Relationships Talk

Who says winter brides have to miss out on a dreamy outdoor wedding? Certainly not us! With a little extra planning and smart attention to detail, it’s possible to have an enjoyable outdoor celebration no matter when you’re tying the knot. To figure out exactly how to get it done, we tapped pros in two cold climates: Mandy Connor, owner of Hummingbird Bridal and Events in Boston, Massachusetts, and Claudia Rollin, owner of Harlow & Dahlia Events in Burlington, Vermont. With countless winter weddings under their belts, they’ve got the best advice for making your outdoor event a huge success, even in the chilliest season.

Related: Ideas to Keep Your Guests Warm at Your Winter Wedding

Minimize Travel Time

When touring potential wedding venues, it’s important to consider the flow of the day as a whole rather than simply focusing on the outdoor space you’re considering for your ceremony or reception. While this advice goes for brides of any season, Rollin stresses it’s especially important for winter brides. “It will likely be very chilly outside and if you can avoid having to transport guests from one venue to another, this will be key to an intimate and successful outdoor wedding,” the pro explains. If you know you want to have an open-air ceremony, choose a spot that’s in quick walking distance to your indoor cocktail hour space. Guests may be eager to warm up if it’s an especially chilly day.

Expect the Unexpected

Once you’ve figured out the flow of the day, it’s time to focus on making the most of your space while also ensuring guests will be as comfortable as possible. In the unpredictable winter months, this is a tall—but not impossible—order for an outdoor wedding. “When planning an outdoor wedding in a wintery location, you’ve got to prepare for any possible weather element, from bright winter sun to snow or freezing rain,” says Connor. “I suggest using a clear tent—this gives you the feeling of being outside with unobstructed views of the beautiful outdoors while offering you full coverage from weather elements.” With your blank canvas on lock, you can begin to build your ideal look protected from whatever Mother Nature throws your way. But no matter your theme, Connor says there’s one universal element that’s an absolute must: “Don’t forget the tent heaters!”

Get Cozy

Cozy details are winter wedding staples, and they’re something both of our experts say are an easy way to make an outdoor celebration during this time of year much more comfortable. Fire pits outside the tent give guests a warm area to relax during cocktail hour or the after-party. When it comes to signature cocktails, lean into the season with warming offerings like the classic Hot Toddy, spiked hot chocolate, or even cleverly named drinks like the Frost Bite. Finally, don’t shy away from photo-ops that are both adorable and practical. Monogramed throws, mittens, and blankets make for memorable photos as well as very welcomed favors.

Dress the Part

Don’t forget about the most important guest of all: You! Winter brides have the advantage of experimenting with many different stylish accessories, so use this power to your advantage. “Don a beautiful pair of white gloves or a pair of white mittens,” says Rollin. “Diamonds are also a fabulous option as their cool quality will bring out the beauty of a winter wonderland and will stand out in photos.”

Lifetime’s Married at First Sight is a nerve-wracking adventure for both its viewers and stars alike. The premise is pretty self-explanatory: after experts determine their best matches for a long-term relationship, participants say “I do” the very first time they meet their soon-to-be-spouse. Sometimes, it’s disastrous. But in other instances, it actually works out for the best. It’s unclear if the spinoff, Married at First Sight: Happily Ever After will return for a second season, but the glimpse it’s given into the lives of those actually pursuing a relationship after this bonkers experiment has been riveting thus far.

The reality show follows the journeys of the couples who decide to stay together following those first few weeks of spontaneous marital life, and as of right now, it doesn’t seem like the network has announced any plans to renew or cancel. Should it continue into a second season, it’s also uncertain whether it would still document the lives of the Season 1 couples, or explore others who may still be together following their stints on Married At First Sight. The first season follows Shawniece and Japhte, Ashley and Anthony, and Danielle and Bobby, all of whom found each other on the original iteration of the show.

Each pairing had around eight weeks to decide if they wanted to stay together, and all of them felt confident that they needed to remain in the relationships. Shawniece and Japhte welcomed baby Laura this season, and the other two couples are dealing with pregnancies of their own.

With participants gearing up for parenthood, if they haven’t already embarked on that path, there’s plenty of material MAFS: Happily Ever After could run with if it stayed focused on the families at hand. Marrying someone you have little to no knowledge of is one thing, but going on to raise children with them after you foster a bond is a totally different beast. “One minute you’re dreaming of this perfect family and boom! You’re picked to be married to a stranger and boom again, you’re pregnant,” Shawniece told E! News. “If that’s not big, I’m not sure what else can top that.”

All the couples have also spent time rehashing their relationships with experts during marriage retreats, so that romance doesn’t fall to the wayside even as they welcome their new bundles of joy. They’ve been talking to each other, leaning on one another and asking advice, because no one else besides their fellow cast members can likely understand just how strange the entire situation is.

The cast of MAFS: Happily Ever After have had to cultivate the love, intimacy, and affection for one another that they weren’t able to foster before walking down the aisle. “The first time around you don’t even know the person you’re spending every day with,” Ashley told the Chicago Tribune in October. “But now it’s just more natural.”

