Fall is here and we're all giddy with excitement. It's the time to unpack your favorite snuggly sweaters and head down to the local market to find all the fresh and ripe produce waiting for you. Fall is not only gracing the trees and streets with its fallen leaves—it's also present in the world of weddings with its vibrant color palettes, fruity decorations, and mouthwatering delicacies. So, let's get yourself ready as we've collected the best ideas, from autumnal wedding venues to pretty trinkets, on how to have the perfect fall wedding.
Fall wedding venues
Dresses that suit a fall wedding
Wedding dress
Basically, any wedding dress will be a good fit for you, as long as it goes well with your venue. Considering the cool breeze and the romance of fall, an open-air wedding will be a tempting choice. You and your guests can enjoy the best weather of the year with mesmerizing red shades of falling leaves as the scenery. Below, we've categorized two types of wedding dress that will go well with your fall wedding theme.
1. The elegant dress
If you're looking for a refined and graceful style, a lace dress can never go wrong. Try to get one with a sheath cut that will add an impressive silhouette to your body.
(Credit: Perry Vaile, Untamed Heart Photography)
2. The fashionable dress
If you're looking for something fun and unusual, try exploring dresses with tulle. Unless you're throwing a very formal or grand wedding, choose a lightweight fabric for your dramatic ball gown. You can also play around with chic colors like champagne.
(Credit: Cassidy Carson Photography, Jose Villa Photography)
Bridesmaid dresses
Fall is definitely one of the most anticipated seasons of the year for its rich and beautiful colors. Although warm colors are associated with this season, there are actually plenty of cool colors that would look perfectly magical. So, after you get your own wedding dress sorted out, don't forget about your bridesmaid dresses. We've collected some of the best fall colors as seen on bridesmaid dresses. Get ready to pick one as your favorite.
(Credit: Woodnote Photography)
1. Teal
This color is a mixture between blue and green that results in a very elegant color. This is one of the cool colors that will look brilliant on your bridesmaids. Pair this hue with a brighter tone like orange or yellow for the right balance.
(Credit: Vicki Grafton)
2. Champagne
As its name suggests, this is the color you would see in a glass of champagne, a very light yellow. This one will look wonderful in different shades, paired with other darker hues like copper or navy.
(Credit: Tracy Enoch)
3. Burgundy
Burgundy is the fine balance between red and purple. To put it simply, it's the color you get from red wine. The color is one of the most commonly used in fall weddings, as it adds warmth as well as a touch of luxury to any event.
(Credit: onelove photography, Rebecca Hollis)
4. Black
As black is usually associated with mourning, most brides have steered clear of this color. If done right, however, black can be a great color in a fall weddings. Imagine how the warm colors like copper and ochre will light up when matched with black.
(Credit: Virgil Bunao)
5. Isle of pines
The isle of pines is basically a very deep green color that looks really graceful in fall weddings. This color can be paired with copper and rust, or even with white and champagne to create the ultimate fall palette
(Credit: Manchik Photography)
6. Shades of copper
This bride made use of a few different shades of copper for her bridesmaids and it proved to be a smart choice. You can, of course, use only one solid color for all of your bridesmaids, but this option prevents them from looking dull.
(Credit: Kristi Wright)
7. Eggplant
Another one we love is deep-purple bridesmaid dresses. Keep in mind that the shade of purple that would really suit a fall wedding is the really deep one, as pictured above. Softer hues of the eggplant shade, like lavender or lilac, would better suit a pastel-colored wedding.
(Credit: Joey Kennedy)
8. Gray
Up next is gray. This color might not be used often in weddings, but it's actually very classy and graceful. For fall weddings, this color can work really well with navy, marsala, even copper or ochre if you fancy.
(Credit: Graham Terhune)
9. Navy
Last but not least is navy, an all-around favorite color that won't look out of place even in fall settings. In our opinion, navy pairs especially well with copper or marsala, creating a regal and elegant fall wedding palette.
Fall-inspired wedding details
(Credit: Judy Pak, Brumley and Wells)
Invitation suite
To get that autumnal feeling going, embellish your invitation suite with prints of fruits or other fall elements such as colored leaves or pine cones. These two examples feature simple white invitations, but you can always use other earthy colors like navy, marsala, red, or orange.
(Credit: April's Garden, Jose Villa)
Flower bouquet
If summer is the season for bright colors, then fall is the time to bring out the classier, more regal colors. Adorn your bouquet with non-ordinary colors like ochre, navy, burgundy, copper, or grape. Also make use of non-floral elements like wheat, colored leaves, or even fruits for a maximum fall effect. Compose your colors carefully, as it's not an easy job to arrange a fall bouquet.
