15 Fall Wedding Ideas That Don’t Scream Halloween

More and more folks are searching for fall wedding ideas these days, since fall weddings have eclipsed summer weddings in terms of popularity. And why not? If you ask me, fall is the very best season. I mean, before pumpkin spice lattes were even a thing, I had a deep appreciation for fall. In New England, September and October are basically the only months of the year not plagued by debilitating snow or humidity, plus there’s that whole leaves changing colors thing. So when it came time to choose a date for my own wedding, we decided to pick from the best fall wedding ideas because fall is obviously the best season in New England.

15 Fall Wedding Ideas and colors

But once we started planning, it became obvious that the wedding industry has opinions about what counts as fall wedding ideas, and generally interprets getting married in the fall as having a fall themed wedding, with a bonus side of Halloween. And we were not exactly down for that (for starters, we were getting married on the beach. Where leaves… don’t happen). The trouble is, unless you want to spend the extra time and money scoping out out-of-season decor and flowers, it helps to use what’s available and in-season when you’re getting married. And in the fall, that means an abundance of leaves, decorative gourds, and the color orange. So much orange.

So today we’ve rounded up ten of our best tips and ideas for incorporating fall wedding ideas into your wedding without feeling like you’re hosting a Halloween parade:

Our Favorite Fall Wedding Ideas

15 Fall Wedding colors and ideas

1. Rethink fall wedding colors. Listen, I love orange. But I think I’m in the minority here. So let’s just start with this: your fall wedding does not need to include orange, or yellow, or any combination of the two, unless you want it to. You can outfit your wedding in hot pink and green and still get married in October, and it will be fine. But if you want that cozy autumnal feel imbued in your wedding, an easy trick for coming up with a color palette that doesn’t feel like a theme party is to mix pastels with jewel tones, like deep plum with blush pink. (DIY Wishbone Place Setting via Style Me Pretty. Photo by White Loft Studio.) 

15 Fall Wedding colors and ideas

2. OR Neutralize it. If jewel tones aren’t your thing, muted colors work just as well. (Photo by Eric Kelley via Magnolia Rouge.)

15 Fall Wedding colors and ideas

3. Mix a little pink with your orange. Like I said, I love orange, personally. But if you want to cut some of the fall from your orange, mix it with a muted pink like mauve. (DIY Painted Vases via Rustic Wedding Chic. Photo and tutorial by La Chica de la Casa de Carmelo.)

15 Fall Wedding colors and ideas

4. METALLIC is a neutral. We currently live in a magical time when gold and copper are neutrals and spray paint is available in abundance. Be thankful for that. When I got married, the neutral was brown, and we were all very into it. (Leaf Decor via Style Me Pretty. Styling by Michelle Edgemont. Photo by Brklyn View Photography.)

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5. Orange doesn’t have to be pumpkins: If you want to incorporate orange without resorting to leaves or pumpkins, look to the fruit aisle. Bonus: no one at your wedding will get scurvy. (Tangerine Escort Cards via Elizabeth Anne Designs. Photo by associate photographer Rachel of Melissa Jill Photography.)

View More: http://allisonandres.pass.us/non-floral-centerpieces

6. And pumpkins don’t have to be orange: I mean, it is decorative gourd season. But it can also be hot pink decorative gourd season. (DIY Pumpkin Centerpiece Tutorial via APW. Styling by Michelle Edgemont. Photo by Allison Andres.)

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7. Speaking of pumpkins. Pumpkins are basically organic vases once you scoop out the seeds. (Pumpkin vase via Chatelaine. Photo by Roberto Caruso. Similar DIY with step-by-step guide here.)

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8. Leaves are super cheap. Like really cheap. Which means they can make for really cool big impact decor (like the installation above) or things like escort cards that require volume buys. (Calligraphy leaves via Lamplighter London. Photo by Ann Kathrin Koch. Styled by Knot & Pop.)

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9. And they’re kinda like flowers, but again, cheaper. Which means you can mimic the look of those cool flower walls, but for way less money. (Fall Wedding Inspiration via Green Wedding Shoes. Photo by Nhiya Kaye Photography. Florals by Sax Romney.)

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10. The grocery store is your friend. Fall isn’t just decorative gourd season. It’s harvest season! Which means there’s an abundance of decor options right in the produce department of your local grocery store. (Above: DIY Gilded Fruit Centerpiece Tutorial via APW. Styling by Michelle Edgemont. Photo by Allison Andres.)Ruffled - photo by http://www.cyrience.com/ - http://ruffledblog.com/fall-wedding-inspiration-with-a-cider-bar/

11. Who needs cake when there are donuts? I know there are a lot of strong opinions about the proliferation of autumnal foodstuffs. Don’t let that limit your possible fall wedding ideas. But nobody ever got mad at a pile of apple cider donuts. (Apple Cider Donuts via Ruffled. Photo by Cyrience. Catering by Private Palate. Food Styling by The Judy Lab.)

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12. Or pie for that matter. (Tiered pie via Style Me Pretty. Photo by Jose Villa. Even design and planning by XOXO Bride. Event design by Louloudi Design.)

