What To Know When You’re Planning a Winter Wedding in South Dakota

Well, this is easily my favorite winter wedding! Happy 1-week anniversary, Kristin & Bobby!

Winter weddings aren’t as common in states like South Dakota because of the frigid temperatures and unpredictable weather, but wow, they are beautiful. Plus, guests are actually looking forward to a wedding in the “off-season”! Kristin and Bobby live in Arizona, but have family in South Dakota, so they hired Hitch Studio as a wedding planner for all the details back home. We absolutely loved it. Before we get into the specific details of their gorgeous wedding, here is a list to help get you started if you choose to plan a winter wedding in South Dakota.

Here’s 10 things to keep in mind when planning a winter wedding:

1. Who will be in charge of snow removal at your venue? Make sure all parking lots and driveways are clear so guests can make it in safely.
2. Remember, guests may choose not to come if the weather gets iffy. Be ready for a lower guest count because of traveling, weather, road conditions, below zero temperatures and more.
3. Have coat racks available and out of the way (in a hallway and out of sight is even better!)
4. Choose a bouquet with hearty flowers (or even artificial flowers) if you’re doing photos outside. You want your bouquet looking nice even through the reception.
5. Wedding colors that go with the season are lovely, but don’t feel like you have to stay in the pine green/berry red box. What about frosty silvers, deep purples, navy blues, and dark teals? What about burgundy and gold with accents of pine cones and pine garlands? Think of a color palette appropriate for the season, but have some fun!
6. Allow plenty of time for guests to get from the ceremony to the reception site. Or consider having both at the same venue!
7. Think of how much fun a hot chocolate bar could be?! Caramel flavoring, mini marshmallows, peppermint sticks…what a great pairing for dessert. (Or a s’mores bar! Anything comforting and cozy is a great option.) Check out these creative and fun ideas for food at your wedding!
8. Consider having a fur shawl or knit cover-up for your outdoor shots. Cozy and warm can still be glamourous.
9. Offer a shuttle service from the popular hotels to the reception site so your guests don’t need to brave the roads. The shuttle can make trips every half hour for convenience.
10. Have ushers and hosts/hostesses ready to help guests down a slippery sidewalk or windy entrance. Offer more assistance in taking people’s coats, etc.

Here is some additional advice from South Dakota brides who had a winter wedding!

Have more suggestions as a winter bride yourself? Comment below to add to the list!

Now my favorite part — telling you about all the details that went into this particular winter wedding at Blue Haven Barn in Sioux Falls, SD. The venue held their 170 guests comfortably, with upstairs seating to spare. Kristin and Bobby chose to have their ceremony in the same venue as their reception, so we configured the room perfectly so everyone had a good view. We set it up herringbone style with the front chairs turned toward the altar.

We decorated her aisle with lit candles and an arch covered in pine garland. Speaking of pine garlands, you can see them down the grand staircase railings and on each table! So pretty… The tables and silver silver chairs were all provided by the amazing venue. We place programs on everyone’s place setting, which when flipped over, became the dinner menu and prayer card. Double duty! The programs were rustic/woodsy on shimmery paper designed by Hitch Studio.

You may notice that the tables have silver, gold AND copper chargers. The bride chose mixed metals, navy blue, deep purple and dark teal as her colors. It was beautiful when mixed with the pine garlands and low-profile centerpieces!

After the ceremony, Hitch Studio associates moved all the candles out of the way, moved the altar off to the side, and replaced it with their head table. It was a seamless transition as guests were treated to drinks at the bar and mingling with each other. We cued the music for the ceremony, helped all 10 flowers girls get down the aisle, and then let the DJ know when to start the dinner music. It was wedding coordinating at its finest. After dinner, we put out the cupcakes and desserts for guests to enjoy. (Three flavors — cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, lemon-filled white cupcakes, and cheesecake-filled red velvet. Uhhh..yum.)

Hitch Studio printed the cupcake labels and framed them to match their invitations and programs. When you have a wedding coordinator, everything seems to….coordinate.  🙂

We also organized a champagne toast and cleared the chargers after dinner. (Did we mention that we rent out our chargers?! We have 330 gold chargers and 225 copper chargers for rent) Hitch works all night to make sure your wedding is perfect! The wood slabs and cake stand are from Hitch Studio and the beautiful rustic wood cupcake stand is from Party Depot in Brookings, SD. No matter what, if Hitch doesn’t have exactly what you want for decorations, we find it, rent it, build it, make it or buy it!

Take a look at more of their wedding details…

Winter weddings can be so beautiful. Keep in mind the extra things to remember in the cold months, and you’ll have a totally enjoyable experience. Better yet, hire Hitch to make it stress-free for you!

Contact Hitch Studio today in Brookings, South Dakota for your save the dates, invitations, programs, thank you notes, wedding decorating, wedding planning, day-of coordinating or anything you may need on your wedding day!

p.s. Love you two!