Fall Wedding Flower Trends

Rich hues, unique vases, and unexpected elements are just a few of the hot trends in fall flowers.

Choosing flowers for spring and summer weddings is a no-brainer: There are tons of varieties in season, and any sweet pastel or bright and sunny color scheme feels appropriate. But if you want flowers that reflect the fall season in a chic and intriguing way, it's a little more challenging. We've quizzed some of our favorite florists and event designers on the latest trends in fall flowers. The good news: Your options in the fall are as gorgeous and stylish as ever.

Think Texture

The hottest trend in fall wedding flowers is lush, richly hued arrangements with lots of interesting texture. Instead of using just two or three types of blooms in your centerpieces, try a wide mix of flowers coordinated with your color scheme. For example, you could start with a base of classic flowers and mix in feathery crocosmia and velvety coxcomb. Or you could add non-floral accents such as viburnum or hypericum berries, lotus pods, fiddlehead ferns, or wooly lamb's ear leaves to make the arrangements more remarkable. For a distinctly fall touch, poppies with dark centers add visual depth and a dramatic element that announces that summer is over.

Search for flowers by color with our ultimate wedding flower guide.

Classic Flowers in Rich Hues

Fall Wedding Flower Trends

Although texture is key, classic flowers still rule for fall weddings. Tailor them to the time of year by choosing more deep and dramatic shades than you would in the summer -- opt for classic autumn hues or go with more unexpected colors like aubergine, copper, and forest green. Lush, elegant dahlias may be the quintessential fall blossom since they come in all the autumnal tones (red, burgundy, orange, and plum). Of course, roses will always be popular and are available in any hue you need for your fall color scheme. Also hot for fall weddings: antique hydrangeas in greens and purples, and deep crimson calla lilies.

Pick a Polished Bouquet

Loosely tied bouquets that look like they were just gathered from an English garden are a natural choice for many brides during the spring and summer, but for fall weddings, bouquets can be more structured. Think densely packed, dome-shaped bouquets in a color scheme such as red, brick, and plum. Instead of leaving stems exposed, trend-conscious florists wrap them in textured fabric, velvet sashes, or ribbons. The groomsmen boutonnieres can be similarly polished -- instead of a bare stem, choose boutonnieres wrapped in satin or grosgrain ribbon for your wedding party.

Use Plants as Centerpieces

Succulents are a hugely popular landscaping trend right now, and stylish brides are working them into their centerpieces too. They're seasonless but come in deep, fall-appropriate hues like aubergine, cactus green, and pomegranate. Since their leaves look like petals, succulents mix easily with flowers, and they're a natural choice for weddings in the Southwest.

Bypass Boring Glass Vases

For centerpieces, unique containers are de rigueur. Classic glass vases may feel right in summer, but for fall, style-conscious couples are using everything from eye-catching copper pots to silver trophy cups and gold-leaf vases, or going earthy with containers made of wood or covered in lichen. Mismatched antique urns or pots from the flea market are also popular. Use a collection of pots in different sizes -- as many as five per table -- that your guests can take home at the end of the evening. If you decide on glass vases, you can add a distinctly fall feel by using wheat berries or millet as a base for the flowers.

Go Green

Eco-conscious couples and their florists are focusing on using locally grown organic flowers. Stick to flowers grown near the wedding site, which lessens your environmental impact, rather than flying flowers in from another continent. Organically grown blooms spare the earth (and your guests) from exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. It's also a great way to support nearby nurseries and celebrate the local region.

Fall Wedding Flower Trends

Fall Celebrity Wedding Style

Get wedding style pointers from these stars who got married in the autumn.

Kevin Costner & Christine Baumgartner

Fall Celebrity Wedding Style

The scene: A rustic, down-home affair at Costner's ranch in Aspen, Colorado

A wedding weekend: The couple's 300 guests spent four days on Kevin's 165-acre Aspen ranch, enjoying barbecues, canoeing, and horseback riding.
Make it yours: Give your guests a taste of your hometown by filling the weekend with local activities. Create itineraries that include wine-tastings or walking tours, and host a barbecue to get everyone mixing and mingling before the wedding day.

The attire: The bride wore a ruched ecru satin ball gown by Monique Lhuillier, adorned with satin roses to complement her crimson rose bouquet. The groom looked sharp in a dark gray cashmere suit with a gray and white polka-dot tie; a crimson rose boutonniere matched Christine's bouquet.
Make it yours: The key to mixing a big ball gown with a more casual setting: the right fabric and details. Instead of glitzy crystal embellishments or beading, get the fairy-tale look with soft satin ruching and fabric flowers to match your bouquet. For him, experiment with fabrics and color -- go for gray like Kevin, or a chocolate brown.

