Fall Wedding Ideas: Decorations, Favors, and Dresses For A Beautiful Fall Wedding

He asked...you said "Yes!" Now it's time to set the date. June is always a big month for weddings...it's also in many cases extremely hot in some places, not to mention hurricane season in many others. Plus, since summer is such a traditional time of year for weddings, vendors sometimes raise their rates. Fair, no, but that's the wedding business. Winter is usually too close to all of the holidays and spring has somewhat unpredictable weather. Have you considered a beautiful fall wedding? Just think, it's a gorgeous time of year, the leaves have turned beautiful shades of yellow, red, and orange. Lots of natural fruits and vegetables like pumpkins, corn, and squash are ready for harvest which can be great for using in wreaths and centerpieces. The weather is usually mild and not so unpredictable, so a wedding outdoors in the fall would not be so out of the question as it would in winter or summer. There are so many amazing ideas for fall weddings and for the DIY bride and those on a budget, it's pretty close to perfect!

Since the weather is usually beautiful in fall, outdoors is an ideal place to get married. However, don't forget the back-up plan! In every life (and wedding sometimes!) a little rain must fall, so make sure to have a way to move the festivities indoors in case weather gets a little threatening. Consider a tent rental if the skies are not cooperating. Check with a friend who may have a vineyard, a farm, or just one who lives in a scenic place such as the mountains where leaves put on a gorgeous display in fall when you're looking for a venue . With so much natural beauty, it won't be hard to decorate for a fall wedding in any of these locations. Just borrow from nature and you won't need much else!

Lots of free and close to free things can be found in nature during the fall that can be used for wedding decorations...it might be hard to choose just one. You could use them all, pumpkins, gourds, corn, squash, etc., or you could narrow it down to one or two to carry out a theme at your wedding and reception. For instance, how about white pumpkins as a theme? You could incorporate white pumpkins into your centerpieces and added together with candles, they can make a stunning arrangement. Try elevating the pumpkin on a cake stand to give it height and visual interest. You could also place white mini pumpkins atop candlesticks of varying heights as unique decor or you could even carve out a hole the size of a tealight and place the tealight down into the mini pumpkin for a unique addition to a centerpiece. If your venue has a fireplace with a mantle, think how gorgeous a line of alternating apples and mini pumpkins with tealights inserted would be as a focal point along with a huge grapevine wreath hanging over the mantle.

You could also carve out the pumpkin just as you would a jack o'lantern, removing the insides, but not carving a face and insert a short vase. You could then insert the flowers of your choice...daisies, sunflowers, zinnias, mums, dried hydrangea, all would make a beautiful display. You could find a beautiful script font on your computer you love, blow it up to the size you would like it to be for your pumpkin, transfer the letter to your pumpkin, and carve your initial or your groom's initial into the pumpkin. If your venue has a fireplace, but the weather's much too warm to use it at the wedding, you could fill the whole fireplace with pumpkins of various sizes.

Alot about your choice of wedding dress for your fall wedding depends on the weather in your area and whether the wedding is indoors or out. However, incorporating a lovely element of fall in your attire would be wonderful. Your groom could wear a chocolate brown or pumpkin color tie and cummerbund, your bridesmaids could choose to wear all different colors like fall leaves such as gold, wine, burnt orange, plum, and brown. Your dress could feature an unexpected element like an orange or chocolate brown sash or as a hidden surprise, a brown velvet garter with beautiful leaf charms attached.

You could even get really brave and go away from traditional white for your gown and choose a gorgeous gold or wine-colored dress. If you prefer a more subtle display of color, perhaps you could have the lining of your train made in silk in a gorgeous fall color as a lovely little addition to your gown.

There are tons of beautiful favors on line for fall weddings, many with tree or leaf motifs, However, a growing trend among couples is to use the money they would have spent on favors and donate it to their favorite charity, Some charities even provide signs or cards to post at your wedding, so guests will be aware of that decision. The "Make A Wish" foundation is one such organization. Another one to consider is the Arbor Day Foundation which will actually even give you small trees to give as favors for a $3 per tree contribution. The trees come in small tubes that can be converted to a bird feeder once the tree is removed. However, if the DIY in you just won't be satisfied without whipping up a few dozen favors, try making chocolate leaves from candy molds, decoupaging some beautiful fall leaves onto 4 x 4" tiles to make some pretty fall coasters, or whipping up a batch of pumpkin cookes cut into pumpkin or leaf shapes.

Fall wedding cakes are particularly fun, because you can pull some fun little surprises that you can't normally do during the other seasons. One idea is to take advantage of the orange, brown, and gold palette and make your cake frosting chocolate. Who says wedding cakes have to be your basic white? In the fall, they can be any number of vivid colors. If you can't go for a chocolate cake on the outside, you could still have your traditional white wedding cake with a chocolate or even pumpkin inside. How about a yummy spice cake with cream cheese icing? Elevate your cake on a piece of hewn log as a unique and rustic cake stand.

You could go with cupcakes instead of a full size cake as many couples are doing and incorporate all the fall colors into the design. Top them with a chocolate leaf or candy acorn and display them on a beautiful wrought iron cupcake tree for an amazing display.

If you've picked fall as the season for your wedding, you really have picked one of the loveliest times of the year to be married. Choose your location wisely and be sure and pick a locale with lots of natural scenery. Don't forget to save money on your decor by using fall leaves and seasonal fruits and vegetables to add gorgeous color and richness to your centerpieces. With beautiful weather, Mother Nature as your backdrop, and all the colors of the season at your disposal, you really can have an amazing fall wedding!

For more ideas for beautiful weddings, here are some other articles with fabulous ideas for the bride:

Wedding Theme for 2012: Victorian Weddings

How To Make Your Own Monogrammed Aisle Runner

Pew Markers For Your Wedding