It’s the year of hygge apparently, another Danish trend that I am more than happy to buy into with the promise of a simple, happy, and beautiful life – and it’s particularly perfect for a winter wedding.
If you haven’t heard of hygge yet, you obviously haven’t been on Pinterest this year. Pinterest reported at 285% search increase this year and predicts the trend to continue strong into 2017, and it’s easy to see why.
Hygge, (pronounced ‘hooga’ or ‘hue-gah’) is the Danish concept of living simply, but it is an emotion and a state of wellbeing, rather than something you can buy. It doesn’t have a direct translation in most Latin languages, but some have described it as the art of cosiness, or intimacy, while others describe it as a feeling of contentment with simple pleasures. It is something you are or have; a feeling, mood or sensation that comes with savouring and making everyday moments special. Now, I’m not saying a wedding is an everyday occurrence, but the rest sounds pretty wonderful to embody for your wedding day.
Although you can’t buy hygge, there are ways to create it and have a totally stylish winter wedding while doing so.
Keep it cosy
Crucial to the hygge ‘look’ is creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Create cosy indoor and outdoor areas where guests can chill out and provide blankets, chunky knits and oversized cushions. An open fire is a must! If your venue doesn’t have a natural fireplace, arrange a fire pit outside as feature and have a bucket of marshmallows at the ready.
Keep it natural
Incorporate as many natural materials as possible; wood cuttings, pine cones, haybales and foliage are great for this. Avoid metals, and embellishment, and any strong colours – think Scandi living and homely traditional décor.
Keep it neutral
Colours and lighting should be soft, calm and diffused, it doesn’t matter if you have strong patterns or textures as long as they are balanced, blended and neutral. Any tones, or tartan, should be muted.
Keep it simple
Single stems of foliage and shrub work well in plain glass jars, but bigger bunches will also work if kept loose. Use seasonal greens and forage what you can for a more authentic look. Avoid large flowering plants or stems with large heads or buds. As before, avoid strong or overpowering colours.
The basic starter version to create your own hygge is to head to Ikea armed with Pinterest on your phone. The advanced version is to book a flight to Copenhagen or Reykjavik to see how it’s done from the pros, and pick up a few cosy blankets while you’re there.
The running theme is simplicity, and basic uncomplicated pleasures. Interpret as you may, but keep it hygge.
Never miss a post by subscribing to my blog – if you're viewing this on a computer, there’s a big box just below, at the bottom of the page, where you can enter your email address
and you’ll get every post delivered straight to your inbox!
