Festive Design Ideas for a Dramatic Fall Wedding

Consider Decadent Color

When it comes to color schemes, we favor deep, rich palettes, especially tones of aubergine, merlot, and rust. These colors evoke the warmth of the season and offer a sharp contrast from the lighter, brighter hues of summer. Such tones evoke a lush, velvety sensation that comes out in flowers like black magic roses and Schwartzwalder calla lilies. 

Texture and Form

If you’re looking to venture outside the typical red, orange, and gold palettes associated with fall florals, try a variety of textural greenery. Magnolia, with its waxy, deep emerald color and contrasting rust underside, can replace florals altogether. Various types of wood such as manzanita, grape vine, or baobab provide an abundance of texture and personality. Burgundy artichokes can also be used to bring colorful flavor and form to the table. 

The Season’s Best Floral Offerings

Not sure you can do without flowers? Not to worry. Autumn offers some truly stunning blooms. It’s all about texture and layers when it comes to fall stems. Enigmatic dahlias, layered lavender kale, elegant antique hydrangeas, liquidambar (also called sweetgum), and abundant burgundy peonies (available in late fall) are among our favorite offerings of the season. To accent floral and tabletop décor, incorporate tall, wispy birch or grapewood, and add fruits or root vegetables such as heirloom carrots, brown pears, artichokes, or eggplant.

Warmth and Weight

When it comes to linens, opt for heavy fabrics with textural elements (but not ruffled!), woven patterns, and masculine tweeds – linens that look and feel warm to the touch. These types of tablecloths pair marvelously with the flicker of candles or soft, amber lighting. Long wooden communal tables dressed with burlap-like runners and laden with all the offerings of the season, as well as an overabundance of candlelight, is sure to capture the eye. 

No matter what you settle on, be true to the elements that you love as a couple. Consider other ideas, but remember that ultimately it is your celebration, and you want to feel that as you gaze around the room on your big day. The key to any celebration during the autumnal season is to harness warmth in as many ways as possible. If done well, fall weddings can fill us with a glow that will carry us through the winter months ahead.

Rishi Patel, Vice President of Sales and Design at HMR Designs, delights in the challenge of transforming unfathomable ideas into awe-inspiring environments. His keen eye for styling and enthusiasm for innovative, high-impact design allow him to create environments that are as vividly memorable as they are transiently breathtaking.

Opening photo by Kent Drake Photography; Floral & Event Design by HMR Designs. See the full wedding here!