Hot Trend: Winter weddings. Ditch the summer wedding: why winter is the coolest season to get married. As the crisp, cool air of winter descends upon us, so does the enchantment of love.
Gaining popularity
Winter weddings have been steadily gaining popularity, and it’s not hard to see why. There’s something undeniably magical about exchanging vows amidst a backdrop of glistening snowflakes, cozy fireplaces, and the warm glow of twinkling lights. While spring and summer weddings have long been the go-to choice for couples, winter weddings are now emerging as the hot trend of the season. In this blog, we’ll delve into the captivating world of winter weddings, exploring the reasons behind their rise in popularity, the unique charm they bring, and how to create the perfect winter wonderland for your big day.
So many advantages and possibilities
Whether you’re a newly engaged couple looking for a distinctive way to celebrate your love or a wedding enthusiast seeking inspiration, join us on this journey as we unwrap the secrets behind the allure of winter weddings and discover how they’re becoming a beloved choice for couples seeking a unique and unforgettable celebration.
From intimate to grand
From cozy, intimate affairs to grand, snowy spectacles, winter weddings offer a wealth of possibilities to make your special day truly magical. So, grab a cup of hot cocoa, snuggle up, and let’s explore the enchanting world of winter weddings together!
So many advantages to summer weddings
Distinctive Winter Atmosphere
Winter weddings have a cozy and romantic ambiance. The colder weather encourages guests to gather indoors, creating an intimate and warm setting. You can use seasonal decorations like candles, fairy lights, and evergreen foliage to create a magical atmosphere.
Unique Venue Options
Many popular wedding venues are more readily available during the winter months, as summer tends to be peak wedding season. This means you may have a wider selection of venues to choose from and potentially lower prices.
Vendor Availability
Just like venues, wedding vendors, including photographers, florists, and caterers, are often less booked during the winter season. You might have an easier time securing your preferred vendors and negotiating better deals.
Cost Savings
Winter weddings can be more budget-friendly. You may find that venues, vendors, and even accommodations are more affordable during the off-season, allowing you to allocate your budget to other aspects of your wedding.
Comfortable Temperatures
Depending on your location, summer weddings can be uncomfortably hot, especially for outdoor ceremonies and receptions. Winter weddings, on the other hand, offer cooler, more comfortable temperatures, making it easier for everyone to enjoy the celebration without overheating.
Additional Hot Trend: Winter weddings advantages
Unique Photo Opportunities
Snow-covered landscapes can provide a stunning backdrop for your wedding photos. The contrast of a white, snowy backdrop against your wedding attire can create visually striking and memorable images.
Winter Themed Decor
Embrace the winter theme with decorations like snowflakes, pinecones, and seasonal flowers. This can lead to a visually stunning and cohesive design for your wedding.
Guest Availability
Since many people take vacations during the summer months, your guests might find it easier to attend a winter wedding. Plus, the holiday season often brings friends and family together, making it a convenient time for celebrations.
Unique Wardrobe Choices
Winter weddings allow for creative wardrobe choices, such as fur stoles, long-sleeved gowns, and elegant shawls, which can add a touch of glamour and sophistication to your bridal party’s attire.
Holiday Spirit
If you love the holiday season, a winter wedding can incorporate festive elements like Christmas trees, twinkling lights, and holiday music, adding an extra layer of warmth and nostalgia to your celebration.
Duo d’Amore is an award winning string ensemble, made up of professional violinists, violists and cellists. Together we have versatile string ensembles such a s solo violinists and cellists, string duos, string trios and quartets. We perform a wide variety of music including pop, Top40 and classical for weddings, special and corporate events.
We hired Duo D’Amore for our church wedding ceremony and were very impressed and happy! Matthew was very responsive and the reservation and planning/song selection process was very easy and seamless. In fact, Matthew was transparent and provided guidance that a duo (vs a quartet) would likely be better with the acoustics of our space given prior experience in our church. On the day, the music was beautiful and added to our ceremony and we received many compliments from our guests. Thank you!
