Winter weddings start in the dark: by the time the speeches begin, the sun has long gone, and the light in the room does most of the decorating. Warm fairy lights, candlelight and a few sparkling touches make a hall, a barn or a restaurant feel like a celebration. Here are 8 ideas, from the sweetheart table to the dessert table, with the practical points at the end.
1. Spell it out at the sweetheart table
Put LOVE, MR & MRS or your initials with an & in marquee letters in front of the sweetheart table or on the welcome table. Each letter is 22 cm tall, stands on its own and runs on batteries, so there's no cable across the floor. After the wedding, the letters go home with you, and your initials or the date can stay on a shelf.
Shown: light-up marquee letters, 22 cm tall, A to Z plus an & and a heart, sold one at a time.
2. Make a glowing guest wall
Run a string of photo clip lights across a wall by the entrance and clip on photos of the two of you over the years. Then hand out an instant camera: guests add their own photos through the evening, with a note on the back, and by the end you have a guest book that glows.
Shown: photo clip string lights, 2, 5 or 10 m, with the clips included.
3. Use birch trees as centerpieces
A lighted birch tree in the middle of each table gives a winter-forest feel and the warm light sits just above eye level, so guests can still see each other. Add pine sprigs, white flowers or eucalyptus around the base. The trees run on USB or batteries and their branches bend, so you can shape each one.
Shown: lighted birch tree, about 60 cm with 24 LEDs or 63.5 cm with 144 LEDs.
4. Put a candlelit tree in the reception
A Christmas tree with taper candles is the most festive spot in the room and a lovely backdrop for photos. Wireless LED candles clip onto the branches, each with its own battery, and one remote switches a set of 10 on and off. Take the clip off and the same candles stand in candlesticks on the tables.
Shown: wireless Christmas tree candles, sets of 10, 20, 30 or 40 with a remote.
5. Candlelight on every table, without the flame
Some venues don't allow open flames, and long evenings with tablecloths, flowers and dresses are a good reason to avoid them anyway. Flameless pillar candles flicker like the real thing, and with the remote you can switch a whole table on, dim it or set a timer. Line a few sets along the aisle for the ceremony, then move them to the tables.
Shown: flameless candles with remote, a set of 3 in three heights.
6. Fill jars with fairy lights
Glass jars, lanterns and bottles filled with firecracker lights are an easy way to add sparkle to the bar, the windowsills and the steps. The little bursts of warm-white LEDs sit on a fine silver wire you can shape, and a remote switches each string on or off.
Shown: firecracker fairy lights, 1.5 m with 50 LEDs or 6 m with 200 LEDs, USB powered.
7. Add a ribbon of light to the arch
Wrap the ceremony arch, a garland or the banister in a sheer gold or silver ribbon with fairy lights built in: it reads as ribbon in the daylight photos and glows once the sun goes down. Each string has its own battery box, so there's no socket to find.
Shown: Christmas ribbon lights, 5 m or 10 m, warm white, cool white or multicolor.
8. Give the dessert table some sparkle
Scatter mini disco balls between the cake, the cookies and the coffee cups, or hang a cluster above the dance floor. They catch every light in the room and throw little sparkles across the tables.
Shown: mini disco ball ornaments, 5 cm, in packs of 10, 20 or 30.
Before the day: delivery, power and safety
- Delivery: free tracked shipping, dispatched in 1 to 3 business days and delivered in 7 to 12. Order at least 3 weeks before the wedding.
- Count the batteries: each marquee letter takes 2 AA batteries, the photo clip lights 3 AA, each flameless candle 3 AAA (so 9 for a set of 3) and each taper candle one 1.5 V battery; the ribbon lights take AA batteries in their battery box. Batteries are not included. The birch tree runs on USB or batteries and the firecracker lights on USB (adapters not included).
- Do a test run at home a week before: switch everything on, pair the remotes and set the timers.
- The marquee letters, the photo clip lights, the ribbon lights and the taper candles are for indoor use. The mirror tiles on the disco balls are glass: keep them out of reach of small children and pets.
- Returns: unused items in their original packaging can be returned within 30 days of delivery.
More ideas
- Still planning the question? Here are our Christmas proposal ideas.
- For the photo corner: Christmas photo backdrop ideas and, for the tables, Christmas table decoration ideas.
- Getting married on New Year's Eve? See our New Year's Eve decoration ideas.
- Browse all our Christmas decorations or our 12 Christmas gift ideas under $30.