When you Google image search “winter weddings,” there are two main themes that pop up:
1. The Christmas Wedding
Reds and Greens (Inspiration board via The Plunge Project / Individual image credits at source)
2. Winter Wonderland
Silver, lots of glitter, blue, and snowflakes. (Inspiration board via Here Comes the Blog / Individual credits at source)
We want to avoid both of these. No offense meant—there’s elements of both I like—but we chose winter because we honestly like the season, not as a theme.
We’re avoiding the Christmas wedding simply by choosing a date in February. I didn’t necessarily want to wait that long, and thought that early December would be great—but a lot of the venues we looked at decorate for the entire month. Lots of poinsettias, Christmas trees, and wreaths. Sure, we could have taken them down but, honestly, I feel like no matter what we did, our wedding would feel Christmasy.
We’re hoping to avoid the “winter wonderland” by instead focusing on a much more muted palate—lots of gray, faux fur (naturally, for the Gray Wolf wedding), greens, a pop or two of coral. Bare branches, warm lighting, lots of candles. Here’s my stab at the Gray Wolf wedding inspiration board:
(Photos, assembled in PowerPoint, clockwise from top left: Color swatches via Creature Comforts Blog; Door via Design Seeds; Gray and coral invitation via Oh So Beautiful Paper / Design by Kate Gabriel at Wit & Delight / Printing by Evolution Press; Bride and ‘maids via Ruffled Blog / Photo by Christina Szczupak; Outdoor bride via Style Me Pretty / Photo by Sloan Photographers; Place settings via Martha Stewart Weddings; George Washington stamp via USPS; Earrings via Kendra Scott; Watercolor invitation via Swiss Cottage Designs)
What do you think? I think these colors/elements—mixed with generous amounts of candlelight and the intimate feel of our venue—will be unique. I’m excited to keep building on this!
I love your ideas! I get tired of seeing frosty white and blue for winter weddings, so I think your gray/green/coral combo looks elegant and fresh. Great mood board!
I’m not a big fan of theme, and I love your inspiration – those colors are so pretty! They remind me of the stones on the bottom of a stream. So natural and elegant.
Love it! Definitely a fresh spin on the winter wedding concept. Can’t wait to see how you bring your inspiration board to life! 
I love your inspiration, those centerpieces are lovely and your gray BM dresses will go fantastic with a winter not-ice-princess wedding, and I really like the green colors.
We chose an early december date because of our anniversay and never tought about christmas being close. Since we live in a very warm place christmas doesn’t get here till mid december (literally december 12th after a religious holiday) so people’s not in the holiday mood till then, so we were safe.
I would have loved to get married surrounded by poinsettias and pine trees, but that’s me. I’d love to attend your wedding, looks very chic. Also my birthday is on a Saturday in February this year, can’t go wrong.
Love your mood board! I think it embraces the beauty and peacefulness of winter in a natural way, whereas the winter wonderland theme feels a bit more human-influenced.
I cannot get over those colors… those grays and greens with the pop of coral! So, so lovely.
Your mood board is gorgeous: I absolutely love your colors. I love that you’re embracing the season while adding your own twist on it! It’s going to be beautiful!!
I love it!I like the colors you chose, greys and greens, and a pop of coral. Sounds like fun!
I love the bridesmaid dresses in the inspirations pictures… can you get those specific ones? They’re gorgeous!
For those who like spelling debates:
Gray is the American “english” way of spelling and Grey is the Birtish “english” way of spelling.
I am from Canada so GREY is more for the color and GRAY is a surname.
Lovely! They’ll be gorgeous in your venue, and a bridesmaid who gets to use those colors is lucky for sure!
(I wish I had discovered the Whittemore House when we were planning our wedding! It would have been perfect for us given its history.)
Loving the color choices. Such a fresh take on a winter wedding. Feels minty and cool and refreshing and the same time!
Love your winter wedding colors! I too wanted to avoid the Christmas and Wonderland themes and make something unique…can’t wait to see yours come to life!
Ohhh I love it!! Definitely something different than your standard winter wedding.. I’m loving the gray fur vibe, too! (And hey, it totes works for you!!)
Grey is such a great colour – it goes with so much. I think it suits perfectly!
We are trying to avoid winter wonderland themes too! With our grays and blues and amber uplighting, it’s wintery-ish enough, without any snow themed/winter wonderland decor! Love your choices too!
I am obsessed! Super chic, it is all going to look fab together!
I love that mood board. The pop of coral looks great with the greys and greens.
I’m having a feb wedding too but down here it’s the hottest part of summer so I’m going to love seeing your winter-but-not-winter wedding come together while I’m planning my mid summer wedding for the same time.
We are also getting married during the winter season because of a date that is significant to both of us. I was adament that we would not be having a themed wedding specifically because of the two themes you listed above (and because I hate themed weddings).
We are also going with white, grey and a bright green but I love, love, love your color scheme!
Mrs. Gray Wolf, Washington DC Age and Occupation: 26, Business Development Executive Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Research Scientist Engagement Date: November 11, 2011 Wedding Date: February 2013 Venue: Whittemore House About Me: I'm an ultra-organized, pun-loving, list-making, cheese-enthusiast bride-to-be. Although my day job is in cubicle land, I'm happiest in the modern art wing of a museum, having recently earned my Masters in Museum Studies. Shortly after a chance meeting five years ago, I moved in with Wolfman and haven't looked back since. We love music, movies, TV, and all things pop culture; we have an unspoken competition to be the first to share the latest YouTube sensation or indie song. Together, we've filled quite a few pages in our passports, but also love quiet nights in with a Game of Thrones marathon and our French Bulldog, Tonks (Harry Potter, anyone?). I'm planning a small, cozy winter wedding---think mercury glass and candle light---in the heart of DC. Our venue is a historic home with a lot of political charm, but needs a bit of work to be wedding-ready.
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