Fall Weddings

It's not secret that wedding season (especially in WI) is from May-Oct. Most couples want to be able to have a ceremony outside, have sleeveless bridesmaid dresses, and allow their guests to play bag toss during cocktail hour. Don't get me wrong, this is beautiful, but I'd argue that there is something so romantic and intimate about a fall wedding. I'm going to consider October and November weddings for this sake. December-February is the winter weddings, and there will be another blog post about that later.

Can you still have an outdoor ceremony? YES - We never know what the weather will be like in Wisconsin in those later months. It could be 60 degrees and beautiful, but if could also be 45 degrees and snowing. Most ceremonies last 15-20 minutes. As long as it's not below freezing, I think its safe to say most guests can handle it outdoors for that short of time. You can make it more comfortable by providing outdoor heaters around the ceremony site, blankets for your guests to take home as their favors and long sleeve dresses or shawls for your bridesmaids. Indoor ceremonies can be just as beautiful as well, with most venues having a place they can convert to a reception during cocktail hour.

What color palates should I stick to? Although you can have a sage or light blue all year round, fall weddings I like to stick to fall colors that compliment the flowers that are in season. Rust orange, a navy blue, olive green, or deep red are all beautiful romantic colors. The below picture is from an October wedding where you will see those colors really pop with their floral arrangements.

Coppers or golds tend to pull out these colors even more than silver for votives and vases. Bring in lots of ambience with candles as your lighting. Candles and bistro lights bring a lot of warmth to the room. Find a venue that has a fireplace or outdoor fire pits as well.

Fall weddings can be very intimate. With the right color pallet, lighting, and décor a fall wedding is romantic, intimate and elegant.