The new year has begun and with it plans for the future emerge. For the many brides and grooms planning weddings, I have attended two winter weddings of which I am passing vital information on to you.

In December, friends of ours were married a week before Christmas. So, of course, the theme was Christmas for the event. The bride wore a white satin dress and the bridesmaids wore crimson. They were quite striking in this color scheme.

The reception was held at the Abbington Banquet Hall in Wheaton.

When we walked in for our seat assignment, the name tag did not have a table number as usual, but the title of “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” instead. We matched our seats with the table title, noticing all tables had a Christmas theme.

The tables were decorated with large red roses nestled in large round glass bowls. This arrangement was festive and simple and carried the theme. But what we really enjoyed were the Christmas carols played all evening.

To find out the oldest married couple at the wedding, the disc jockey requested all couples on the dance floor. Once the music started, couples were eliminated when they were asked to sit down starting with being married for five years and under. He did this until the last couple standing had been married for more than 50 years. It gave a good historical perspective to see the newlyweds and this couple center stage and taking a picture.

We left this wedding feeling good about having witnessed this union and felt the Christmas spirit throughout the evening.

The next winter wedding we attended was held Jan. 3. What was unusual about this wedding was the blending of cultures: the bride, whose ethnic roots are Irish and German, and the groom, whose roots are from Latin America.

To prepare the women for dancing at the wedding reception, people giving the wedding shower hired a dancer to teach us how to dance the salsa, mambo and cha cha. Not only was it a different twist to a shower, but it was a lot of fun.

The couple held their wedding ceremony in the Catholic church of St. Francis of Assisi in Orland Park, with a Spanish priest who spoke both English and Spanish. Throughout the ceremony, he spoke in both languages and we were all included in what he said. There was a combination of Spanish, American and Irish music played with a Celtic blessing. Witnessing the blending of these two cultures was truly heartwarming. 

The ceremony was just the beginning of a wonderful day. We then drove out to Wheaton to the Danada House on Naperville Road. My husband and I had never been there before and it was really quite a treat to walk through the doors of the house.

Situated inside the Danada Forest Preserve, it has a warm atmosphere. The house was built in 1929 and is filled with furnishings and decorating of that period, making us feel as if we were invited into someone’s home to spend the evening with them.

A reception area in the front of the house with a bar set up and hors d’oeuvres served for the first hour was quite the treat. However, the best part was the hot chocolate bar, which served three different liquors to choose from to add to your hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and cinnamon.

Located in the back of the house, we traveled a hallway to the atrium. This room was lovely with floor to wall windows. We could see lights twinkling outside, which added to the ambiance of the room. To discover what the Danada House can do for you, its Web site is www.danadahouse.com.

Food stations were set up, which consisted of American and Latino food. We tried everything and it was delicious. The catering service that specializes in this food is Chef Fredy. The Web site is www.ChefFredy.com or call (312) 850-9511.

Then we danced all night, to every kind of music, but the Latino music was probably the most fun. If you did not dance, watching was just as much fun. The groom’s mother and father glided along as if it was second nature to salsa.

As much as I thought it would be tough to have a wedding in the winter, these weddings proved me wrong. Even with the first one having snow-covered sidewalks, it was not a problem. Then there is the blending of not only two human beings, but also their culture and traditions. I believe in this day and age, anything goes if you work at it.