Hot wedding in the cold season

Holding your wedding in the chilly weather has its pleasures, writes Gardy Chacha

In Africa, the cold season is characterised by chilly mornings, development of mist and fog, torrential rains and unusually low temperatures. The season comes with a subtle swoosh of cold.

In most parts of Kenya, the season strikes between June and August. That explains why your recent mornings have been misty, foggy and soggy with chilling spasms. Your beau proposed months ago and you said ‘Yes’, but in your calculation you thought the cold season wouldn’t have started or would have ended.

You can’t say ‘No’ now because everyone in your family is buoyant with expectation about coming day. So, the wedding has to go on — remember it’s their wedding and only the marriage is yours. Besides, the planning might already be driving the poor guy into delirium and complaints of cold weather will only worsen the situation.

Actually, holding your wedding in the cold season has its own pleasures. Many others will probably move the occasion to a different date, so that leaves you and your partner available for all the complements. But what is of essence is to engage your faculties in blending different aspects of the occasion to be in tandem with the celebrations in this cold season.

From the dress code to the cake, to flowers, to the venue-layout and to all the little things that in the end prove ingenious, your wedding should seem well thought out.

Here is some information as offered by Rahab Monte of Knots and Blooms wedding planners:

Wedding colours

Consider a less-is-more approach to your colour palette. For the ceremony, try a white velvet aisle runner trimmed with white satin ribbon or decorate the altar with a crystal curtain backdrop. If you fancy umbrellas, which are quintessential, go for rich browns, cool greys, black, tangerine,?fuchsia, ruby,?sky blue?and lime. These too add warmth to the rather gloomy weather.

The flowers

Flowers like lilies, roses, carnations and statice among others are available for any season. Flowers that blend with white and green are, however, considered pure and naturally appealing. Add sparkle to your bouquet by wrapping the stems in green or white ribbons. Kenya is blessed with a variety of flowers.

Centrepieces and scene layout

Having an indoor wedding is a great idea since the guests will be insulated from the cold. However, should you opt for the outdoors, make sure everything blends with the green lawn, trees or the ornamentals.

Go for glowing candles to add both warmth and romance to your reception. The florist can fill the vases with tall white branches and hanging crystals to reflect the light from the tables. Surround the centrepieces with candles.

The music

Live bands are a great idea and have proved to work on such?occasions. There are also singing groups that are good at warming up guests by involving them in the singing and dancing. Have the group sing your favourite jazz and pop songs to set a welcoming and festive tone for the evening repertoire.

Cocktail hour

In the cold season, the cocktail calls for warm, comforting drinks, but remember it’s your wedding, so let people drink to ‘the test’ of your wedding. Serve hot chocolate in small espresso cups and eggnog in small punch glasses. At the bar, offer saketinis (Japanese rice wine and sweet-flavoured vodka) in glasses rimmed with sugar crystals. Anything warm like coffee will suffice for non-alcohol drinkers.

The cake

Get into the season mood with a white, vintage-style cake, dusted with edible greenery art. For accents, the baker should add a white sugar ribbon and crystal drops cascading down one side of the cake.

Dress code

In the cold season, the first thing you need to consider is to keep warm. Long sleeves will give considerable cushion against cold. After all, you don’t want to be shivering while saying “I do”. Also, think about the kind of collar. If you choose a full-sleeve gown like Kate Middleton’s, you can choose to do deep V-neck. Higher breast coverage is also better in regards to guaranteeing that you and your maids keep warm.

Honeymoons

Many couples would flee the blustery weather for warmer and sandier locales for their honeymoon, but you can choose to embrace the season. You can rent a cosy log cabin for a week at a mountain lodge or go to a luxurious hotel for some serious wining, dining and snuggling.