Thinking of planning your own winter wedding? Take a look at Bex and Saul's stunning, Christmastime celebration at The Old Vicarage, featuring a creamy colour palette, hand-made decorations and over-sized bows on classic fir trees.
Christmas is the most romantic time of the year. Festive duets like, ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ tinkle on in the background, while the likes of Love Actually and The Holiday bring together our favourite couples on screen. After all, when else could you hang a sprig of foliage as an excuse to steal a few extra kisses from your beloved?
And so, it’s no surprise that this is a very busy time for those of us who work in the wedding industry. Those sparkling fairy lights and cosy fireplaces make for the perfect moment to pop the question, and if it’s not a seasonal engagement, for many, it’s the time for celebrating an oh-so-magical December wedding.
We know that Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok are bursting with winter wedding ideas, but if you’re planning a Christmas ceremony, you need to see one of our most recent brides who planned a spectacular December day with us at The Old Vicarage. With an innate sense of style, Bex alongside her now-husband Saul, curated a ceremony and reception that reflected the beauty of Christmastime with a contemporary, elegant feel and plenty of personalised details.
But, before we start fawning over the hand-made tree decorations or snow-white bouquet, there’s the question of where it all began. Three years ago, a Lady and the Tramp-esque meetcute connected the pair while out walking their dogs and after a few months, the wonders of social media connected them once again. Fast forward 24 months later and Bex and Saul took the holiday of a lifetime, road-tripping their way through New England and stopping at Mount Willard in New Hampshire for the views, and a very special question.
As someone who works in the creative industries and is often across events - as well as freelancing as a bridal model - Bex needed no time at all to start ideating their perfect day, nailing it in just nine months. “Oh I absolutely adore Christmas,” she smiles. “It’s my favourite time of year. I love the music, the lights, the cosy nights, it’s just so magical. So, if I can make my favourite time of year even more special for us, I absolutely was going to do that.”
Festive touches included hand-made, air-dry clay decorations which the pair crafted themselves months before the big day. “They absolutely look homemade but we had so much fun making them,” she laughs. “We encouraged guests to take one home as a little momento for their tree - so much better than table favours, I think!” As well as these thoughtful keepsakes, the wedding’s aesthetic also nodded to the time of the year with a sumptuously creamy colour palette boasting pearl details, sleek, ivory lilies and natural-hued ribbons. Thus, matching perfectly with The Old Vicarage’s rustic wreaths and Christmas tree styling, showcasing a joyfully over-sized bow in a soft oatmeal hue.
Bex says she really does have her suppliers to thank, who made pulling the celebration’s many elements together feel effortless. “Charlotte of The Leicestershire Flower Farm was wonderful to work with. I described the mood and feel we were going for and just let her do what she thought would fit. I would really recommend that - you’re paying a lot for your suppliers, let them do their thing! We didn’t specify flowers, shapes or styles, and Charlotte created something so perfect,” she says.
As for imagery, friend of The Old Vicarage, Faye Wilde, created a relaxed environment in which Bex could feel her most beautiful - in part, helped by their friendship which has flourished over the years of working together in the wedding industry. “Faye is a good friend of mine, and we’ve worked together as photographer and model before so I felt super relaxed in her presence,” agrees Bex. “She’s a true professional and once we said ‘I do’ I honestly hardly noticed her but the previews have been unbelievable. She really captures feeling and movement and that’s exactly what we wanted.”
To complement, Bex asked Chloe of The Relaxed Bride to create social content on the day, resulting in a stunning, vintage-style reel which she was able to post only a few days into their mini-moon thanks to a quick turnaround. According to Bex, while some brides might not yet have considered the benefits of enlisting the help of a professional content creator, working with Chloe allowed the couple to reflect on some of their most special, intimate moments without feeling at all intrusive.
As mentioned, personal details were really important to the couple, who wanted their creativity to shine through via memorable touches that were all about them. For Bex, the date of their wedding looked picture-perfect embroidered on the shirt cuff in a festive red and she trawled Pinterest for bridal nail inspiration and in the end created her own design which included "Yes Yes Yes" on her wedding finger and the couple's initials on the opposite hand, which she loved. Between a custom illustration of a monogrammed champagne bottle by Dinner With Friends, and cocktail napkins printed with likenesses of their dogs, Walter and Niro, it's clear that the couple made the day their own.
Bex wore two jaw-dropping looks throughout the day; the first being a slinky number from Meshki, accessorised with a Cathedral-length veil covered in pearls, turned into a vintage-style shawl thanks to Susanna Greening in Matlock. The second, she found sometime before the wedding, or even the engagement, having fallen in love with it during an online sale and having the foresight to snap it up. "It was a Forever Unique dress on ASOS and years ago I saw it go down from £500 to £200 and just knew I had to snap it up! I laughed to my friends that this was absolutely unhinged behaviour but I can't turn down a sale like that and knew it would be an amazing wedding dress," says Bex - and she was right!
This sense of doing things your own way - whether that be wearing your veil as a shawl, forgoing a traditional first dance or eschewing typical favours, is exactly what Bex would advise to other brides getting married this coming year, whatever the season.
"To other brides planning their wedding days, I would say, do what you want to do, not what you think you should do or what people tell you to do. I know sometimes it can feel tricky but our wedding day felt so authentic and joyful I’m so glad I held my own over some decisions," Bex explains. "One very special moment for us was instead of doing a public first dance, we did it privately in the bridal suite," she continues. The couple printed their favourite songs onto vinyl and brought their record player from home, taking a few minutes to just be together after exchanging vows.
"On the day, you need to take some time to just be together because you're flying around, talking to guests, eating, drinking and dancing. This was the perfect way to have some time alone and, for me, what a first dance should be about; connecting with each other. It also benefits from not having every single person stood watching you share an intimate moment with your partner - which is a part of the tradition I just don't understand!"
Her final piece of advice? "Set an alarm to remind you to use that tub in the bridal suite! A cup of tea and a bubble bath in that bad boy is a must!"
Image credits
Photographer Faye Wilde Photography
Bride Bex Crombie-Knight
Flowers The Leicestershire Flower Farm
Veil Susanna Greening
Wedding Dress Meshki
Evening Dress ASOS
Make-up Josephine Way
Hair Leah Bailey
Stationery Dinner with Friends
Video Toria Frances
Photobooth Luxbooth
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