Candy canes are a festive addition to any winter wedding. The alternating reds and whites can punch up neutrals in everything from flowers to food. I love the idea of accenting with actual candy canes or just with their colors.

Drinks are a great place to start for candy cane inspiration. All of these drinks are making me salivate; I would LOVE to be a guest at a wedding that served any of these drinks! For some great options for your signature cocktail we’ve got candy cane martinis and a candy cane cooler, which sounds like a peppermint mojito, yum.

Some warm candy cane inspired drinks are another crowd pleaser. This peppermint chocolate coffee garnished with candy canes looks incredible.

The last toasty drink is the delectable candy cane rimmed peppermint cocoa, and I love the rock candy stirrer!

Your coffee and cocoa will be complete with the peppermint bark, candy cane coated pretzel rods and biscotti.

If you’re having a dessert bar, these sweet treats would be perfect. Candy cane chunk macarons, candy cane flavored and swirled meringues and adorable candy cane shaped (and flavored) macarons.

Your dessert table wouldn’t be complete without a candy cane cake! Both of these could be DIY projects and I especially like the chocolate dipped candy cane marshmallow cake.

The look of candy canes can be translated to your decor as well. This candy cane inspired wreath would look great on the entrance to your ceremony site.

These striped tapers would be a great part of a centerpiece. Using striped candles like these on top of a red and white tablecloth would evoke the feeling of candy canes without seeming overly “themed.”

You could even incorporate candy cane stripes subtly in your attire. Striped shoes for you and socks for him would make for a cute little peek-a-boo shot of them side by side too.

As you can see, the striped or swirled peppermint patterns give everything they grace a wintry twist.  And the cane shape lends itself to many variations that you can adapt to your personal wedding style.  I almost forgot to mention the best thing about using candy canes–they are edible accents!  How many other wedding details look and taste this refreshing?

Image One: pauladeen.com; Image Two: stylemepretty.com; Image Three: nuggetmarket.com; Image Four: foodnetwork.com; Image Five: Intimate Weddings; Image Six: thecookingphotographer.com; Image Seven: whenthedinnerbellrings.blogspot.com; Image Eight: tarteletteblog.com; Image Nine: bhg.com; Image Ten: gourmettraveller.com.au; Image Eleven: annies-eats.com; Image Twelve: afieldjournal.blogspot.com; Image Thirteen: iheartnaptime.net; Image Fourteen: etsy.com; Image Fifteen: amiclubwear.com; Image Sixteen: unionlosangeles.com

Rebekah is a wedding stylist and designer. She owns A & B Creative, read her blog.

Chocolate pretzel rods are fun and fabulous DIY wedding favors. They’re easy to make and perfect for brides on a budget.

The key to great tasting chocolate pretzel rods is to not cheap out on the chocolate. I used Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips. Also, to ensure freshness, I wouldn’t make these more than a few days before your wedding.

Chocolate Pretzel Rods Tutorial

You will need:

1 bag pretzel rods (Depending on where you live, pretzel rods might not be easy to find. I hunted high and low and finally found them at Micheal’s. I’m guessing that they are are a popular Christmas treat because I got the last bag!)

1 bag of Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

chocolate sprinkles, nuts or white chocolate chips

Place chocolate in a double boiler and melt.

For easy dipping, find a tall glass or vessel in which to pour your melted chocolate.

Dip pretzel rod into chocolate, leaving about an inch at the end.

Let excess chocolate drip off of the end of the pretzel rod.

Place chocolate pretzel rods onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. The chocolate will pool underneath it, creating a flat side to the pretzel. This is normal and nothing to fret about. Also, you can shave off any excess chocolate with a knife once it has set.

Add chocolate sprinkles or nuts. I brought the chocolate pretzel rods outside into the cold air and let the chocolate set just a wee bit before I added the sprinkles, that way the sprinkles didn’t slide off the top. You can also drizzle them with white chocolate, but make sure you let the semi-sweet chocolate set first. If you are giving these as wedding favors, simply place inside a cellophane bag and add a tag.

Having a winter wedding? Looking for winter-themed wedding favors?

Little Things Favors has a great variety of favors that are perfect for winter brides. Aren’t the Nutcracker place card holders that double as favors, so unique? They even have little moveable parts just like the real thing.

Little Things has favors suitable for a winter wonderland wedding like crystal snowflake bottle stoppers and everything red and green for a Christmas wedding. Some of the hot new items include personalized drink mixes with holiday themed labels, holiday treats like holly berry sprinkled fortune cookies, Christmas character Rice Krispies and chocolate covered pretzels.

And don’t forget to check out their vast selection of eco-friendly favors, like birdseed hearts as well as their great selection of favor bags and boxes for couples having a DIY wedding.

Find more winter wedding favor ideas at Little Things Favors.

Sponsored Post.

Hot cocoa bars are perfect for winter weddings. Unlike coffee or tea, hot cocoa immediately elicits a cheerful feeling that you warms you from the inside out. Hot cocoa bars are also great for kids and other guests that may not drink caffeine. Just with any  bar or buffet you create, you want to have lots of choices and customization options for your guests!

Style the bar in a way that reflects the overall look of your wedding. Vintage inspired weddings could use vintage holiday decor and serving pieces. Weddings that are lodge influenced could situate their bar in front of a wood paneled wall and a rustic winter wedding could use pine cones to accent the table.

A classic add-in is marshmallows, you could put your own spin on it by using marshmallows with heart cut outs, mini, or candy coated.

In addition to marshmallows, you could also make mini gingerbread houses to go on the edge of your mugs! Chocolate dipped spoons are also a great option for an additional detail. Cookies to have along with your cocoa will also be appreciated by your guests.

If you want to give your guests a favor to help them remember your amazing cocoa bar (and wedding!) hot cocoa favors are also a great idea.

Whether you use an old family recipe or your favorite store bought variety, hot cocoa is a great addition or alternative to a coffee bar for your winter wedding. Having lots of options for toppings and add-ons as well as complimentary sides like cookies or candies all make for the perfect hot cocoa bar!

Image One: hwtm.com; Image Two: hostessblogg.com; Image Three: Naturally Chic (photo by Orange Girl Photographs); Image Four: chudphoto.wordpress.com; Image Five: whiteonricecouple.com; Image Six: pizzazzerie.com; Image Seven: notmartha.org; Image Eight: thewillowblog.com; Image Nine: 3.bp.blogspot.com; Image Ten: ohhellofriendblog.com; Image Eleven: twigandthistle.com; Image Twelve: ruffledblog.com

Rebekah is a wedding and event designer and owns the company A & B Creative, read her blog.

If you’ve spend any time on Intimate Weddings, you’ll realize that we’re nuts about DIY weddings. Naturally, we’re also crazy about DIY Christmas gifts. If you share our love of handmade gifts, read on! We’ve put together a list of our most popular DIY wedding tutorials that can easily applied to the holiday season for creative and inexpensive gifts.

1. Lavender Sachets – Who on your friends list wouldn’t love these pretty DIY sachets? Put them in drawers – or the dryer for amazing, lavender scented linens.

2. Vintage Cake Stands – These are so easy to make and they really look stunning. What a great gift!

3. Bird Feeder – This looks adorable in any garden – and the birds love it too.

4. Scrabble Coasters – Know someone who loves Scrabble? S/he sill be smitten with these DIY Scrabble Coasters!

5. Mason Jar Soap Dispenser – I actually bought one that looks just like this during my trip up north this summer – and it wasn’t cheap! Why not make one yourself?

6. Melted Crayon Pucks – These would make perfect stocking stuffers for the kids on your Christmas list.