Factual error: The opening shot of the episode reuses the zoom-in from orbit originally used in "Rose." The North Pole is sunlit, as it would be at the height of summer. "The Runaway Bride" takes place on Christmas Eve, four days after the Northern Hemisphere's Winter Solstice, when the Pole would be facing away from the Sun, in darkness. In fact, this was the second Christmas special in a row to make this mistake, after "The Christmas Invasion." (00:00:05)
Factual error: During the rooftop scene, Donna checks her watch and says that it's half past three, or 3:30 PM. In London on December 24, that's roughly 45 minutes before sunset. However, not only is the angle of sunlight during this scene much higher than it should be for the date and time, the Sun proceeds to remain up for some time longer, including during the wedding reception and when the Doctor discovers the tunnel underneath H.C. Clements leads to below the Thames Barrier, even though it really ought to have set by then.
Factual error: During the chase on the motorway, many deciduous trees sporting lush green leaves can be seen in the background, in sharp defiance of the fact that it's supposed to be Christmas Eve and their branches should be bare. In addition, despite having chosen to wear a sleeveless wedding dress, Donna is remarkably unbothered by the fact that it should be fairly brisk outside, probably somewhere around freezing.
Chosen answer: 1) When Stephen Moffat took over he ignored a lot of what had been developed before (there is not in-universe answer). 2) It would have killed Rose, so the Doctor absorbed the energy. His body regenerated before the energy could do a significant amount of damage that would prevent regeneration.