I don’t how, but I think Freshman-in-high-school me was one of the first people to seriously use Pinterest. And I, like most every other 14 year old, had a wedding board. Many of those pins survived until I actually got married 13 years later, but the one that was the muse for this wedding did not. For the life of me, I cannot find who took this photo. Every blog or sighting of it just links back to Pinterest. If you know who the photographer was please let me know!
Picture this: A bride and groom lying in the grass, their feet at opposite sides of the photo from each other. Their faces are to each other and they’re kissing. A smattering of leaves surround them. The bride has some large leaves on her dress.
There is no mistaking in what season this wedding takes place. It is violently Fall with a capital F. And, as opposed to my Muted Fall Wedding, that’s exactly how I want this wedding to be.
Use the cheesy “fall in love” puns. Have pumpkin spice lattes, maple flavored everything, and bobbing for apples. Decorate with pumpkins and apples but not hay bales. That’s where I draw the line. That’s the last thing I want to sit on as a guest in formal wear, or the last thing I want to clean up as a wedding planner.
This Fall Wedding is not for the faint of heart. Continue only if you and your partner both share the same affinity for the season.
Colors
As opposed to my Muted Fall Wedding which has, well… muted colors… this wedding has the “pure” version of those colors. Instead of burgundy and rust there’s red. Instead of burnt orange there’s just orange. Instead of cinnamon or tan there’s brown. Instead of mustard there’s yellow. The more subtle colors can certainly still be utilized, but the brighter colors really set the autumnal stage.
Décor
If you are a Super Planner, you can look up the peak foliage dates for where you plan to be married. This will guarantee a gorgeous backdrop of fall foliage. Even if you can’t land a peak date, there is still a lot you can do to create an autumnal atmosphere.
I couldn’t find a picture of anyone doing this, but I think using a pumpkin house as your wedding arch would be perfect. You know, the wooden skeleton houses with shelves and shelves of pumpkins? What a backdrop. Or, pumpkins of all sizes lining the aisle. Anything rustic or wooden would be appropriate here- wooden benches, wooden signs, lanterns, shiplap?? Just kidding. Unless? Did you know that the slabs of wood that are used for centerpieces or chargers are called “cookies”? I had no idea until my father in law was making some, but those would be perfect too!
Centerpieces could have any variety of fall things- mini pumpkins, mini pumpkins as candle holders, a medium sized pumpkin as a vase for a flower arrangement, leaves, gold dipped leaves, laser cut leaves, silk leaves, or fall colored flowers (that will be named later).
Some fun little details could be a signed (fake) pumpkin as a guestbook, a pumpkin (once again- fake) cut as a card box, leaves hung on branches for place cards, and generally pumpkins and leaves everywhere.
If you would like to use flowers in addition to fall foliage (though maple leaves are the quintessential fall flora), there are quite a few in season flowers to choose from. I recommend sunflowers, coneflowers, heleniums, mums, marigolds, dahlias, and chrysanthemums. All of these come in beautiful fall colors. Something else I found during my research is burgundy eucalyptus. I wasn’t able to find if it was naturally occurring or dyed/ spray painted, but is the perfect greenery addition.
For a grand exit, any variation of tossing leaves would be great. Whole leaves, silk leaves, or confetti made from leaves. Natural leaves would be the best eco-friendly wedding and, depending on your venue, you may not even need to clean it up!
Though not quite “décor,” these next things still add to the overall setting. If your fall wedding occurs in that sweet spot where the temperatures have cooled down but are still comfortable, how fun would it be to have lawn games and a fire pit outside? Check out my board with tons of ideas for how to include games at your wedding.
What to Wear
I’ve previously divided up what The Main Two wear and what the wedding party wears. However, with less pressure for brides to wear white and more push for grooms to differentiate themselves from the groomsmen (at least from me), it makes more sense to list all the options and let The Main Two choose what they like.
I always love a printed suit but I especially love it here. What says “fall” more than plaid? I recommend a charcoal grey, brown, or rust colored suit with plaid somewhere- the suit itself, the shirt, the tie, the pocket square, or another accessory. A leaf boutonniere would add a nice touch.
To mimic the fall foliage, the wedding party can wear a mix of colors- rust, cinnamon, burgundy, olive, orange or burnt orange, mustard or yellow, terracotta, or even emerald.
Instead of stark white, I suggest more yellow-based colors like cream, egg shell, or champagne.
If you choose to have a flower girl (or flower grandma or flower man), what could be cuter than a pumpkin shaped basket and dropping leaves?
Food
With a fall themed wedding you can’t stop with the décor. You must serve pumpkin spice lattes at cocktail hour. Just kidding… but I’d be down.
Main dishes can include cozy, in season foods like pumpkin or squash, cranberries, apples, pears, and sweet potatoes. These can be made into salads, soups, roasted vegetables, and pasta dishes.
At a dessert table there can be full size or mini pie, caramel apple slices, kettle corn, apple cider donuts, salted caramel anything, and s’mores (to take over to the fire pit). If you opt for a cake instead of (or in addition to) a dessert table, the best I saw was to have two itty bitty pumpkins as a cake topper.
If you start decorating for fall before Walmart has their back to school aisles stocked, this wedding design is your perfect fit. Just make sure that your spouse-to-be feels the same way because there’s no escaping the autumnal ambiance.
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