Anniversary in January? Save the Big Celebration for Summer
Anniversary in the cold months? Let's give it a summer sequel under a glowing sunset.
Short summer reads…
If your wedding anniversary falls in January or February, you'll know the feeling. You'd love to mark it properly, but it's dark by four, the wind is blowing and the plan for something special keeps sliding towards a table for two indoors.
Here's my suggestion: celebrate the day itself, however quietly you like, and save the bigger celebration for the summer.
Why Winter Anniversaries Are Tricky
The weather is the obvious problem. In January the sun sets at roughly 4pm to 4.45pm in Llandudno (check the time for your exact date), so there's very little daylight to play with, and the beaches and headlands that make North Wales so special are cold and blustery. It's the time of year when most people end up staying inside or going abroad for some sun.
There's also the pressure of a fixed date. Anniversaries arrive every year whether or not the weather, work or family life co-operates, and it's easy to feel you've let the day slide if you didn't do something grand. You haven't. A marriage doesn't need a grand gesture on the exact date to be honoured.
There's nothing wrong with a cosy evening. But if you'd love a celebration with sea air, mountain views and a ceremony you'll remember, you may as well wait for the season that's built for it.
Still Celebrate on the Day
I'm not suggesting you ignore your anniversary. Mark it in whatever way suits you:
A favourite meal, at home or out.
Reading your original vows or looking through your wedding photographs together.
A walk somewhere you both love, wrapped up warm.
A small gift, a card or a letter you've written to each other.
Then you can look ahead to something bigger, with a date in the calendar that you're both excited about.
Save the Big Celebration for Summer
Twilight Ceremonies is open in the summer months only, because that's when the evenings are long and warm and the sun sets late over the sea. In early June it sets at roughly 9.30pm in Llandudno, and at midsummer at roughly 9.45pm (approximate times, so check your date). That's several hours later than the January sunset.
Choose from a Renewal of Vows or a Milestone Ceremony, both from £450, or a Couples Sunset Shoot from £95, and you'll have a personalised sunset experience with Polaroid photographs handed to you the same evening. Because you're not tied to your actual anniversary date, you can pick the evening that suits you best.
Winter Is the Perfect Time to Plan
Here's the part many people don't realise. If you want a summer ceremony, the winter is when the planning happens. We'll work together over the months leading up to summer, online or face to face, so there's no rush to finish your ceremony script or your vows. You can tune in and out of it around your life.
If you contact me in January, you'll have plenty of time to talk through your love story and think about locations before the evenings stretch out. Season I of Twilight Ceremonies is already taking bookings for summer 2027.
What a Summer Evening Looks Like
A long summer evening gives you room to enjoy the whole thing rather than squeeze it in. You could spend a relaxed afternoon somewhere you love while I capture candid photographs in the background, enjoy a picnic and then have your ceremony as the sun goes down. Summer weather in Wales can still change, so we always have a back-up spot in mind.
By the end of it you'll have been outdoors, together, with nowhere else to be, which is a far better anniversary than rushing home in the dark.
Picking a Place for Your Summer Sunset
North Wales has no shortage of choices, from the long sand of West Shore in Llandudno to the Great Orme, South Stack, Penmon and Trearddur Bay on Anglesey, and the lakes and mountains of Snowdonia. I've set out the options on my locations page, and my guide to summer anniversary ideas in North Wales has plenty of other ways to spend the day.
If You Eloped With Me
If you chose an elopement with Elope with Leon, there's a perk waiting for you. A full day elopement includes a complimentary Twilight Ceremonies season of your choice, and a half day elopement gets 15% off a Twilight Ceremonies celebration, redeemable whenever you're ready, so a January or February anniversary doesn't have to be a problem. You can read more about what comes with each elopement.
Start the Conversation
If your anniversary is just around the corner and you'd like to plan something for the summer, speak to me about your ceremony. We'll start with a relaxed chat about your love story and take it from there. You can also read how this idea began in my post on empowering married couples.
Winter has the anniversary, and summer gets the celebration.