Possibly one of the nicest things about a traditional winter wedding is that everyone (bah-ring the Humbugs of course) is already in some form of Festive Spirit. But given that Christmas seems to begin in October these days, just how do you create a suitably jolly mood without resorting to the over-exposed-cheese-fest that certain Christmas favourites have become? Whether you are going all-out with a winter-themed wedding, or just want a subtle nod to the time of year, here are six alternative ways to spice up your Day with some seasonal cheer…

Don’t try to avoid the elephant in the room (no, not a mother-in-law joke). Your Wedding Day is first and foremost about You, yet it’s also Christmastime, so a happy compromise would be to leave out the direct references to that Other Big Day until your evening party. If you are marrying in the New Year then actual ‘Christmas Songs’ would be a bit weird anyway… Acknowledge the season with some suitable ‘snow’ ‘ice’ ‘cold’ and ‘December’ lyricism instead. There are literally about a thousand songs entitled ‘Winter’ alone, so you’ve got plenty of options. A lot of them however contain some fairly bleak imagery, and really aren’t suitable for a celebration of love (see later for ones to avoid…) Try these tracks for a warmer feeling; ‘Wintertime Love’ by The Doors, Joshua Radin’s ‘Winter’ from the ‘Scrubs’ soundtrack, or Sarah McLachlan’s ‘Song for a Winter’s Night.’ Or (snow) plough your own furrow along a similar theme, but remember to Google the lyrics first just to be sure…

Then there are songs from your favourite seasonal movies such as ‘Snow’ from the absolute classic ‘White Christmas,’ little Aled Jones ‘Walking in the Air’ from The Snowman, or even Mariah Carey’s ‘All I want for Christmas Is You’ from feel-good Christmas Eve favourite (in our house anyway) ‘Love, Actually.’ And if you are a fan of the musical theatre genre you can always pick anything from the soundtrack of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ or ‘The Sound Of Music’ – both films now inextricably linked with Christmas – along with childhood classics ‘Mary Poppins’ and ‘Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.’ Not my cuppa, but it takes all sorts to make a selection box.

If that all seems a wee bit too obvious, you still have tunes from recent Christmas TV adverts, for a slightly more subliminal effect. Soundtracks from those TV ads often become synonymous with this time of year, and are also really popular wedding songs in their own right. Think Lily Allen’s version of ‘Somewhere Only We Know,’ and Gabrielle Aplin’s cover of ‘The Power of Love,’ as well as recent wedding favourite ‘Real Love,’ by Tom Odell.

In a similar vein you could try songs that are associated with the holiday season but don’t really contain any direct references to it. For example, East 17’s Christmas No. 1 ‘Stay Another Day’ which literally has nothing to do with Christmas other than Brian, Tony and the boys were wearing furry Parkas throughout the video. Didn’t harm its popularity though, not only did it take the top spot at Christmas 1994, it stayed there for 5 weeks. It’s amazing what some tubular bells pealing and some needlessly bombastic timpani can conjure up in the minds of the record-buying public. In fact with the odd exception, the ‘Christmas Number 1’ rarely used to have anything to do with the season, but unless your audience are big music buffs, they may not get the references. So if you are going down this route, it might be best to stick with more recent numbers like S Club 7, ‘Never Had a Dream Come True’ and the Spice Girls ‘Two Become One’ which both also benefited from wintry styling in their videos. And who could forget Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman kerching-ing in with ‘Somethin’ Stupid.’ (I only wish I could TBH…)

For a bit of fun, and to spread the love, why not canvass your guests for their top seasonal number, and compile a playlist of their suggestions for your reception backing track? Hearing their favourite festive tunes will put anyone in a great mood for partying, and if their choices sometimes make you cringe, just yell out, ‘Who chose that?!’ at appropriate moments, or if you can remember, simply name and shame them. Go on, get involved…

And if all else fails, just embrace the fact that everyone is in festive mood by truly entering into the Christmas spirit. Christmas ‘classics’ may be cheese-on-a-stick, but they are great floor fillers, and a gift to your DJ. Try ‘California Dreamin’ and ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’ Bangles-style for some Christmassy crackers. Or give your DJ free reign, and you’ll all remember having a blast dancing to Slade and eating mince-pie themed wedding cake with tiny fondant holly!

Whatever you choose, have a great time, revel in your pre-made party atmosphere, and…

…in the words of the fabulous Nat King Cole, ‘Although it’s been said, many times, many ways: Merry Christmas To You!’