Considering an autumn wedding? Here's what you need to know...
Autumn is a season in which almost everyone can find something to love. As we wave goodbye to summer, we prepare to welcome cooler months filled with cosy clothes, hot chocolate, and for many nowadays, a selection of pumpkin spiced treats!
When it comes to wedding planning, many brides- and grooms-to-be overlook autumn as a potential season for their nuptials. Yet the fallen leaves, golden haze, and vibrant colour palettes of this time of year can provide the perfect backdrop to saying, ‘I do’.
If you’re considering having your Suffolk wedding in autumn, here’s what you need to know…
Choose an Autumn-friendly Venue
As with many of the other seasons of the year, some venues are going to be better than others for an autumn wedding. If you’re considering September and October as potential months to get married then you will probably need to book early. Despite this time of the year being generally the least popular, some of the top venues can still get booked out rather early.
Be sure to choose a venue that works well for Autumn and that can keep you and your guests comfy in the cooler temperatures.
Prepare for Any and All Elements
The weather is always a risk for a wedding in the UK, but there’s definitely a heightened possibility of rain or adverse weather in September/October. If you want to spend some of your special day outdoors, then you’ll need to also have backup indoor areas ready.
Some of this backup will need to be booked in advance. While extra heaters may be relatively easy to get at the last minute if it’s very cold something like a tent, for example, will need to be ordered in advance. Plus, you’ll need to consider flooring as well in case of lots of rain – muddy and soggy is never a fun look at a wedding and won’t do much for the atmosphere!
Choose Your Colour Palette
One of the very best things about an autumn wedding is the colours that you have the opportunity to play with! Use nature as your muse and consider incorporating woody reds, burnt oranges, bronzed golds, and bold pinks into your big day. These are just a few of the bold and vibrant shades you can use in your floral bouquets, decorations, and accessories.
Popular colour schemes include chocolate brown and ivory, gold and mandarin, rouge and rich cream, aubergine and sage, navy blue and ivory. Think about your overall theme and how you envision your wedding looking and work with colours from there.
Get Your Complete Wedding Look
Autumn brides might look for dreamy dresses that use lace and sleeves to add extra warmth. Added to this, heavier fabrics, a faux fur shrug, or a cape can provide the perfect protection from that cool breeze and make gorgeous accessories to your overall look. Makeup and hair can complement this perfectly, with gold and bronze shades and a hint of orange or red in the eyeshadow, berry reds for the lips, and gold leaf hair accessories.
There will be a wide choice of complementary dress colours for your bridesmaids and groomsmen can accessorise with the same colours. The groom could opt for tweed or a wool knit suit, depending on the temperatures around the time of your wedding.
Venue Decoration
There are so many amazing ways you could go about decorating your wedding venue to reflect the autumn season. You could go for a rustic feel and play off the bronze and gold with wooden candle holders, branches and twisted twig centre pieces with sparkling fairy lights entwined. Or you could go for a minimal country chic vibe with clean lines and ivory dressings, keeping it simple and elegant.
Speak to your chosen florist about using blooms from the season. Roses, chrysanthemums, tulips, and carnations in bright and beautiful colours, and pine cones and conkers can make stunning decorations.
Food & Drink
The cooler weather will have people craving warm food, so use this to your advantage for your wedding spread. Autumnal treats on the day could include the humble (and generally very spiced) pumpkin, hot chocolate, toffee apples, homemade chutneys/jams, or seed packs to spread the love around. For your main meal you could serve a BBQ or Hog Roast, hearty stews with full-bodied red wine, pie and mash, slow braised beef, and apple and blackberry crumble for dessert.
Your wedding cake could be simple with beautiful berry and floral decorations. Sugar flowers and creative icing can add gorgeous colours to your designs, autumn leaves may be a more obvious choice, but can be used subtly to add to your theme.
Picture Planning Perfection
The daylight hours changing can cause a bit of trouble when it comes to your wedding pictures. But every cloud has a silver lining and the light in autumn can be stunning if you get it just right.
Make sure you schedule the main wedding photos during the best lighting. Your wedding photographer can be your guide here, but generally, the best part of the day for picture taking in autumn is considered to be an hour and a half after sunrise or between 45 minutes before and 45 minutes after sunset.
There is also the golden hour year-round, which is an hour before sunset when the light is at its glowiest. Plan your pictures carefully and you’ll get stunning photos you’ll swoon over for the rest of your life!