The catering: The elegant menu included caviar with salmon, pear and goat cheese salad, venison, Colorado bass, beef filets garnished with onions and baby carrots, sea bass, and a quadruple-layered white chocolate wedding cake.
Make it yours: An at-home wedding doesn't mean you can't have an upscale menu -- look to your surroundings for catering ideas. If you live near the water, fresh fish is a must; get tender beef filets for a Midwest affair; and go for spicy enchiladas with chocolate mole sauce for a wedding in the Southwest.

Billy Joel & Katie Lee

Fall Celebrity Wedding Style

The scene: Italian-style feast on Long Island, New York

The site: The reception was held at the singer's 15-acre estate beneath a white tent in Oyster Bay, Long Island. The reception was inspired by an Italian harvest feast, with 23 wooden farm tables adorned with miniature calla lilies, sunflowers, and herbs.
Make it yours: If you don't happen to have a 15-acre oceanfront estate, look into renting a mansion for your wedding day. Set up a tent on the lawn and use the mansion as a dramatic backdrop, or serve dinner in the home and let the party continue outside under a tented dance floor.

Fall Celebrity Wedding Style

The catering: Billy and Katie's guests dined on Italian-style dishes, including sausage with grapes and onions, and a buffet of fish, meat, vegetables, cheese, and salami. A chocolate-covered wedding cake topped it all off.
Make it yours: If you're looking to Italy to inspire your wedding style, top-notch cuisine is a must -- go all out with a five-course Italian meal. For dessert, let guests help themselves to a buffet of rich cannoli, cookies, and other traditional sweets. And finally, order a cake that mimics the over-the-top delight of your reception feast -- try lots of tiers and elegant add-ons.

The attire: Katie donned a sleeveless, Chantilly lace gown with a scalloped hemline by Oscar de la Renta. After dinner, she changed into a black Dolce & Gabbana dress with aquamarine jewels.
Make it yours: Like Katie, mix traditional with trendy. For the ceremony, look for a gown with something old and something new -- lace and a scalloped hemline, or an A-line with a few graphic embellishments. Then change into a more casual (but still fashionable) dress for the first dance, like a black dress with bold jewels or a bold-hued dress and your favorite heels.

Travis Barker & Shanna Moakler

The scene: Bacara Resort & Spa, Santa Barbara, California

The style: This unconventional couple hired a wedding coordinator to help dream up a wedding inspired by their favorite flick: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. A red and black color palette helped bring the movie to life.
Make it yours: Look for inspiration in a movie or a theme that holds meaning to both of you. If you adore Audrey Hepburn movies, create a classic, vintage style for your reception using a black and white palette accented with your favorite bold color. If there's a particular holiday that you love to celebrate together, work it into your wedding theme. For a stylish Halloween-themed wedding, give out candy as favors and have your tables adorned with white and orange pumpkins.

The gown: Shanna walked down the aisle in a traditional long-sleeved lace gown with a ballroom skirt, accented with a large black sash and a black net hat, which she wore tilted to the side. For a dash of color, the former Miss USA carried a small bouquet of crimson roses.

Make it yours: Don't be afraid of a little color when it comes to your gown. Wear bright orange heels; have your veil hemmed in blue; or wear a brown sash around your waist.

The attendants: Six flower girls wore white sleeveless frocks with a black sash at the waist, and the hem was trimmed in the same dark hue. For color, the girls wore wreaths composed of yellow and red blooms.
Make it yours: Your younger wedding party members can fit into your theme in playful ways too. If you're sticking to a darker color palette, accessorize the flower girl with a deep-colored sash; for a Halloween theme, consider using a plastic pumpkin filled with flower petals for the flower girl's walk down the aisle.

Fall Wedding Favor Ideas

Send guests home on a high note with these fall-inspired favor ideas.

Caramel Apples

Fall Wedding Favor Ideas

Treat guests to the quintessential fall indulgence -- caramel apples. Have them packaged individually and tied off with a ribbon that matches your colors so guests can grab the treat as they exit without getting caramel on their nice clothes.

Soy Candles

Capture the coziness of autumn with soy candles in shades of burnt orange, yellow, or brown. They can double as place cards, or pack them into pretty boxes that match your color palette.

Autumnal-Shaped Chocolates


Chocolate is always a favorite favor (who doesn't love a sweet after a night of dancing?), so consider chocolates in the shapes of maple leaves and acorns. Display them in individual boxes at each place setting or on trays near the dessert table.

