Autumn weddings inspire the couple and guests to soak up the milestone moment of marriage and embrace the changing scenery around them mindfully. Perhaps the environment inspires you so much that you want to move the outdoors indoors to your reception.
If you haven’t decided on your wedding colors already, you should consider the myriad of opportunities that fresh fall colors offer. It’s not only red, yellow and brown but oh so much more!
A Minimalist and Monochromatic Color Scheme
Torn between different shades of yellow or red? You don’t have to choose the shade. Just pick a color and use various shades of that color.
For a monochromatic look, the shades should be a step down in tone from each other. However, you can fudge that a little. If you went with yellow, for example, think of warm metallics and combine shades like gold, copper and yellow ochre.
Use Harvest Food Colors for Inspiration
When you think of the harvest, you think of food. What colors do you associate with harvest foods? Yellow squash. Pomegranate. Eggplant. Leafy dark greens. What else?
Uses: Picture an eggplant candle on the tables, with sheer eggplant curtains draping areas around the tent. Different types of squash and corn sit on the table around the candle as a centerpiece. Guests sit to prepare themselves for a delicious wedding harvest meal. Vegetables also produce flowers. Use these to create flower arrangements. Name your signature cocktail “Harvest Moonrise,” and don’t skip the whiskey or the bitters!
The Traditional Analogous Color Scheme
Many people think of traditional fall colors as red, gold yellow and light orange. These shades are known as analogous colors — or three colors that sit directly across from each other on the color wheel. You can also tone down the golden and orange colors if you prefer while darkening the red in your decorations. Color exists on a spectrum, so find the hues perfect for you.
Uses: Wind garlands of leaves around the tent, chairs or table. Hang them from the ceiling. Capture soft gold in the form of a candle flame sitting in a mason jar, wrapped in a small red sash.
A Nourishing Earth and Rain Palette
Many people picture “April showers” when they think of rain, but the fall season has its share of rain. It’s the season of crunching leaves beneath your feet with rain boots and splashing in the puddles. Take that memory of a simple joy and channel it into your reception via color. You may feel like that’s dull and dreary — but look again at the possibilities.
Muted creams and grays can add minimalist class while you play with a calmer powder blue. Those wet leaves nourish the Earth. Think solid, grounding North Carolina red clay and mountain plants. Now your imagination is moving!
Uses: Hire someone to teach you how to flatfoot and country dance during the reception, like Appalachian folk in the south. Bring trees indoors along with a waterfall. Encourage people to take off their shoes. Serve moist, rich brownies for dessert. Find delicate lights to hang that look like falling raindrops lit up by the sun.
Romantic and Rich Crocus Colors
Ever walked along a greenway by a creek after a rainstorm and saw this perfect little purple flower, happy as can be about its spot? You likely saw a crocus, and they most often appear after rain in the spring and fall. Crocuses typically come in purple, yellow and blue in gentle colors. The flower is associated with the planet Venus and therefore is a flower of love.
The flower only stays around for a short while and disappears as quietly and suddenly as it appeared. This can symbolize the bold, joyful and serene milestone of the first day of your marriage.
Uses: Place crocuses on the table. Use the triad of colors to decorate the area of the reception. Play on word choice and place a game of croquet out of the way. Mix and match the colors with various patterns, or make your fabrics the purples, the lights the yellows and everything else variations of blue and purple with yellow accents.
You once thought that fall only came in three colors — red, yellow and brown. Well, now you know better. You’re welcome!
Kacey Bradley is the blogger behind The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. Along with writing for her blog, she has written for sites like U.S. News, SUCCESS, Ruffled, and more!