Autumn, what a romantic, wonderful time to get married! Whether you want your autumn wedding to be very formal, most casual or somewhere in between, you have an enormous variety of possibilities. It is harvest time. The summer heat is gone. Yet the days are still warm and sunny. The leaves are turning into an incredible array of colors and as they fall off the trees, create a soft, lush colorful carpet. Halloween and Thanksgiving are here and can serve as wedding themes or be incorporated for a most unique personalized fall theme wedding. Can you see the possibilities? So, put on your thinking cap and get creative.
Following are ideas to help you plan a fall wedding.
WEDDING LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Following are traditional and not so traditional locations that will enhance your autumn wedding and make it unique and special. Picture your wedding at a:
Park
Bed and Breakfast
Country Inn
Winery
Ranch or on a farm,
Barn
Gazebo
Open Field
Orchard
Nature Preserve
Botanical Garden or in a private Garden
Wooded area
Riverbank or Lakeside
Or anywhere where nature presents its glorious backdrop.ATTIRE
Bride and her attendants
Fall weather is unpredictable. It may get chilly so, consider heavier fabrics and at least some sleeve for the gown and dresses or top them with matching boleros, stoles or shawls that can, but do not have to be worn. The wedding gown can be white, ivory, champagne or gold. The gown and or veil may show embroidered leaf motif or dainty gold embroidery.
Bridesmaids may wear either the same color or to really represent the autumn theme, have each bridesmaid represent a different fall color. See Fall Colors List. The bride may wish to wear a fall theme garter and carry a matching hankie.
Bridesmaids and flower girl will look great adorning garlands of fall flowers and leaves.
The groom and his attendants
To reflect the season, the men and boys could wear tan, beige and brown attire instead of the white, black or dark blue. Their ties should be of fall colors matching the bridesmaids dresses and their boutonnière should be a fall flower.
FALL COLORS
white, ivory, champagne, muted gold, tan, beige, various browns, hunter green, burnt orange, rust red, deep red, burgundy, cranberry, wine, navy blue, sky blue, eggplant purple, pewter, silver, pale yellow, pumpkin and orange.
INVITATIONS AND STATIONERY
Accent your invitations and wedding stationery with your chosen fall color. If you print your own, you may add fall graphics such as leaves, acorns, fall flowers, seasonal fruit, or a horn of plenty. If you purchase fall theme print your own invitations, fall theme is available. Cut the place cards to look like a fall theme item leaves, pumpkin, turkey siluettes etc...
FLOWERS
Chrysanthemums, roses, daisies, dahlias, lilies, yarrow, orchids, hydrangeas, sunflowers, baby breath, fall leaves, tallow berries, natural or dried wheat.
CEREMONY
Decorate the ceremony site with fall flowers.
Instead of aisle runners spread fall color real or fake leaves, in the center aisle. If your ceremony location does not allow spreading petals or leaves directly on the floor, glue leaves on aisle runners. This is a great activity for kids as the love to glue and can be creative. So, if you can engage kids, whether they are yours or not, they will be proud to help with your wedding.
Instead of rose petals, fill the flower basket with colorful fall leaves.
Make pew bows from ribbons in your wedding colors and embellish them with fall silk flowers, leaves, fruit, wheat, Indian corn etc...
RECEPTION
General
Use mini pumpkins, gourds, berrirs, Indian corn, apples, grapes, wheat , bales of hay and leaves foe centerpieces, favors and decorations.
Tables
Instead of numbering your tables, name them. For example:
Fall, Autumn, Acorn, Horn of plenty, Cornucopia, Maple, Oak, Apple, Pear, Pumpkin, Cranberry etc...
To add more interest and make it easier to remember give your table addresses. Just add Circle or Square depending on the shape of your tables and you send your guests to Fall Circle or Autumn Square etc...
Use fall color linens.
Ideas for Centerpieces
Before placing a centerpiece, you may strew fall leaves and or wheat on the reception tables and on the cake tale.
Place A Horn of plenty, a basket or a hollowed pumpkin lined with fall leaves or popcorn and filled with fall fruit, berries, nuts, gourds, mini-pumpkins and-or acorns as your centerpiece.
Pumpkin Ice Sculpture
Carve out the inside of pumpkins and place candles in them. If you plan a buffet, you may line hollowed pumpkins with foil and using them as serving dishes.
Fall floral arrangements in a straw basket or hollowed pumpkin.
Place 3 or 4 fall color candles of various sizes in hurricane lamps. The candles may be cinnamon, cranberry, spice or apple scented.
Place leaf or pumpkin shaped floating candles in a bowl, set it on a layer of fall leaves or straw.
Paint or spray mini pumpkins and gourds and group them together.
A real plant with real blooming flowers makes a great gift for guests. Chrysanthemums of many colors are pretty, very reasonably prices and you can get them everywhere; Wal Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc...
Display b bales of hay
If you have children, let them participate. Ask them to string cranberries, candies and popcorn and add them to your table decorations.
Display balloons in fall colors
Large chocolate or ice sculpture TurkeysFavors
Fruit shaped candles
Favor boxes or bags filled with candy corn
Caramel Apples
The Perfect Pear items
Garden in a bag or box
Fall theme cookies
Fall theme chocolates
Fall theme lollypops
Maple candiesReception Decorations
Fall theme ribbons and bows, garlands, paper lanterns or luminaries with amber light bulbs, balloons, chains of stringed popcorn, cranberries, candies, paper chains, bales of hay, ivy, garlands etc...
Accent the doorways and tables with tulle and ribbons in your wedding colors. Adhere leaves and silk flowers for inexpensive, elegant displays.
Cake
Decorate your cake with leaves, fall flowers, mini pumpkins, mini apples, marzipan fruit etc...
Flavors: Spice cake, pumpkin cake, dark chocolate cake, nut cake.
Food items you may wish to consider
Nuts
DRINKS: Apple cider, Sparkling cider, you may add: for adults, port or brandy to the cider and for the kids cinnamon sticks. Wine is very popular for fall weddings both as beverage and as part of a centerpiece..
MAIN DISHES especially if close to Thanksgiving: Turkey, stuffing, corn, potatoes, cranberry sauce etc...
DESSERTS: Pumpkin pie, Apple pie, Pecan pieHALLOWEEN WEDDINGS
Wedding colors white black and orange
Treat or trick bag for bridal purse and or as guest favors
Costumes or masks
Jack O'lantern ice sculpture or actual pumpkin as centerpiece
Jack O'lantern favorsDO NOT display ghosts at your wedding. You do not want to start your life together with "ghosts in your closet".
FUN IDEAS
Hay rides, Horse and Buggy rides, blowing soap bubbles, Harvest the rewards of your Autumn Theme Wedding planning and have a super event.