(Credit: Corbin Gurkin, Boonetown Story)
Escort cards
Fall has the advantage of having so many tasty fruits in season. Whenever you can, try to add the season's fruits in your wedding. Having fruits as escort cards is, quite literally, a fresh idea. Fruits make great decoration elements and are a wonderful way to showcase the splendid fall produce. Some fruits to use would be apples, peaches, figs, and pears; all you need to do is attach the names of your guests to them and you're all set.
(Credit: Mary Margaret Smith, Rebecca Hansen)
Favors
Last but not least, present your guests with delectable favors to take home and enjoy. You can choose honey, mini pies, apple cider, wheat, or even little loaves of bread. Choose something that your guests will definitely adore and will also be a joy for you to prepare.
Decorations for a fall wedding
Fruits as decoration
(Credit: Jen Fariello, onelove photography)
You can use fruits as elements of your wedding decoration. However, you need to take extra care of the purchase and storage of the fruits you're going to use. Carefully coordinate the colors and check the conditions of the fruits when you're about to use them. Don't buy them too long beforehand as they will be overripe, but don't get them too close to your wedding day either so you can be prepared if your supplier doesn't have enough fruits for the wedding. For a warm color palette, you can use red apples, pumpkins, and yellow pears. For a cooler palette, opt for figs, green pears, pomegranate, and blackberries.
(Credit: Rebecca Hansen)
Candles
Add some extra romance to your reception by lighting candles over the tables. These candles will highlight the lovely decorations and set a warm atmosphere for your wedding. To make this work, keep in mind that you have to calculate the time it takes for candles to run out and make sure that you have back-up lighting when they do run out. Let's not leave our guests in the dark, shall we?
(Credit: Brumley and Wells, Jeremiah and Rachel)
Table settings
Keep your table setting as homey as possible. There's something about fall that brings a sense of togetherness and collectivity, so it would be great if you could incorporate that mood into your wedding. Set simple napkins along with clean tableware to enhance the familiar atmosphere of a warm home. Decoration-wise, you can use pinecones as pictured on the left or some fruits and vegetables like the one on the right.
Fall wedding menu
(Credit: Betsi Ewing, The Youngrens)
If you want to go all out, then you should also create a fall-inspired wedding menu. Aside from serving the main course and appetizers, make a feast of autumnal delicacies to go with the menu. If you're planning an alfresco autumnal wedding, add creative food and drink stalls that will catch the eyes of your guests. We've prepared some scrumptious delicacies below for your inspiration.
Appetizers
Choose food with apples as the ingredient, as this red fruit will give out the quintessential autumn feel. Get creative and discuss this idea with your caterer. You can try exotic food like apple whiskey chicken meatballs, apple and cheddar toast, apple cider onion soup, and many other delectable dishes.
Entrée
Forget about salmon and chicken, although you're still allowed to have them if you want to. Instead, serve some tasty autumnal food by incorporating apple slices to roasted meats. If you don't want to have apples for your main course, you can always substitute them with roasted carrots, raisins, or beans.
Desserts
When it comes to fall wedding dishes, nothing can beat a fruit pie. If traditional fruit pies don't excite you, opt for something more creative, such as doughnuts, caramel candy apple, pumpkin spice latte tiramisu, and pumpkin cheesecake.
Drinks
Go beyond simple juice bars, opting instead for a hip gourmet coffee stall, craft beer tasting station, or festive mocktail and cocktail stands. With the windy weather, this seems like such a good idea, don't you think? Don't forget to equip your stalls with experts such as an experienced barista and certified mixologist to serve those tasty beverages.
Tidbits
Serving rustic pies and savory galettes along with apple juice or other fruit juices will really lift up the fall mood. Huge chunks of pie sure look tasty, but bite-sized pieces or lollipop pies will be more convenient for your guests.
Even though apple is the ultimate fall ingredient that can be added to any dish, you should remember to always balance out your menu. Skip the apple-filled entrée if you've already had apples for your starter and dessert, and vice versa.
Wedding Cake
(Credit: Judy Pak, Betsi Ewing)
There are two things about your wedding cake that you can meddle with: the decoration and the color of the cake itself. A classic white cake never goes wrong, but you're more than welcome to explore other colors such as gray or navy. As for the decoration, you can creatively mix autumnal elements like pomegranate, figs, flowers, acorns, and leaves.