Nikki & Warren
How do we book your services?
Booking is simple. We send you a booking form to sign, and return to us with a deposit.
Do you perform for more than the ceremony?
Yes! We can perform for the cocktail hour through dinner, and any other moment where music is appropriate such as the first dance of the couple.
What types of music do you perform?
We perform pop, top40, video game music, jazz standards etc, and also take requests! Here is our current list of pop music, and we are always expanding and growing our list of music selections
Our wedding string quartet and ensembles
The solo violin
The smallest bowed string instrument in the violin family is the violin. It is also the quietest instrument, but that does not mean that it cannot produce a sound. Don’t forget that violin soloists regularly perform with a 50-100 piece orchestra, in a large hall seating 2000 or more people, and the solo violin can be heard over the entire orchestra, and at the very back of the concert hall. How? This comes down to the skill of the violinist, and positioning. This is why at wedding ceremonies for example we often are quite picky about the exact spot where our violinists and ensembles perform, no matter if the string ensemble is outdoors or indoors a single violinist is a great choice.
Duo d’Amore’s solo violinist is a great option for those who want live music but have a smaller budget. The solo violinist performs classical pieces, contemporary pieces, and a mix of both. Their music is perfect for wedding ceremonies, cocktail receptions, and intimate dinners.
The solo cello
Like the solo violin, a solo cellist is a great option for slightly smaller wedding ceremonies and receptions around Newmarket. Larger than the violin, it is very resonant, and can play an equally wide range of music. Clients that hire the solo cello and solo violin for weddings and events often have a guest list of under 50, but not necessarily so.
The violin and cello duo
The violin and cello duo, or string duet, is made up of one violin player and one cello player. This is our most requested string ensemble for hire around Toronto. Having both the violin, which is able to play soaring melodies, and the cello which is able to anchor and often accompany, while having an even larger sound it is no wonder that this is our most popular string ensemble. I like to imagine that the violin is like the right hand of the piano and the cello is the left had of the piano, together they can play almost anything, and that is another reason that it is our most popular ensembles.
Duo d’Amore’s violin and cello duo is a popular choice for weddings. The duo consists of a violinist and a cellist who play together, creating a beautiful, harmonious sound. The duo’s repertoire includes classical pieces, contemporary pieces, and a mix of both. Their music is perfect for wedding ceremonies, cocktail receptions, and dinner parties.
The String Trio
The string trio is made up of the violin and cello, with the addition of a third instrument. Often this is a violin or viola. We recommend this ensemble for 150-200 guests. The string trio a great mid size ensemble that is an excellent option for an outdoor wedding or large church wedding.
The String Quartet
Our string quartet is the largest wedding ensemble that we have for hire. We often recommend the string quartet for large gatherings, receptions, weddings and events with 200 or more guests. The string quartet is one of our more versatile ensembles, as we can perform everything from Bach, Beethoven and Brahms in the classical spectrum, to pop, jazz, folk, Top40 and beyond.
Choosing wedding ceremony and reception music
Duo d’Amore has one of Canada’s largest collections of wedding pop and classical music for our string ensembles. In general here is what we recommend for a wedding ceremony. Of course, every ceremony is different and we like to customize things to suit your plans and ideas. We also have lots more wedding music planning ideas and resources on our blog, here.
Custom musical arrangements
We often arrange music specifically for our brides and grooms. Imagine that you want a certain song and you want to walk in to a specific part of that–we can tailor this to suit. Ask us about our custom song arrangements.
Listen to music samples:
Visit our website to listen to pop and classical wedding favourites performed by our musicians: Listen to samples here.
Winter Wedding Music Possibilities-Classical to Pop
Classical Selections:
“Winter” from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”
Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from “The Nutcracker”
Pachelbel’s Canon in D
Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” from “Messiah”
Contemporary and Pop Songs:
“A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri
“All of Me” by John Legend
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley
“Marry You” by Bruno Mars
“Perfect” by Ed Sheeran
“How Long Will I Love You” by Ellie Goulding
Christmas Classics (if your wedding is close to Christmas):
“White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
“Let It Snow!”