Some of them are also in a situation in which the passion doesn’t come so quickly, and they might need a little more nudging than others. “Shawniece and I are genuine people and I feel like a lot of people are maybe able to relate to us,” Jephte told E! News in the same article. “Our journey is different in that there wasn’t love at first sight or an animalistic attraction to each other. But we’re truly trying to build a relationship from scratch and in our story, there’s so much to learn, value and appreciate.”

Regardless of how you feel about the premise, MAFS: Happily Ever After offers an unexpected glimpse into romances that may or may not be meant to be. Even if a Season 2 isn’t in the stars, these couples and the lives they’re building seem to just be getting started.

Chloe Madeley opted for a church wedding after ‘traditional’ husband James Haskell took inspiration from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

By

Rianne Addo

and
Rebecca Lawrence For Mailonline

Published:
07:48 EST, 18 December 2018

|
Updated:
08:09 EST, 18 December 2018

They tied the knot at Berkshire’s All Saints Church on Saturday, after a four-year relationship.

And ahead of her big day, Chloe Madeley revealed she and new husband James Haskell ditched her plans of a register office wedding in favour of a ‘traditional’ church ceremony after attending Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s nuptials.

In an interview with Hello!, the fitness guru, 31, admitted she took inspiration from the Royals’ ‘romantic’ wedding as rugby player James, 33, is a ‘traditional guy’.

Chloe Madeley revealed she and new husband James Haskell ditched her plans of a register office wedding in favour of a ‘traditional’ church ceremony

She divulged: ‘James is a traditional guy and wants us to marry in a traditional setting.’

The pair originally wanted a low-key ceremony at a registry office, but opted for an church wedding after watching the Duke and Duchess of Sussex walk down the aisle in May.

Meghan and Harry’s highly-watched nuptials took place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.  

‘I think it was Meghan and Harry’s wedding that inspired James to choose to get married in church. He sat me down and said, “I can tell you why I love you every day but I won’t get to make these vows unless we marry in church. I want to get married in a serious, historical ceremony.”‘

Following in their footsteps: In an interview with Hello! , the fitness guru, 31, and the rugby player, 33, took inspiration from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ‘romantic’ wedding

‘It was very romantic. Until then I’d assumed we’d just pop in to a registry office. Now I find the thought of standing in front of him in church very exciting. I love him to bits’, she gushed.

The newlyweds said ‘I do’ in front of friends and family after proud father Richard drove her to the church, with the ceremony captured by Hello!. 

Body Blitz author Chloe was also joined by mother Judy Finnigan at the ceremony – which was blighted by rain – with guests sheltering themselves from the storm battering the country. 

Taking tips: The newlyweds attended Meghan and Harry’s highly-watched nuptials in May, which took place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle

 Smitten: They tied the knot at Berkshire’s All Saints Church on Saturday, after a four-year relationship

Among the celebrity guests were James’ best man Paul Doran Jones and his wife Zoe Hardman, and fellow rugby star Dylan Hartley.

Chloe and James announced their engagement in April, after the sports star decided to pop the question to his girlfriend of four years.

He had got down on one knee during a romantic trip to Paris, with Chloe later admitting she was stunned by her beau’s gesture. 

Long-term: Chloe and James announced their engagement in April, after the sports star decided to pop the question to his girlfriend of four years

Romantic: He had got down on one knee during a romantic trip to Paris, with Chloe later admitting she was stunned by her beau’s gesture

The pair will no doubt be looking at Chloe’s parents for tips on a happy and long-lasting marriage.  

Richard and Judy have been happily married for 32 years, after first meeting in 1982 when they worked for Granada TV and were married to different people. 

Discussing their union, broadcaster Richard, 62, told The Sun On Sunday: ‘I’ve made it a rule never to talk about my sex life, but we have always shared a bed and we still share an en-suite bathroom. Having said that, I am very happy with my sex life. 

‘And I’ve never had to sleep on the couch. The only time I sleep in the spare room now is when I’m doing an early morning show and don’t want to wake Judy up.’

Proud dad: The newlyweds said ‘I do’ in front of friends and family after proud father Richard drove her to the church, with the ceremony captured by Hello! 

The pair have avoided any marital trouble over the years, and Richard revealed that while they’ve sometimes had a ‘screaming, f***-you row’ it’s never been serious enough to create any problems between them. 

He explained: ‘We’ve never had marriage counselling, and never ever so much as discussed divorce. There have been no crisis dinners, nothing. We respect each other, and that’s the key.’ 

Richard was married to Lynda Hooley for five years before they divorced in 1983 after he met Judy, while she was with husband David Henshaw, with whom she shares twin sons Dan and Dom, until 1986.

The famous couple hosted This Morning from its inception in 1998 to 2001 before taking on their show – Richard and Judy – in 2001 for eight years.

Loved-up: The pair will no doubt be looking at Chloe’s parents for tips on a happy and long-lasting marriage. Richard, 62, and Judy Finnigan, 70, have been happily married for 32 years