With mild weather and beautiful bright colors, fall is a popular time of year for a wedding. The problem is that with so many fall weddings, many wedding ideas become a bit cliche. For the couple who’s been dreaming of a fall wedding that’s more than cookie cutter, here are some ideas to incorporate into your theme:
Use Cool Colors
The usual rule of thumb for fall weddings is to incorporate warm colors: earthy tones to mimic the outdoors or bright oranges, yellows, and reds like the leaves outside. However, cool colors have their place in the fall color palette as well. Various shades of green evoke a woodsy feel, and deep navy blue can reflect the sky on a cool autumn night. Even deep greys can work into a fall theme, representing the stormy weather that often comes with fall. You can choose a color scheme that brings out the cool side of fall, or blend cool colors with warm colors for a more full effect.
Bouquet Ideas
Rustic bouquets seem to be all the rage for a fall wedding, and that’s great if you want a rustic wedding theme. However, rustic isn’t for everyone. Try to use flowers that look like fall, but perhaps not in the conventional ways: burgundy roses, calla lilies, or tiger lilies are all great potential fall flowers that make a bold statement outside of the norm.
An Open Roof Under the Stars
A starry night sky is one of the most beautiful sights of the fall season…but fall nights can be a little on the chilly side. If you don’t like the idea of getting married outside in the cold, choose a venue with an open roof. You can have the best of both worlds: the warmth of the indoors and a clear view of the stars shining down on you as you promise to love each other forever.
Some Help from the Kids
Using pumpkin centerpieces isn’t exactly unique for a fall wedding, but you can make it fun by getting your adorable flower kids or ring bearer involved in the process. You can give the kids mini-pumpkins to paint and decorate or even create jack-o-lanterns with them to use as centerpieces. If the kid art isn’t quite the look you’re going for, you can add a sophisticated touch by placing a couple candles around each pumpkin. After all, fall is the best time of year for breaking out the candles.
Sky Lanterns
There’s something so lovely about floating lanterns, and they’re fairly easy to create or to buy. It’s a great way to light up your reception space and plays perfectly into the magic sort of whimsy of fall. You can even get your guests involved by making a wish as they let them loose.
Eco-Friendly Wedding
While everyone’s enjoying the beauty of the outdoors, it’s a great time to work on your carbon footprint. You can send out wedding invitations with recycled paper, have tasty organic wedding treats, or even enlist your guests to each plant a tree before they leave. The Morton Arboretum has a list of trees that can be planted in autumn. Pine trees are a popular choice.
Wedding Cake Toppers
If you want to do something different than the usual bride and groom wedding toppers, turn to the themes of the fall season. Instead of a bride and groom figurine, you can top your cake with two mini pumpkins (you can even toss a tiny top hat or a veil on them for flavor). There’s also this adorable Mr. and Mrs. Scarecrow wedding cake topper. If it’s approaching Halloween, and you and your special someone are big Tim Burton fans, you can use wedding toppers reminiscent of movies like The Corpse Bride or Nightmare Before Christmas.
Trick-or-Treat Bags
Trying to find gift bags for your guests or your wedding party is always a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be if you choose a fall wedding. A little baggy of popular fall or Halloween treats will be fun and thematic. If you’d rather reserve the candy for the kids, you can always offer a mix of nuts and seasonal dried fruit for the grown-ups. (Though some of the grown-ups might want candy, as well.) Caramel apples are also a great parting gift.
Utilize Your Favorite Tree
Do you have a favorite tree or pond that’s special to you, either individually or as a couple? What better time to use that as a backdrop than for your fall wedding? You can get married under your favorite tree as the warmly colored leaves fall around you, or see your reflections in the pond or lake as you say your I-dos. It’s also a great opportunity for wedding photos.
Gilded Decorations
No fall wedding seems complete without pumpkin or leafy decorations. However, you can always add a Midas touch with some easy to find gold spray paint. Use gilded leaves or pumpkins around your centerpieces or to hold down place cards at the reception.
Fall weddings are popular for a reason. No matter what your theme, they’re bound to be a colorful, stunning night to remember. But just because popular themes work well for so many doesn’t mean they’ll work well for you. Don’t be afraid to break a few rules to create your dream wedding.