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There is little more dramatic than a well planned winter themed wedding reception. Why? The contrast with the outside world helps. When it is gloomy, bitter, and the skies look ominous outside, a cozy welcoming party is that much more unforgettable. In part, the winter wonderland wedding theme is so memorable because it is so unlike the standard, throw money at it, weddings we see coming out of Hollywood year after year.

The good news is that anyone can do it. No college degree in interior design is required to build an extraordinary winter wedding theme reception. And if you do it right you, by considering your choices carefully, might be able to actually save money because many of your decorative items can serve multiple purposes.

So what do you need to build a great winter themed wedding? It is simple really. You need close consideration of your desires, a focal point, and some attention to details. It really is as simple as that.

Dream Specific Wedding Dreams

Of course, the starting point to designing a winter theme reception is to decide what aspect of the theme you have in mind:

Perhaps, your idea of a winter wonderland is a nineteenth century Christmas celebration theme. Such a nostalgic look can be magical.

Perhaps you want to use your favorite Christmas movie such as, "It's a Wonderful Life" as your inspiration for your wedding theme.

Maybe you want a more elegant look featuring fire and ice (crystal, silver, and candles or a roaring fire in the fireplace).

Perhaps it is the snowflakes themselves that you would like to build your winter wedding around.

Perhaps it is mittens and snow angels or snowmen.

Maybe you envision a wedding reception that embraces your love of snowboarding.

The point is that you need to know exactly what you want your winter themed wedding to look like before you ever start doing any of the legwork. That way, you will protect yourself from spending money on items that, though cute, do not actually help to achieve exactly the look that your want.

Choose a Focal Point

Whatever exact facet of the winter wedding theme reception you choose to celebrate your wedding with, your next step in the design process is to decide on a focal point for the reception facility.

For some it might be a mountainous four tiered winter theme wedding cake accented in dusted blues, greens, or silvers and crystal wedding cake jewelry.

For others it might be a snowflake ice sculpture accented with rotating colored lights.

For still others the proper choice might be a large painting from your favorite artist hanging in a prominent place during the reception - relocated to their living room wall by trusted friend while they are on their honeymoon.

Or perhaps you want to commission another kind of artwork such as a sculpture to be the focal point of your wedding reception.

Brides often assume that they have to have a cake and an ice sculpture. But the reality is that choosing a single focal point for your winter wedding theme makes it more memorable. For example, a reception that only has an ice sculpture, or a painting, or... without the compulsory cake sitting in the corner but then serves a cake or other dessert that the guests actually want to eat (Yes, many bakeries around the country make mouth watering wedding cakes, but we have all been to weddings where they served cakes that were hard to choke down as well) has a much better chance of being impressive than one that opts for the customary course.

Of course, merely having a focal point for your winter wedding reception is not enough. You have to choose a location for your focal point and design your room layout around it. Otherwise, you end up spending, potentially, hundreds of dollars on something that just sits in the corner and is barely noticed.

Details, Details, Details

It is details that make any decor. The focal point draws the eye to what the designer wants your guests to look at. The details fill in the portrait. In a winter wonderland theme reception design that builds around an ice castle, for example, hunt eBay for as many decorative sleighs (variety is better) as you need and then garb them with a candle or foam 'snowballs' covered in white flowers to create a center piece. Then add a winter wedding favor, a snowflake themed wedding favor, or even a sun catcher favor that resembles Cinderella's carriage if you want to add a suggestion of a fairytale theme to your day, and the largest part of your labor is finished.

Of course, your choice of nuptial venues for your reception will have an impact on your wedding theme. Bare, industrial looking walls might require attention. A sports bar might limit your choices. In some cases banners or simply stylish fabric might what you, the bride, needs to add to the ambiance of your celebration. A better choice might have stone walls with plate glass windows looking out over the snow covered meadows next to a roaring fireplace. This is where those definite plans of exactly what kind of winter themed wedding reception you are aiming for comes in handy - identifying what extra details you might need to pull it all together.

Jeanette Shinn is a wedding professional with over a dozen years experience making dreams come alive. Find tips and accessories from to options at .