10 Great Reasons for a Christmas Wedding

'tis the season...for a Christmas wedding!' 

Wedding bells, jingle bells... or both? Christmas weddings are brimming full of cash savings and cheer - two things that don't usually go together. Yes, December certainly is a magical month for those who are planning on entering married bliss. Here are 10 reasons to consider a festive wedding:

1. Venue availability: that special spot that's booked out 2 years in advance is probably summer heavy for wedding allocations, so you might get a spot for a winter wedding or bargain a better price to boot. Always haggle when planning a December wedding, its the most flexible time of year to make a booking.

2. Intimate weddings made easy: If you want a small wedding but are worried about offending extended family or work mates, never fear, December is the perfect month for cutting back without looking austere or cheap as pre booked holidays, family commitments and stretched budgets mean fewer guests.

3. Decor budget breakthrough: Filling a room with fresh flowers and lovely scent is high on many wedding day 'wants', but such lush interiors really add up. From walls, to doors, pews to seats and table settings too, it takes a lot of foliage to make a room ambient. But there is a cheap and ready solution - christmas trees. Your lush interior can be created as easily as it takes to plonk a christmas tree in its stand. Lush green christmas trees make an excellent foliage backdrop to your decor.

And of course, with just a few trees you have an abundant backdrop that you can play up to suit your taste - significantly cheaper than flowers. In floristry terms, green goes with everything, so with your christmas trees in place, where you go to from there is really all up to you. Keep your trees naked for a down to earth, simple theme (and couple it with a naked sponge cake to complete your look) or go glam with an emphasis on gold. For winter brides who want to play up their porcelain complexion, all silver and white is always elegant and of course, there's always the classic berry red that everyone loves and responds to. Natural, chic, elegant or glam, your decor is sorted.

An added bonus is that many venues already have extensive festive decorations, so even if your budget is restrictive, you won't have to spend extra on tinsel, baubles, and festive trinkets.

4. Forage for extras:many of those extras that can make great table decorations or even sprigs of green tree branches can be cheaply foraged in nearby woodlands for free.

5. Seriously Sweet Savings: save cash with your cake options and go for simple fruit cake as your main cake and laden a dessert table with traditional christmas biscuits and pies - with an assortment of custards and whipped cream - a definite crowd pleaser. And the best bit? Almost everyone can make delicious biscuits and slices and these can be made days ahead. Also, the many festive treats and sweets on the market make for great table and bowl fillers.

6. Easily elegant bouquets: red roses are the staple christmas wedding flower, but the possibilities are endless and for dramatic brides, you can really come into your own with a spray of berries, holly, pussy willow or mistletoe.

7. Dressed to impress: speaking of style, if you've always wanted to be daring and splash out and wear a red wedding dress, December is really the time to shine in all your bedecked beauty. The cool weather also allows for floaty overcoats and gowns which can add drama to your look. And, being Christmas, it won't look overdone, just festive.

Of course, if you're getting married in December because you're decidedly in love with all things christmassy, you could always channel your inner Mrs. Claus.

8.Easy anniversaries: speaking of Mrs Claus and icy relations in general, if your groom is likely to forget your wedding anniversary in the years ahead, a Christmas wedding is the perfect way to combine your celebrations into one yearly season of merry cheer.

9. Cheer: there's no denying it, December is a cheerful time for a wedding and with most of your guests winding down for the year and looking forward to the 25th, your wedding is guaranteed to be full of merriment and seasonal goodwill - perfect for that wedding day ambience.

10.Easy favours: Christmas is ready made for favours - what about baubles imprinted with the year of your marriage? or gingerbread biscuits in individual felt stockings? Or conifer or fir tree seedlings? or potted poinsettias for each guest? So many options, readily available for you to work with.