Autumn is here in all its splendor. Rich colors, cozy vibes, and a sudden feeling of intimacy after summer’s craze. There’s no doubt this is one of the most popular seasons to get married, and I fell for it too. Thinking of my wedding last year, I rounded up 5 tips for planning an autumn wedding, by a former autumn bride.
The location
One of the biggest advantages of saying ‘I Do’ in autumn is that nature has already done half of the decoration for you. When looking for a location, think woodland, forest, informal country manor houses and rustic barn wedding locations. Any of these places will guarantee you romantic autumn trees and crunchy leaves that will serve as the perfect background for your photos.
The color palette
Autumn’s color palette is mostly driven by warm tones, so why not make the most out of such gorgeous colors?
I recommend using from 3 to 5 colors as your palette. These can be either golden, wine red and blush, or orange, mustard yellow and emerald. Or mix them with any of these different yet complementary colors to the scheme as dark pink, copper, pumpkin, rust, latte, beige, nude, brick, olive green, cobalt blue, red and burgundy.
For my wedding, golden and rose gold (which looks similar to copper), blush and a pinch of dark pink (in the flowers and lips) were my picks.
A coherent theme
I’ve been a bride so I’ve been there. You log in to your Pinterest and see so many ideas that you think “oh I could DIY that floral backdrop!”, “oh wow that geometric rectangular metallic galaxy cake looks SO good”, “ah I guess his brown checked tweed suit will still go with this gorgeous strapless ball gown dress I’m seeing here with sparkling appliqués”… Try to fight the temptation to go with everything you see.
Once you have decided your theme, you have to stick to it, from your mani to the venue. An intimate barn wedding, with candles in the tables, Edison lamps hanging from the ceiling, and that beautiful rustic crown on the top of your perfectly-loose hair. Or a lavish manor wedding, with fairy lights covering the ceiling and the sweethearts table background, sparkles for the guests and your dramatic makeup and regal dress. Each autumn theme has its own beauty.
The details
You can plan the most gorgeous wedding in the world, but it’s only truly unforgettable if the guests feel part of it, taken care of and even a bit pampered that day. That’s when they take their phones and share all the beautifully planned decorations, and those cute little details that made them smile.
For the perfect celebratory autumn evening, you can offer blankets, rugs and shawls or hot beverages like hot cider on tap at your reception. Or hot chocolate or coffee between the dancing, or seasonal treats such as toasted marshmallows or toffee apples.
The bride & groom’s looks
Bride
Last but not least, the reason why everyone gathered in the first place: the bride and groom. For our wedding, I went full traditional autumn bride with a pinch of royalty drama. As I love makeup, I wasn’t afraid to ask my MUA to embrace the colors of autumn. That resulted in a mix of golden, brown and copper shades on my eyes, a warm orange based bronzer and dark lips. Don’t be like me and buy your own lipstick from the same shade your MUA used for touch ups (I totally forgot).
The drama bit came in my rose gold and diamond-like crown. For some reason I feel it easier to pull off dramatic accents like this in autumn/winter. If you shy away from such an aesthetic, autumn lets you play with its rustic beauty, and you can build up your look based on that. Natural hair and makeup are seasonless and trend-proof, so it’s always a clever option. You can easily find bridal makeup artists in your city who can give you the look you desire for your special day.
Groom
Based on the style you picked, the groom can follow a sharp, dapper look, or opt for a more rustic, vintage vibe. Don’t be afraid of dark colors, like black, grey, navy blue or cobalt blue, as it’s the moment of the year you can wear them. However if you want to stand out, venture for burgundy, a warm brown, or jewel tones like green, plum or sapphire blue.
The cooler months are also a great time to play with textures: tweed, flannel, velvet. And no matter what style you pick, always make sure your suit is absolutely tailored to perfection. Fitting can make or break your entire look.
Hope you enjoyed these 5 tips for planning an Autumn wedding! Which season did you/woud you decide getting married in?
xoxo
Deb
