Winter Wedding Reception Ideas

Highlight the heartier foods of the season in your menu---hot hors d'oeuvres, elegant soups, roasted meat with root vegetables as a side. Skip out-of-season ingredients, like a fresh tomato salad, which likely will seem out of place.

Welcome guests to your party with a hot drink---mulled cider (with or without rum), coffee spiked with Bailey's Irish Cream or peppermint schnapps, or hot chocolate with a touch of cinnamon.

Choose a deep-hued color scheme (dark reds or purples, for example) that helps you build that warm, welcoming concept. Seasonal foods like kumquats, oranges and even walnuts can be added to table arrangements to give them that lush, organic feel. Or choose elements that mirror the look outside: crystals dripping from bare branches make cool, structural centerpieces or a beautiful arched entryway into the party, or have your florist create centerpieces in shades of white and ice blue, with crystal and feather accents.

A winter wedding lends itself to some fun and festive favors. Consider mugs with packets of your favorite hot chocolate or coffee (perhaps with a few marshmallows on the side); a small jar of maple syrup or a box of maple candy; baked goods like a stack of spice cookies or tiny apple or pumpkin pies, currant scones, or even baking mixes that enable guests to make a special treat at home. You might even want to give your guests a treat to go: have a gourmet coffee cart at the door to fill up travel mugs for guests to enjoy on the ride home, and give them a small bag of muffins to go with it.