The date is getting closer, but with the whole country madly shopping and planning for their own events, it’s important to make sure everyone’s expectations are in line:
Here are my tips from Ruth Graham - West Mids Celebrant for a perfect Christmas Wedding

1) Plan early!!! The minute you book the venue, let people know with an informal e-mail. Something like;
‘We’d love you to be with us for our wedding. More information will follow, but in the interim – please put xxx December into your diary.”

2) Do Not Stress If People Say No. Although it’s your special day, bear in mind that because it’s Christmas, it’s many other peoples’ special day too. It doesn’t mean they don’t like or love you – it’s just means you happen to have chosen a particularly busy time of year. It’s not personal.

3) Use The Date For Some Fun. Great ideas themed around Christmas mean you can do things like name your tables after Christmas songs, Santa’s Reindeer or even Christmas movie titles. Put as much fun and laughter into the day as you dare!

4) Aim To Marry Earlier Rather Than Later! This is a practical tip. Obviously you’re going to look gorgeous on your wedding day whatever, but the light is a vital factor for photography. Leave the ceremony too late, and you’ll find the light fading. It also makes sense to choose a venue with excellent indoor lighting for photos in the event the weather is bad.

5) Consider Transport: Is there a back up plan to cover breakdowns or bad weather? Nobody wants to be stranded!

6) Involve The Tree! Rather than have a traditional wedding table for gifts, encourage guests to leave them underneath the tree at your reception venue. It all adds to the atmosphere and looks great.

7) Hire Some Christmas Carollers: Nothing says Christmas more than a few rounds of a Christmas carol. It would create fantastic atmosphere to get a choir in to sing for an hour. Many choirs sing for charity at this time of year, so that would be a lovely way of giving something back too.

8) Get Santa Involved Too: How about getting an MC dressed as Santa? That would be a bit different. Or even get a Santa in and a small grotto to keep the children entertained later on in the day.

9) Advise your guests to travel early: For people coming long distances, it’s always best to come up well in advance and stay over the night before. We all know how the roads grind to a halt in bad weather, so it’s not worth taking the risk of missing such a special day.

10) Use a ‘proper’ wedding planner: If you’re going down this route then we suggest avoiding the amateurs and finding a real professional that you click with. Meet them to discuss your ideas, and then decide from there. It’s a HUGELY helpful way of taking out the strain. You’ll still be in charge and have overall say on your special day, but the planner will deal with the minutiae, make suggestions you’ve not thought of, have a vast array of contacts at their fingertips and be there on the day to make sure it all runs perfectly. We love www.everythingorganised.com – a luxury events planner that REALLY knows how to make things happen.

11) Have Different Reception Drinks: It’s traditional to serve champagne but why not try mulled wine or hot chocolate? If it’s cold, guests will thank you for it.

12) Look Different On Your Day: It doesn’t have to be satin or tulle. How about a beautiful fluffy white cashmere (cruelty-free) shawl to keep you warm?

13) Use Festive Colours: Silver, deep greens, berry red colours and white are gorgeous and romantic. Incorporate them into the flowers, the decorations, the cake, the tree for a really romantic look.

14) And use what’s around you for decorations: Snow pines are free. Twigs and berries are free. So is green foliage. Use in their natural states, or spray with fake snow or glitter for effect.

15) Be Bold With The Bridesmaids: Winter is a great time to plump for more striking colours and palettes. Deep berry colours, purples, reds, plum... They’ll look great on the photos.

16) Choose a Multi-Cart: it’s quite a trend now to have a half/half cart at your wedding. Half sweet, half cheese – and that’s great for a winter wedding.

17) Select A Celebrant: If you’re not going for church, and a registry office is a bit impersonal, then an independent celebrant will be fantastic for this time of year. You can choose poetry, music, readings, vows, symbolic ceremonies – whatever you want. Even a Christmas carol if you wish!

18) Do Your Christmas Stuff Beforehand: Buy the gifts and Christmas cards and do your planning beforehand. That way, you can enjoy your wedding day, without having to think about Christmas too.

19) Honeymoon Away: Try and get away for the whole of Christmas, and that way you can avoid any stress and just be catered for instead!

20) Release Control! It’s easy to get lost in the hard work, but this is your day. It’s not going to happen again. Hand over the appropriate bits of organisation to your planner, your bridesmaids and the venue. Just allow yourself to go with the flow. It will all work out in the end.
But whatever you do  - have a wonderful wedding!