Winter weddings in Alaska are absolutely beautiful, but they take a special couple willing to embrace the cold and shorter days! Justin and I were married in Nikiski, Alaska, in February, with temperatures around 10–15°F and sunset at 3:45 PM—and we still managed to have all of our wedding portraits outside.


Since then, we’ve had the opportunity to photograph many winter weddings throughout Alaska, giving us plenty of experience navigating the cold, limited daylight, and unique challenges that come with winter celebrations. Along the way, we’ve picked up some helpful tips and tricks to help make your winter wedding experience as beautiful and enjoyable as possible.

TIMELINE & LIGHTING


Depending on your location in Alaska the sun will set anywhere from 3:30pm-4:30pm in the afternoon which means your wedding will need to be planned earlier in the day ideally. The reason is we want to take the majority of your wedding pictures with the MOST amount of daylight as possible. This could look like a ceremony in the early afternoon instead of evening (think 2pm or 3pm ceremony start time). If you are having a first look this will mean the majority of your wedding pictures (besides family portraits) will be done BEFORE the 2pm ceremony where we still have ample daylight to work with. If you are planning on doing a traditional ceremony (no first look) an even earlier ceremony time will be a better choice so we can make sure there is enough light for couple portraits, wedding party, and family portraits AFTER the ceremony. This all depends on how long your ceremony will be.

KEEPING WARM


Hand warmers will be your best friend! Keep them in your pockets, wrap them around your bouquet, or tuck them into your boots for extra warmth. If your bridesmaids are wearing long dresses, they can easily wear warm boots underneath without them being visible in photos. During couple portraits, having the Maid of Honor nearby with the bride’s coat is ideal. There will naturally be breaks between photos, giving the bride a chance to bundle up and warm up before stepping back in front of the camera.

FLOWERS


With such cold temperatures real flowers will wilt pretty fast once exposed to such extreme temperatures. Make sure to keep the flowers in water and covered until we need them for pictures and ceremony. By the end of the night don't be surprised if your bouquet has wilted some, at times its just difficult to avoid. Some brides opt to look into fake flowers instead if they plan to have a winter wedding. There are tons of options for fake flowers nowadays that look very realistic.

PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP


We always recommend professional makeup for weddings, at least for the bride. It allows you to relax and enjoy getting ready while also helping elevate your wedding photos. For winter weddings, professional makeup can also help tone down any natural redness caused by the cold, especially during outdoor photos. If you prefer a minimal, natural look, we still recommend professional makeup—just schedule a trial beforehand. Discuss your desired look with your makeup artist and make adjustments such as softening the eyeshadow or choosing a more natural lip color. Professional makeup doesn’t have to mean heavy makeup; the goal is to look and feel like yourself, just camera-ready.

FAMILY MEMBERS


Prepare to tell all family members that pictures will be planned for outside UNLESS there are elderly members who are disabled and will have a difficult time moving outside for pictures. Lighting outside is ALWAYS better than any lighting inside any building.