Winter Weddings In Massachusetts: Venues, Tips, and Photos

In New England, the busiest wedding “season” usually runs from approximately May through October. But it’s important not to look past one of the most beautiful times of year that New England has to offer – the winter! Although some may not consider the chilly season a blessing, with the right winter wedding venues in Massachusetts, a beautiful Boston winter wedding could be the perfect way for you to say I do.

Snowy Massachusetts winter wedding photo
Metzger Studios

Why You’ll Love a Winter Wedding

Flexibility & Availability

As we’ve talked about before, wedding dates are at a premium with so many couples. In addition to thinking outside the box and considering a weekday wedding, a winter wedding could help ease some of the headaches of scheduling.

In a normal planning year, winter wedding dates are much more available than your traditional spring/summer/fall ones, so you’ll have less of a feeling of “fighting” with other couples for booking your venue, as well as your dream team of vendors.

A Unique Experience

Sure, there are lots of seasonal aspects that you can work into your big day no matter what time of year it is, but there’s something extra special about those cozy winter details. Whether it’s a hot cocoa bar or even just using rich holiday hues in your color palette, there are so many opportunities to wow your attendees with some of these festively unique touches (keep reading for more inspiration below)!

Lack of Wedding Fatigue for Your Guests

According to a study from The Knot, only 5% of all weddings each year take place in the winter. So one of the benefits of planning an event between the months of December through March is that you have a very good chance of being the only wedding that your guests will be attending during that time.

We’ve all been there at some point in our lives where it seems like there’s an event happening every weekend on your calendar for months on end. With a winter wedding, there’s much less of a chance of the wedding season fatigue that happens for many guests by the time it hits autumn in New England.

No Need for Extra Decor

While some may be worried about potential roadblocks from Mother Nature during this time of year, she could actually end up being your greatest asset! When you’ve got a beautifully snowy backdrop, there’s no need for a lot of extra decor on your big day.

Check with your venue to see what kind of seasonal decorating they do in the winter months – for us at Saphire Event Group, we incorporate hints of greenery, birch branches, and berries into our outdoor landscaping at all of our properties in the chilly weather, perfect for photo ops!

Snowy Wedding Portait
Meg Heriot Photography

Winter Wedding Venues in Massachusetts

We can’t think of better winter event venues with a multitude of indoor and outdoor locations than the Saphire Event Group venues on Boston’s South Shore. Among our four venues—Saphire Estate, The Villa, Avenir, and The Lakehouse—we pride ourselves in maintaining fresh, well-appointed, and up-to-date surroundings. No matter what time of year it is, we keep all of our properties meticulously landscaped to coordinate with the natural beauty surrounding our Boston venues. Read on to find your favorite for your winter wedding!

Avenir

Saphire Event Group’s venue, Avenir in Walpole, MA is perfect for a dramatic winter wedding. The one-event-at-a-time, expansive space features a neutral color palette of black, white, and gray with lots of metallic and crystal accents throughout, making it an ideal backdrop for frosty decor.

With modern amenities and sparkling chandeliers throughout, it can easily be transformed into a venue straight out of a winter wonderland. Recently updated to include white Chiavari chairs and glamorous light fixtures, this venue on Boston’s South Shore has everything you need to set the stage for your big day.

The ballroom even features a large white mother-of-pearl dance floor that you could pretend is your own personal skating rink!

Winter Wedding at Walpole, Massachusetts Venue
Coral Compass Photo Co.

Saphire Estate

Serving couples on the South Shore for more than forty years, Saphire Estate is a classic estate venue that sits atop Lake Massapoag in Sharon, MA. Known for having a variety of gorgeous photo locations, this property shines even brighter with a crisp layer of snow in the wintertime, meaning you can still get those outdoor formal shots you always wanted!

Both the main ballroom and the newly-constructed separate cocktail space feature cozy stone-accented fireplaces (because who doesn’t love a roaring fire in the winter?).  This beautiful space provides the perfect backdrop for a stunning indoor wedding ceremony. A brand-new heated covered walkway allows your guests to travel from the main property to the cocktail space with ease and minimal chill.  Don’t miss this snowy Boston winter wedding at Saphire Estate or this late November Wedding, complete with fur shawls!