“Winter Wonderland”
“The Christmas Song” (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
Instrumental and Jazz:
Jazz renditions of classic love songs
Smooth jazz instrumentals for a relaxed atmosphere
Consider hiring a live jazz band for a sophisticated touch
Folk and Acoustic Songs:
“Winter Winds” by Mumford & Sons
Acoustic versions of your favorite love songs
Folk-inspired tunes for a rustic winter feel
Ensemble and Choir Performances:
Hire a string quartet or a brass ensemble to perform classical and contemporary pieces.
Consider a choir to add a heavenly, angelic touch to your ceremony.
Original Compositions:
If you have a talented musician or composer in your circle, consider having them create a unique piece of music for your wedding.
Movie Soundtracks:
Select romantic tracks from movies like “The Notebook,” “Pride and Prejudice,” or “La La Land.”
Frozen-Inspired:
If you love Disney’s “Frozen,” consider incorporating songs like “Let It Go” or “Love Is an Open Door” into your reception.
Upbeat and Dance Music:
After the formalities of the ceremony, transition to more lively music to get the party started.
Winter Wedding venues across Canada
Listed below are several venues that our award winning string ensemble recommends for winter wedding ceremonies and receptions.
Fairmont Banff Springs – Banff, Alberta: This iconic castle-like hotel nestled in the Rocky Mountains offers a picturesque winter wonderland setting.
Chateau Lake Louise – Lake Louise, Alberta: Another Fairmont gem, this venue overlooks the stunning Lake Louise and offers a cozy, alpine atmosphere.
The Doctor’s House – Kleinburg, Ontario: A historic venue with multiple indoor spaces, perfect for a romantic winter celebration.
Le Château Montebello – Montebello, Quebec: Known for its rustic elegance, this château is a popular choice for winter weddings.
Casa Loma – Toronto, Ontario: A Gothic Revival castle with multiple indoor spaces and enchanting decor, ideal for a fairy-tale winter wedding.
The Fairmont Empress – Victoria, British Columbia: This historic hotel exudes elegance and overlooks the picturesque Inner Harbour.
The Old Mill Toronto – Toronto, Ontario: A charming and historic venue with beautiful indoor spaces for your winter celebration.
The Fairmont Pacific Rim – Vancouver, British Columbia: A modern and sophisticated venue in the heart of Vancouver with stunning views of the city and waterfront.
Additional venues
The Guild Inn Estate – Scarborough, Ontario: A historic mansion surrounded by gardens and overlooking Lake Ontario, providing a romantic winter backdrop.
The Royal York Hotel – Toronto, Ontario: Another Fairmont gem, this downtown Toronto hotel offers timeless elegance for your winter wedding.
Horseshoe Resort – Barrie, Ontario: A ski resort with indoor venues and a cozy atmosphere for a winter wedding filled with outdoor activities.
The Omni King Edward Hotel – Toronto, Ontario: A historic hotel with opulent decor and a timeless ambiance, perfect for a winter celebration.
The Vancouver Club – Vancouver, British Columbia: A prestigious private club with elegant ballrooms, ideal for an upscale winter wedding.
Hotel Nelligan – Montreal, Quebec: A boutique hotel in Old Montreal with a romantic and intimate atmosphere for your winter wedding.
The Great Hall – Toronto, Ontario: A unique and historic venue with versatile spaces for a winter wedding tailored to your style.
Hockley Valley Resort – Mono, Ontario: A scenic resort nestled in the Hockley Valley, providing a picturesque backdrop for a winter wedding.
While winter weddings offer many advantages, it’s essential to consider potential challenges, such as weather-related issues and limited outdoor options, when planning. However, with careful planning and attention to detail, a winter wedding can be a truly magical and memorable event. We hope you have enjoyed our Hot Trend: Winter weddings blog!