Few things represent the fall season better than maple syrup. Give mini maple syrup bottles to your guests as a sweet thank-you, or include them in farewell bags at the postwedding brunch for all to enjoy with their breakfast.

Apple Cider Mix

Fall Wedding Favor Ideas

Packets of apple cider mix are perfect for welcome baskets and reception favors alike. Buy them prepackaged with cute sayings such as "Falling in Love," or make them yourself -- and don't forget the cinnamon stirring sticks.

They're practical and pretty, and your guests will love the fall scent. Get pumpkin-shaped soaps and leave them at each place setting.

Individual Apple Tarts

You don't want to upstage the cake, but fresh apple tarts are a tasty way to wow your guests.

Sunflower Seeds

Both for eating and for planting, packets of sunflower seeds are ideal for a rustic fall wedding. Display the packets on a table alongside fresh sunflowers in vases, or simply place little pouches filled with seeds at each setting.

Fresh Candied Pecans


Warm pecans coated in brown sugar will leave your guests feeling snug and satisfied. Have your caterer arrange for a pecan cart to give out the snacks toward the end of the evening.

Apple Butter

Fall Wedding Favor Ideas

Whether you buy it or make it yourself, apple butter is a unique fall favor that not only looks the part, but tastes great too. Package the sweet spread into mini jars; cover each jar lid with fabric to match your wedding day colors; and tie them off with a thin piece of raffia and a small thank-you note.

Fall Weddings

Summer has always been affectionately known as “wedding season”. A couple can get married outside, have gorgeous bouquets and anything goes. Fall, however, is not typically known as a wedding season but can still be beautifully done whether the bride and groom want to go extreme with pumpkins and gourds or want to keep it simple by just infusing fall colors.

Invitations

Fall Weddings

The invitations and “Save the Date” cards can be done numerous ways without going overboard on the theme. These can be printed on paper with leaves faded in the background or can have a leaf border. The idea is to subtly infuse Fall with the wedding, not smack guests in the face with leaves at every turn.

If the leaf image isn’t quite what the couple is going for they can simply have invitations created in the colors of fall; orange, yellow and red. Each piece of the invitation can be a different color, from the actual announcement and the RSVP card, to the directions to the ceremony. A nice touch on those would be a leaf shaped charm connected to each announcement.

Ceremony and Flowers

Fall Weddings

To decorate the pews the couple could opt for fall colored flowers or they could go a little funkier and use wheat stalks with some hypericum berries tied on with fall colored ribbon. The flower girl could drop fake fall leaves down the aisle instead of rose petals to really elicit that Fall feeling.

The bouquets of summer can be much like the bouquets of autumn. If the bride loves roses the flower arrangements can be Fall colored roses. According to wedding experts at Elegala.com, brides should choose a bouquet based on what's in bloom during that season. Autumn brides can choose between roses, gerbera daisies, marigolds, sunflowers, and more. The hypericum berries look very festive in the bouquet as well.

Fall Weddings

Summer Wedding Hair

Warm breezes, sunshine, and unwanted frizzy hair -- while summertime weddings may seem picture-perfect, the weather can do a number on your moody mane. Check out our hairstyle tips to get stunning strands for your warm-weather wedding.

Updos

Summer Wedding Hair

Style: Whether sleek for an elegant look or slightly disheveled for a more rustic style, updos are a perfect way to get chic summer hair. Knots, bun, and twists of all shapes and sizes have made their way to the altar.

Get the look: Comb your hair with a wide-tooth comb and prep your hair with primer or mousse to keep flyaways at bay. Blow-dry your mane on a low setting or let it air dry. Once it's completely dry, curl your strands with hot rollers or use a curling iron and set with Velcro curlers. Leave the rollers in until your hair is cool, which will help retain the curl. Next, take out the curlers and slightly tease the base of each wave for added volume. Once you're finished, apply a thin layer of hair serum to your hands and gently tousle. Sweep your tresses back into a low bun, twist, or knot. Don't worry about getting it perfect -- the slightly messy look will exaggerate the soft summertime style.

Down 'Dos

Summer Wedding Hair

Style: From long, ethereal waves to glam pin curls, soft, flowing hair provides an instant laid-back look to any warm-weather wedding. Celebs like Jennifer Aniston, Avril Lavigne, and Marcia Cross donned effortlessly gorgeous wedding down 'dos.