Winter wedding reception flowers at Saphire Estate
The Gowans

The Villa

With not one, but two spaces to choose from, The Villa in East Bridgewater, MA has all the options you could ever need for your winter wedding. The Madera Ballroom exudes rustic elegance with a white shiplap ceiling and dark wood exposed beams, capped off by cozy fireplaces at either end of the room. To see more for yourself, check out Lacie & Paul’s beautifully festive late November wedding in the Madera Ballroom!

Indoor winter wedding venue Massachusetts
The Gowans

If a contemporary chic space is more your style, the Grand Ballroom features a gold-accented ceiling, sparkling chandeliers, and opalescent walls. The main focal point in this space is the fourteen-foot linear fireplace, which will have your guests feel glam and cozy all at the same time. Need proof? You’ll love Jasmine & Weslee’s grand, glamorous winter wedding in the Grand Ballroom, complete with frosty white accents and decor!

Christian Napolitano Photography

The Lakehouse

Our fourth and newest wedding venue will be ready for winter weddings in 2024. The Lakehouse, our waterfront exclusive wedding venue will be undergoing a major renovation in the fall of 2023. Read more about the process and our inspiration here.

Waterfront Wedding Venue in Massachusetts
Luke Wayne Photography

Tips for Winter Wedding Success

Make a Plan

Any successful event needs a plan… or two, or twenty (don’t worry, that’s where we come in)! When planning a winter wedding in Massachusetts, it’s important to consider all your backups, mainly when it comes to things being affected by the weather. Have guests traveling in from warmer locales? Encourage them to make their plans a day or so early to accommodate any storms that may pop up close to your date.

Incorporate Seasonal Elements

Once you’ve selected your ideal winter wedding date, now comes the fun part – planning your decor! If you’re not sure where to start, take a nod from the month your wedding falls in. Hosting your event in December? Try incorporating seasonal details like a rich red and burgundy color palette, or include some textured greenery and branches.

Tying the knot in January? Maybe an icy celebration is just the ticket! Consider using lots of frosty metallic decor, adding in hints of blue or all-white everything.

Winter Wedding Decorations
Sarah Murray Photography
Winter Wedding Cake Idea
It’s Just Nelly Photography
December Wedding Favor Idea
Chelsea Gardner Photography

Be Flexible

Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of arriving at your wedding in a classic vintage automobile. While winter in New England can be beautiful, it’s not always the most conducive to things like antique cars, so you may have to consider some other options that are a little more all-terrain friendly. Be realistic with your wedding party, guests, and vendors about what will and won’t work on the day of.

Keep Yourself & Your Friends Cozy

Sure, you can still get lots of gorgeous photos outside (in fact, we highly encourage taking advantage of all the natural beauty Mother Nature has to offer this time of year in Massachusetts), but make sure that you prep your wedding party for being out in the cold for a prolonged period of time.

Consider gifting your bridesmaids with cozy shawls or blanket scarves that will complement your theme’s color palette, or present your groomsmen with a thicker pair of dress socks to keep their toes warm!

If you’re a bride, consider getting a fuzzy stole or even a muff to stay toasty. As for footwear, leave the stilettos inside opting instead for a practical (but still stylish!) boot.

Bride with Fur Coat and Rolls Royce
Nicole Pelissier Photography

Choose a Venue with Gorgeous Indoor & Outdoor Options

When venue hunting, there are lots of key factors to consider – what does the ballroom look like? How’s the food? Is the staff friendly and accommodating? But another important thing to keep in mind is that since you most likely won’t be tying the knot outside in the chilly winter months, you want to make sure that your venue’s indoor ceremony location is picture-perfect too.

Don’t forget to ask about options for taking interior photos as well (just in case of total inclement weather making outdoor pics impossible). Luckily for us, all of the Saphire Event Group properties offer indoor and outdoor ceremony choices that are both functional and visually appealing!

Wedding Couple in Front of The Villa's Grand Ballroom Fireplace
Ella Farrell Photography

No matter which venue you choose, Saphire Event Group can help you plan the winter wedding of your dreams. For more information on how we can make your big day a reality, inquire with us today!

Featured Image: Sarah Murray Photography

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