Autumn Harvest Wedding

Autumn is the perfect time of year to get married with the beautiful scenery and rich fall colors. Autumn is a time of year that symbolizes and celebrates prosperity and abundance, what a perfect way to start a new life together. For an earthy couple or couple that enjoys gardening, an Autumn Harvest theme wedding can celebrate the things you love.

Nature can take center stage when choosing your fall wedding colors and decorations. Natural fall colors such as reds, browns, deep greens, golden yellows, burnt oranges, burgundy, maroon, dark purples, and gold are all wonderful choices when choosing your bridesmaids’ dresses and other decorations.

Your decorations can focus on the abundance in nature; leaves, grapes, berries, squash, pumpkins, gourds, twigs, apples, and corn. You could have elegant centerpieces filled with fruits and vegetables that your guests could take with them after the reception. Bowls could be filled with floating candles shaped like apples. Pumpkins could be hallowed out jack-o'-lantern style but instead of scary Halloween faces you could have designs, leaf shapes, or wedding symbols like rings, doves, a cake, or a bride and groom silhouette carved into them. Small gourds and squash could be arranged on a mirror tile around a large candle.

Other decorating options include: swags and garlands of fall leaves and berries, corn stalks arranged elegantly and tied with raffia or ribbon, wicker baskets full of homemade looking jams, jellies, fruits, and applesauce, arbors or trellises entwined with grape vines and white lights. Your invitations can be decorated with the same harvest themes, rubber stamped leaves, apples or other fruits and vegetables or you could have invitations on elegant stationary embossed with gold leaves. Leaves could be scattered on the buffet table and guest tables. Your wedding bouquets could consist of wild flowers, dried herbs, berries, and fall leaves.

The perfect location could be an apple orchard, farm, vineyard, or even a local Bed and Breakfast or Inn. Any place will do as long as you decorate with nature's abundance in mind. You could offer hay rides to your guests around the orchard or farm.

The Autumn harvest menu could include squash, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, apple pie, apple crisp, apple sauce, roast vegetables, roast turkey, breads like pumpkin, apple or zucchini, platters of grapes, berries, cheese and crackers, and don’t forget an autumn must have – apple cider and donuts.

Special wedding favors for an Autumn Harvest theme wedding could include small jars of homemade jams, jellies, applesauce, pickles, mustards, or sauces. Other options could be caramel apple kits; bread mixes in a jar or bag, muffin mixes, seed packets, or chocolates in wrapped in foil leaves. Make sure to attach special tags thanking your guests for joining you on your special day.

An Autumn Harvest Theme Wedding is an elegant and earthy way to celebrate your new life together with the abundance and prosperity of the season. Your guests are sure to appreciate such a unique celebration.

 

~Wenona Napolitano

Wenona Napolitano is a freelance writer and a trained bridal consultant and floral designer. She has helped plan and decorate many weddings, including her own.