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13. Let’s get functional: Unless you live in one of those magical places where it’s warm year round, any fall weddings ideas should consider the brisk evening air. Basket of blankets doubles as decor and a preventative measure against the inevitability that someone is going to forget a jacket or sweater. (Blankets via Bridal Musings. Photo by Sarah Kathleen Photography.)

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14. Forget flowers: Dried bouquets make an affordable seasonal alternative to fresh flowers. (Dried Wheat Bouquet via via Storyboard Wedding. Photo by Brittany Dow, Second Shooter Stacey Bishop. Styled by deLoop and Vintage Valise.)

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15. And if you’re going to eschew flowers. Might as well eschew them all the way right? Because leaf crowns need to happen. (Photo from the With Lavender and Lace Lookbook.)

16. USE PIE IN CREATIVE WAYS: These DIY pie place cards are customizeable (pumpkins are great for any fall wedding ideas, apples works for spring) and will definitely be an unexpected addition to your table.

Getting Married in the Great Outdoors? You Want Vivian Chen Photographing Your Wedding

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Who: Vivian Chen Photography

Why: Because Vivian Chen shoots some of the most clean, classic wedding imagery I see on APW. With over 175 weddings under her belt, there’s no trendy filters or stiff posing here (in fact “unstuffy” is part of Vivian’s core business philosophy). Instead, Vivian’s idea of timeless is more thousand-year-old redwoods than five star venue. And this year she’s devoting a significant portion of her business to celebrating her love of the outdoors, which means if you’re getting married in the California wilderness, then you should probably already be calling Vivian right now.

Where/How Much: Free travel within two hours of Oakland, California (and almost free travel outside). Pricing begins at $4,000 for six hours of wedding day coverage (and includes a one hour engagement session), and weekday city hall and elopement pricing starts at $1,200 for two hours of coverage. All couples receive a pre-planning session, and online gallery connected with a professional print lab, and all of your edited high-resolution digital images.

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You guys already know Vivian Chen: her photos are all over APW and she’s been a sponsor for years. What you might not know is that she’s also equally adept at shooting the world outside of weddings—and I mean actually outside. Vivian is a huge fan of the outdoors—so much so that Instagram actually recommended her account as one to follow if you’re into nature walks and seeing tons of photos of California being perfect. This love for nature isn’t just happenstance—it’s rooted in a conscious effort on Vivian’s part to reconnect with the tangible:

I reconnected with nature after setting the intention to “slow down and go outside” in reaction to an unbalanced workaholic lifestyle. I started taking one day off a week and go on a hike as a way to unplug from work. Through my hikes, I began challenging myself to become a better photographer and ignited a passion for the great outdoors. Having an activity that forces me to be outside and disconnect from urban life, reconnects me with myself. Nothing is more grounding than when I spend time in nature. When day-to-day pressures of self-imposed deadlines and social media chatter overwhelms me, my world begins feel very small. But when I go outside, I’m reminded that there’s so much more to life than the virtual four walls of email correspondence and blog feeds. This personal mantra has transformed into grounding practice of mine and I hope that my outdoor lifestyle and natural landscape photography can inspire others to do the same.

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A recent trip to Scandinavia and a wedding at Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park further cemented Vivian‘s passion for the outdoors, and now she’s looking to shoot as many gorgeous, wildly diverse outdoors wedding as possible, which is where you come in. If you’re planning a wedding that celebrates the Earth as much as it celebrates your love, Vivian’s your photographer. She says:

Nature doesn’t need any DIY decor. She’s just beautiful as is. I want to unite my two photography loves into one!

In fact, Vivian is so committed to getting out of her comfort zone this year, that she’s changing her travel policy to encourage more weddings from all over the world—instead of travel fees, she’s just asking for secure accommodations for any wedding that takes place more than two hours from Oakland.

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But don’t expect all mountains and streams from your wedding photos. Vivian has years of experience with her clients, meaning she is tops in customer service and client satisfaction. Says recent client Emily:

We love the beautiful, clean engagement photos and wedding photos. And I especially love the candid photos of our guests, which somehow manage to capture their personalities in addition to making them look gorgeous.

A true professional from beginning to end, she comes thoroughly prepared and helps you to think through the photography portions of the day, too. She also has so many little touches that show how much she cares and values her work. To name just one, Vivian sent us a handful of the best photos a few days after the wedding—the perfect thing for sharing with curious colleagues or friends who weren’t able to be a part of the big day.

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It has been such a pleasure getting to see Vivian Chen’s work grow and evolve these past few years at APW. And I’m thrilled to see where she’s taking it next. If her recent work is any indication, I’d guess it’s somewhere pretty magical.

The first three APW readers to GET IN TOUCh with Vivian about your outdoor wedding will get $250 off a 6 hour package. and for everyone else, Vivian is offering $100 off to any reader who references this post through the end of 2015.

P.S. If you want to get to know Vivian even better, go read about that time she got married and spent the night in the ER with her husband (because nothing says “I can roll with the punches” quite like a wedding day trip to the hospital). And for Vivian’s earthier side, check out her new photo site, Slow Down and Go Outside.