Autumn Wedding Ideas that will have you Falling in Love

I just get so excited at the thought of an autumn wedding!

The vibrancy of colours, the soft, lingering sunsets, a first romantic dance under a crisp star-filled sky.

A gorgeous Aussie autumn is one of the most popular times for a wedding and with good reason.

The sweltering summer sun has tapered off to a more gentle warmth and the gardens and countryside make for stunning photo backdrops. The light cool breeze in the evening is the perfect reason for a warming snuggle with your loved one’s arm around your shoulder.  

If you are planning an autumn wedding – Congratulations! Yay!

We have gathered together our most inspired autumn wedding ideas for 2020 to help you plan something truly memorable and unique.

Autumn Wedding Ideas that will have you Falling in Love

Invitational Inspiration

The colours of autumn are, of course, one of its crowning glories, and can look incredible as the basis of your invitations and your whole wedding day.

The reds, oranges and yellows of the changing leaves, the burgundy of fat grapes, the indigo of blueberries, or any rich deep jewel tones such as ruby or emerald all create an intriguing look that you can make your own. Any of the warmer metallic tones also add extra class, such as gold, rose gold, copper or brass.

We adore the idea of including pressed flowers or leaves in your invitation to give your guests a lovely sweet surprise.

Bridesmaid Dresses

We love the different options for bridesmaids dresses as we move into autumn. These can be far more sophisticated and elegant than the brighter or more girly pinks and pastels of summer.

Consider something quite different, such as deep indigo or rich eggplant tone, rose gold or classic blue (our colour of the year!). We also love graceful greens such as sage or olive or a divine chocolate brown for long flowing gowns.

Velvet, when used well, can add a gorgeous new texture to wedding attire. You might like to add a velvet wrap to your bridesmaids’ looks, or perhaps lush velvet shoes.

Dapper Gents

And there is no reason at all anymore why the gents can’t be as colourful as the ladies. For a bit of adventure, try an ochre or mustard coloured jacket for the guys, or perhaps put them in a scarlet or ruby red.

If your wedding has a more classic theme, why not complement traditional dark suits with autumn colours in ties, suspenders, fedoras or socks?

Touches of Bling

We are swooning over the different tones in jewellery and other accessories for this season. You might like to choose a copper hair accessory for something really unique or add accents of rose gold to your bridal gown.

We also love some out of the box bling touches to the table settings, such as brass cutlery or wine goblets.

Décor Ideas

Instead of flowers, use the incredible colours of changing foliage as well as seasonal fruit like rust red apples and glossy berries as your décor inspiration.

You could choose fruit and berries as the stars of your table centrepieces or showcase tall vases with boughs of multicoloured leaves around the edges of the room.

Instead of confetti or paper cut-outs, you could use decorative hole punches to make cute and colourful cut-outs of leaves in a whole rainbow of autumn hues.

Or as seen in the image above, you can draw the inspiration from the colours of the earth and the changing leaves of the trees and add terracotta vases, dried florals and macrame table runner.

Say ‘I do’ Under the Wedding Arch of your Dreams

Wedding arches are one trend that will never get old, because of the range of styles and personal touches that can be added to each one. A balloon arch in autumn tones would look amazing, as would one of paper lanterns in similar colours.

Or you could go more natural and choose an arch compiled of festive autumn leaves, rust and gold coloured flowers, or long winding tendrils of vines.

Vines also look lovely (and are very cost-effective) when draped along the tables as centrepieces or used as backdrops for a place-card or gift station.

An Out of This World Wedding Cake

When your cake is the traditional white or cream tinted icing, pops of autumn colour look simply striking by contrast. You could consider some rose gold leaf touches or a ‘waterfall’ of russet and golden coloured flowers.

An arrangement of autumn leaves and rich red grapes also looks lovely, especially for a winery reception. Or you could blend the looks with a textured creation of luxurious in season roses combined with crunchy dried leaves. Feathers also add drama and interest to an autumn wedding cake.

Signature Cocktails

A wedding isn’t a party until you have added some signature cocktails to the mix. Choose a couple of sweet and warming cocktails inspired by the colours, scents, and spices of the season, such as:

• Fruity mulled wine
• Cinnamon apple martini
• Pear cider punch
• Hot buttered rum
• Bourbon salted caramel milkshake

Ok, now I’m getting thirsty…

Fabulous Fall Favours

Take the flavours of autumn and celebrate them in your wedding favours. Find a local gourmet who can make handcrafted jams, chutney or sauces, or perhaps give a bottle of local dessert wine as your parting gift to each guest. We also love the idea of a bottle of real maple syrup or local organic honey.

You could also give a bag of freshly made mini cinnamon doughnuts to each guest to take home.

For an outdoor reception, you could also give guests a snuggly blanket or wrap in rich autumn colours – great for sitting by an open fire and also certain to be much-appreciated for months afterwards. If you have more ideas for a stunning and personal autumn wedding day, let us know. And if you are getting married in autumn next year, now is the perfect time to look for THE dress – why not check out our gallery here?

Main photo: Photography Camilla Kik Photography | Stylist Bliss and Willow | Floral Design Xavier Nicolle Flowers | Stationary Iampoppy Designs | Celebrant Byron Bay Wedding Celebrant | Dress When Freddie Met Lilly