How to Prepare For a Winter Elopement
Add Your Heading Text Here
There are few landscapes that are more peaceful and magical than a snowy winter’s sunrise high in the mountains. A pink and blue dawn gives way to an explosion of golden light, reflecting from the snow and turning the landscape into a storybook painting.
You can exchange vows in this beautiful winter wonderland and be warm and comfortable the entire time with these tips!
Know the Terrain
Snow can make even the most familiar trails confusing. Having a reliable guide, map, or GPS is essential. Don’t rely on your cell phone, as service issues and functionality in extreme temps can render this tool useless. Make sure you are not planning to hike in an area near steep inclines where avalanches can be a hazard.
Wear Your Best Boots
If you’ll be walking through snow, it’s important to have waterproof boots that are high enough that the snow won’t fall down the tops and make your feet cold and wet on your big day! Ankle high boots are appropriate if you wear thick socks. Snow gaiters are a great option if you want something that will keep you dry through deep snow drifts, but are quickly removable for changing into your wedding clothes or for photos.
Bring Extra Socks
You’ll be glad you did! Even if your snow boot is impenetrable, changing into fresh clean socks at the end of your hike is an exquisite pleasure that you will not regret!
Consider Hand Warmers or Heated Apparel
While I love the snow, staying warm is imperative to a good experience. I always bring Ororo Wear’s heated gloves and heated vests for snowy elopement adventures. Hot Hands hand warmers, found in every store’s sporting good’s section, can make the difference between numb hands and ones ready to throw some snowballs!
Wear Layers
Nude colored tights can turn a delicate dress from a frigid scrap of fabric into an elegant snow gown- matching your tights to your skin tone means no one is the wiser for your warmth! For those who won’t be in dresses, tights of any shade or long underwear tops and bottoms will make a huge difference in your comfort level. Layering is important, because once your body starts moving and getting warm you’ll will want to start stripping off your outer layers quickly! Being warm enough also means not getting too warm. Sweating can put you at risk for getting too cold later as your sweat cools and leaves you wet and cold!
Don’t forget about your head and your ears
We lose a lot of heat through the tops of ours heads and our ears- having a hat on hand is a game changer! If you have a freshly styled coif fuzzy ear warmers will keep you comfortable while keeping your hair in style.
Incorporate a snack or a warm drink into your elopement celebration
Toast to your nuptials with hot toddies fresh from the thermos. A fresh breakfast bagel will give you the extra energy you’ll need for snowy wedding adventures.
Bonus Rad Winter Elopement Ideas
- Hike or ski up to spend your wedding night in a cozy backcountry hut or cabin. Extra cozy points if you can find one with a wood stove.
- After vows, celebrate with an epic bridal party snowball fight!
- Go for the truly bad ass profile pic shot and ski or snow board in your wedding attire!
Wow, so many useful tips for winter elopements! I love how informative all your blogs are. And your imagery is gorgeous! I’m sure all your couples eloping in winter will appreciate this SO much!
These are such good winter elopement tips, with such pretty photos to boot! Extra socks are always clutch!
Amazing tips for planning a winter elopement! And the photos you have of this couple eloping in the winter wonderland with all the snow-covered trees is just magical!