Did you know that September and October are among the most popular months for weddings? Fall weddings have a very different flavor than the bright summer weddings which precede them or the “Winter Wonderland” weddings of the holiday season. Many of the ideas for autumn weddings are rustic, but one can certainly have a more elegant wedding in the fall months. These are some ideas for formal fall wedding colors.
When trying to avoid the standard rustic fall colors, the key is to use something a bit more sophisticated with one of the rich seasonal hues. For instance, the rich red of burgundy is a fairly classic fall color, but when paired with a deep aubergine, the result is truly regal. It would be a fantastic color palette for an October evening wedding. Decorate with an abundance of roses in burgundy and aubergine, along with touches of amber crystal to lighten things up a touch. The bride can choose to wear a gown with golden tones instead of pure white, perhaps accented with custom bridal jewelry in amber crystals. It would be a perfect bridal ensemble for a wedding ceremony in a Gothic stone church.
Brown is a popular color for autumn weddings. To make the look more elegant than rustic, steer clear of the standard brown with the orange combination. Brown paired with a luxurious lilac color would be feminine and yet seasonal for a fall afternoon ceremony. Think about how pretty your bridesmaids would look in brown taffeta or shantung dresses with lilac sashes. For the bouquets, choose elegant flowers in shades of lilac and light purples, such as lisianthus, calla lilies, orchids, roses, and statice. To bring the fall season into the bouquets, create a ruffle of embossed velvet leaves in brown and deep purple around the blossoms.
Gold is an excellent color for a formal fall wedding, as is its cousin, bronze. The rich warm metallics are ideal for an upscale autumn wedding and pair beautifully with any number of other colors. Dark colors such as forest green, cobalt (just a bit fresher than navy), russet, and deep orange are all gorgeous when combined with gold or bronze accents. Set the mood with invitations engraved in an exquisite gold font and line the envelopes with your other color. For the wedding decorations, use gold or bronze charger plates under the dinner china, layered over dupioni tablecloths in forest, cobalt, russet or deep orange. With such opulent table decor, tall vases of cream flowers would look lovely.
If dark colors are not your style, sage green makes a great starting point for a fall wedding color palette. Combine it with a mushroom (medium) brown and cream for a soft palette that is seasonal without being in your face “fall!”. This would be lovely for an elegant outdoor wedding under a tent. Tie sage bows to gold Chiavari chairs for the ceremony seating. The bride can wear a gorgeous cream-colored silk gown, and her attendants can wear sage with mushroom accents. Custom bridal jewelry in creamy pearls will complete the graceful effect. If you wish to bring one more pop of color into this understated palette, think about doing it with flowers. A few rust orange or deep purple flowers were thrown into the mix will add just the right unexpected detail to give the wedding decorations depth and richness.
Many other colors would be equally elegant for a formal fall wedding. You could use cinnamon, cranberry, pomegranate, or plum, just to name a few. The gorgeous colors will bring your autumn wedding to life beautifully.