Get the look: Start off by combing your hair straight with a paddle brush and removing any knots. Work in a curl enhancer from root to tip and scrunch. Let your strands air dry and tousle, or blow-dry on the lowest setting with a diffuser to reduce frizz. Set your strands in hot rollers for a more structured, glamorous look, or use a large-barrel curling iron for an unruly style -- be sure to pin to retain the wave. Spritz with a light finishing spray for hold and shine; then gently remove the curlers or pins. Finish by adding a little pomade to your fingertips and working it into your roots. If you're worried your hair will appear too plain, add braids or twists for extra depth.

Highlights

Style: Sun-kissed highlights are the look of the moment for summertime tresses. Not only do natural highlights add intensity, they also photograph better.

Get the look: Opt for a variety of color levels, which add movement and texture. Brunettes should never go lighter than what the sun would naturally do to their hair. For blondes, the key is depth; add various tones of flaxen for soft color. If you want a less-structured and streak-free look, try baliage -- a salon technique where a stylist paints the highlights color freehand-style, rather than using the traditional foils. The result is a natural look that blends with your roots and color.

Taming Flyaways

Style: You want shiny, silky smooth hair but humid weather can leave your strands frizzy and out-of-control, while drier climates can create split ends and straw-like locks. Keep your surroundings in mind when choosing your wedding hairstyle.

Get the look: If your hair tends to get frizzy, consider an updo that's loose around the hairline and nape of your neck, which will conceal any frizz. For hair worn down in drier areas, condition your hair with a mask the night before and apply a curl enhancer and SPF to keep your locks looking refreshed and hydrated. Have pomade and finishing spray on hand throughout the day for touch-ups.

Summer Wedding Hair

free printable wedding invitations

One of the ultimate forms of cheap wedding invites is free printable wedding invitations. After all, the designs are free – costing you nada, nothing, not even a penny! Your only outlay would be the cards blanks to print on and the ink for your printer – and that is hardly going to break the bank.

free printable wedding invitations

These days, you can find many wedding stationery sites offering free printables and free wedding invitations, but most of the designs are a bit chintzy and sometimes even cheesy! They’re usually the designs that don’t really sell so well and quite frankly, most brides aren’t that interested in.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were stylish designs that you could print out for free. Where there were beautiful illustrations that make your wedding invitations look really elegant. High quality designs that look chic and stylish. Perhaps it’s just a little too much to ask.

There are a range of different designs from colourful bold block prints to delicate floral illustrations. Each design comes with suggested papers to use and tips to get the right effect. In addition, each one has its own step-by-step instructions so making your own wedding invitations is really easy.

Many of the designs also come in different colour ways, so you can match the invite to your theme. Best of all they´re free. All you need to do is print them out on your home computer.

free printable wedding invitations

Summer Wedding Flowers

We talked to top florists to get tips on how to keep your summer wedding flowers fresh.

Choose hearty flowers

Summer Wedding Flowers

Opt for flowers that will stay fresh throughout the entire day. Look for ones with a waxy texture to ensure staying power. Hawaiian blooms, such as orchids, are a great option (check out cymbidium and dendrobium orchids). Ginger halcyons, birds-of-paradise, tiger lilies, and even roses will champion high temperatures too. Buying local flowers is another way to go; blooms that are in season in your area will more likely survive a long day in a bouquet. Check with your florist to see which ones will work for your venue.

Maintain your blooms

Summer Wedding Flowers

When it comes to wedding flowers, the higher the temperature, the more upkeep they'll require. Have them delivered the day of the wedding and make sure there's a refrigerator on-site to store them before the ceremony starts. Also, be mindful of your flowers during photography sessions. When your photographer isn't snapping away, have a friend or bridesmaid hold your bouquet in a shady spot, or place it in a vase of cool water. If your blooms will be exposed to the summer heat for an extended amount of time, keep a spray water bottle on hand and give your flowers a light misting every hour or so.

Opt for bright and bold colors

For the color of your flowers, check out which flowers will be in bloom around your ceremony and reception site, and consider bold versions of those hues. For an outdoor or semiformal wedding, think violet, hot fuchsia, mango, magenta, and green. Wine colors and deeper shades are appropriate for formal weddings, like dark red roses or deep purple lilies. When it comes to casual weddings, sunflowers are a great option since you only need a few to create a vibrant pop of color.

Choose the right centerpieces

You have plenty of summer centerpiece arrangements to choose from. If you're having a formal ballroom wedding, go for tall vases overflowing with a mix of bold and deep-hued flowers accented with feathers or gems. To create a modern vibe, display monochromatic green, orange, or even yellow blooms in clear Lucite containers. For an outdoor wedding, consider wooden containers filled with colorful, locally grown flowers. During the cocktail hour, daisies in simple Mason jars will perk up the space. Or look into potted centerpieces so guests can take them home as favors.

Summer Wedding Flowers