A winter wedding is not a summer wedding spoiled by the weather, it is a celebration of another kind. Low light, an open fire, bare graphic trees under the frost: the cold season gives the Château de la Huberdière, in the Touraine, an intimacy that summer cannot offer. We host weddings all year round, on a fourteen-hectare estate given over to you alone, 2 hrs 20 from Paris.

Here is what changes when you choose to marry between December and March, and why a Loire château suits it so well.

Why get married in winter?

Marrying in winter means choosing a quieter season, so more open dates, suppliers who are easier to book and an atmosphere gathered around the warmth of the place. Where weekends from May to September are sometimes taken more than a year ahead, those from October to March stay open far later.

A frosted avenue in the grounds, trees whitened by morning mist
January frost on the avenue. No summer wedding will ever produce these photographs.

That freedom of calendar matters. You set your date without a race against the clock, you keep the choice of your caterer, your florist, your photographer, who are not already booked three Saturdays out of four. Winter light, low and golden in the middle of the day, also gives photographs that summer flattens: morning mist on the grounds, long shadows on the stone, contrasted skies. A winter wedding owns its season rather than enduring it, and that is what makes it memorable. To understand how we build each project, our guide to planning a wedding at the château sets out the private hire and the two-day flow.

How much does a winter wedding cost?

The cost of a winter wedding is generally softer than in peak season, because demand falls from December to March and exclusive hire then sits at the lower end of the yearly range. It is the most concrete argument of the cold season for couples watching their budget.

At La Huberdière, full private hire of the estate for a weekend, from Friday to Sunday, accommodation for your close guests included, sits between 4,000 € and 8,000 € depending on the period. Winter falls at the bottom of that scale. Add to this a point couples value in every season: we charge no corkage, you bring your own wines and champagnes at no extra cost. For a breakdown of the spending items, our article on the cost of a wedding in a Loire château gives the real ranges, season by season. The rest of your project is then built to measure, from the wedding page.

What mood should a winter wedding create?

Winter wedding styling relies on contrast: the cold outside, the warmth within. Candles in number, evergreen foliage, eucalyptus and branches, warm tones of terracotta, burgundy and gold, rich fabrics like velvet and wool, that is the palette that works when night falls at five o'clock.

The advantage of a château in winter is that the setting is already there. The old drawing rooms, the stone, the fireplaces carry the scene without needing to dress everything. You work in touches: a foliage table runner, tea lights along the indoor passages, an entrance warmed by candlelight. Light matters more than anything else in the cold season, it is what tips a room from chilly to festive. We know every drawing room on the estate, the exact spot to set the dinner so the fireplace is in frame, and we help each couple place their styling without overloading it.

Is the château heated in winter?

A winter wedding happens indoors, and the château is made for it: it is heated, its vaulted drawing rooms host the reception and the open fire becomes the heart of the evening. There is no need for a marquee in the frozen grounds, the party moves naturally under the old ceilings.

A lit stone fireplace in a drawing room, candles along the mantelpiece
The drawing rooms are heated and the fireplaces draw properly. It is the first question we get asked about winter.

The estate has ten bedrooms and sleeps twenty-one, spread through the château. The ceremony can be held in the great room, drinks near the fire, dinner in the drawing rooms, the dance floor under cover. Each space warms up and follows on without your guests having to put a coat back on between two moments of the day. It is the opposite of a room hired by the hour and shut at the first draught: here the place is yours for the whole weekend. And to carry the evening on at the table, Lodovica's Italian cooking, generous and seasonal, is also on our dining page.

Housing and warming your guests

Housing your guests on site is the true luxury of a winter wedding, because no one wants to face a dark, cold road after the party. The estate's ten bedrooms and twenty-one beds keep family and close friends warm, a few steps from the drawing rooms.

In the early morning, you meet in the courtyard with a coffee in hand, the party barely cooled, without the stress of night-time journeys. For larger guest lists, we keep a list of partner cottages and hotels less than ten minutes away. Many couples extend the weekend by showing their guests the region: our guide to sleeping in a Loire château gives ideas for a stay around Amboise, before or after the ceremony.

Which date should you choose for a winter wedding?

The best time for a winter wedding depends on the mood you are after, each month from December to March having its own character. December carries the spirit of the festive season, January and February offer calm and the best rates, March already hints at the return of the light and the first buds in the grounds.

The château lit up at night, its facade mirrored in the pond
In winter, night falls at 5.30pm, and the lit facade becomes the backdrop for the whole evening.

December appeals to couples who want a reception with the feel of a winter's eve, candles and tree, provided you book early as the weekends around the holidays go fast. January and February are the quietest months, so the most open in dates and in budget, ideal for an intimate wedding by the fire. A Saturday remains the simplest choice for guests, but a winter wedding lends itself well to a Friday or a Sunday extended by a weekend on site. We look at the season's calendar together to find the date that gives your project the most room.

Our winter wedding offer

We offer a dedicated package for winter weddings, designed for the cold season and the more intimate format it calls for, with full private hire of the estate and accommodation for your close guests. The idea is simple: to make a château wedding attainable in the least busy months, without taking anything away from the welcome or the comfort.

Winter wedding offer: 4,900 €

Exclusive use of the estate, accommodation for your close guests and our support, for a wedding held between December and March. See the dates open this winter

A single point of contact follows you from the first meeting to the day after the party. Lodovica brings the warmth of her Italian roots and the table, I look after the logistics and the welcome. We know the estate in winter as in summer, its drawing rooms, its fireplaces, the rhythm of a day when night falls early. To find out the dates open this winter and receive a proposal suited to your project, visit the wedding page or write to us. We reply within 24 hours.