that often, it's a double win

Twizbe · 18/09/2021 19:26

I went to a wedding in the first week of December once.

I think that's a bit better as it's still a few weeks till Christmas, but December so you can have a Christmas theme to it.

BiscuitLover09876 · 18/09/2021 19:26

I think you need to give a lot of notice. One thing I would say is have a lot of things prepared for inside. Weather is often terrible and miserable, not a beautiful white Christmas like everyone always hopes, so the one I went to had no outside photos whatsoever despite the venue having beautiful gardens.

Really do it big!

BiscuitLover09876 · 18/09/2021 19:41

And people will need time to organise accommodation and the extra expense it may be at that time of year

Zarene · 18/09/2021 19:46

I’ve only been to one (23rd I think?) and it was fantastic! Really cozy and fun.

Crimbles · 18/09/2021 19:47

Do it! We had a Christmas wedding (19th) and it was truly magical. It even snowed! The date didn't put people off coming...the only people who declined lived within 5 miles of the venue, so travel wasn't the issue. They just didn't like us (family).

JosephineDeBeauharnais · 18/09/2021 19:55

We got married on Xmas eve! Small wedding as it was my second marriage, immediate - ish family (included some aunts / uncles/ cousins etc. We rented a country house and most people stayed through to New Year. We still get people saying it was the best wedding ever and it was nearly 30 years ago.
It snowed, I had holly, ivy, Christmas roses and mistletoe in my bouquet. It was utterly fab, do it!

DappledThings · 18/09/2021 20:00

Been to one on the 29th. It was a bit of a pain and some of our other friends declined. It leaves people struggling to find time to see both sides of their own families over the Xmas period.

I would do it again if I were invited to another one but be prepared for some people to turn you down.

Buttons294749 · 18/09/2021 20:01

I would love to attend one!

twinningatlife · 18/09/2021 20:05

I've been to 2 now and yes stylistically they were lovely and obviously it was easy to theme the wedding around Xmas but.......I do think they are a bit selfish really. It's an horrendously expensive time of year as it is without then throwing in wedding gifts / outfits / travel to wedding / time off work in an already cutthroat annual leave market etc.

DreamerHutton · 18/09/2021 20:08

Been to one in between Christmas and NY. Perfect. Still Christmassy, everyone off work, filled up that weird gap that is turkey curry and Pantomime and was in a gorgeous country house like a big Christmas party.

Could do one every year Grin [santa]

harriethoyle · 18/09/2021 20:08

We married 23rd December last year and it was AMAZING. Hotel looked incredible, everyone in the vicinity was so jolly and festive and it was such a fabulous run up to Christmas. BUT we had an extremely small wedding so do give good notice if you want more than a handful of people

CassandraTrotter · 18/09/2021 20:51

A late advent wedding is a nightmare to attend as a guest. A Christmas wedding (27-30 dec 1st jan plus) is fine as everything is much more relaxed and we are off work and school.

CassandraTrotter · 18/09/2021 20:53

@DreamerHutton

Been to one in between Christmas and NY. Perfect. Still Christmassy, everyone off work, filled up that weird gap that is turkey curry and Pantomime and was in a gorgeous country house like a big Christmas party.

Could do one every year Grin [santa]

It is still christmassy as that IS christmas. Before the 25th is advent: