Fall wedding colors might be the best wedding colors. Some seasons don’t really come with a color palette. Getting married in summer? Go… bright I guess. But if you’re getting married in the fall, you may want the magic of the season reflected in your colors. But you probably don’t want your wedding to look like the display section at a craft store right before Thanksgiving (or worse, Halloween).
So how do you take fall wedding colors and make them look stylish? We reached out to Michelle Edgemont, a New York City wedding designer, who offered the following advice, “Fall is the easiest season to get married in because the earth is already so beautiful with bursting, juicy color. I always recommend using your venue as the starting point for making a color palette: Does it have a lot of pretty, bright atutumn trees? Then grab one of those colors for one of the main colors in your palette. This way, the visuals of your photographs will seamlessly blend in with their surroundings.” She also offers the following word of warning, “Keep in mind that if you choose a pumpkin orange and another dark color, like brown or black, it will read more like traditional Halloween. So if you aren’t going for such a literal look, I’d mix the burnt orange of the tree in front of your venue with some pops of burgundy and maybe a pastel blush.”
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And if the colors of fall are not your thing, feel free to skip them. An autumn wedding doesn’t have to mean an autumnal palette. As Allison Davis of New York City planning firm Davis Row advises, “Don’t try to force fall wedding colors into your wedding (especially if you’re getting married indoors anyway). Seasonality of floral is one thing, but if you really want pink for your fall wedding, just get pink. If you’re having an outdoor wedding, consider what your venue is going to look like at the time and move from there. ” Likewise, Jess Rutherford of Sentimental Fools, an event design firm out of Baltimore says, “I hate the idea of a color being associated with a season. Just because it is fall doesn’t mean you are sequestered to the land of eggplants and burnt oranges. There is a way to make every color appropriate for any season. If you stick to a specific color palette it should be because it speaks to you and your love story, not the weather outside.”
But all that said, fall does have a particularly good palette, and if it fits your vibe, there is no reason not to lean into it. Old school wedding colors were two and done (blush and bashful anyone?). But if you want your wedding to look like something lush you saw on Pinterest, not like a 1980’s ballroom, think beyond the color binary. Michelle Edgemont says, “And as always, my go-to color palette advice is to incorporate five to seven colors. That’s two to three main colors, then three to five secondary colors. Those colors can all be shades of each other, ie, dark orange and peach. Playing with shades and saturation of the colors in your palette will create a layered look with a lot of depth.” And no, you don’t have to do this on your own. Head over to the Coolors site to generate a palette based on a photo, a color you like… or just spin the color generation wheel till you find something that makes your heart sing.
Fall is the season for warmth, for crunchy leaves, for changing colors. But it’s also the season for layering on texture. Linen fabrics on top of linen fabrics? Do it. Velvet bridesmaid dresses? Well, I’ve worn them, and I can attest that they’re flattering AF. But don’t be afraid to lean into blush colors, or mix it up with jewel tones. We’re here to provide you with so many options for your fall wedding colors.
Five Combinations of Fall Wedding Colors We Love
Warm Fall Tones
When most people think of neutral color palettes, beige is the first thing that comes to mind. Hear us out though: that doesn’t have to be the case. You can make any color neutral as long as your pair it with similar toned hues. Why stick to beige when you can add all of your favorite warm tones like mustard yellow, red, and pink? And if you want to sneak in a warm brown-purple, it’s the perfect addition to anchor the rest of the color palette.
Draped Archway: A modern take on traditional wedding decor is something we always love. This stunner takes it to the next level with a warm color palette and dried tropical greenery.
Mustard Yellow Florals: Do you see a trend here? Mustard yellow, check. Dried tropical florals, check.
Galeria Wedding Invitation via Minted (starting at $96)
Modern Invites: Minted is one of our faves for their custom invitations, and multiple color options. This one truly looks like it belongs in your local art gallery, and says fall without saying pumpkin spice anything.
Terracotta Table Runner by Moss Hound Designs via Etsy ($53)
Terracotta Table Runner: Rust orange table runner you can use again and again? Sign us up!
Moody Jewel Tones
When we think of fall wedding colors the first thing that comes to mind are bold, rich hues. Gem tones are an easy way to make your wedding look super glam with various dark shades of your favorite colors. Midnight blue and forest green anchor the palette while pops of rust orange make all of the details really shine.
Emerald Green Sugar Flower Cake: Gone are the days when it was “required” to have a white wedding cake. We’re embracing the dark wedding cake trend and one look at those sugar flowers will have all of your guests like 😍😍😍.
Color Block Table Numbers via Minted (starting at $18)
Color Block Table Numbers: We’re still seeing a whole bunch of color block inspired wedding ideas, and we’re not mad about this minimally beautiful table number set from Minted.
Jenny Yoo Bridesmaid Dresses, BHLDN (starting at $104)
Mismatched Bridesmaids Dresses: Why stick your wedding party in one color when you can do allllll the colors? That velvet is so dreamy!
Modern Seating Chart: Color blocking on a grand scale!
Berry Tones
Who says food can’t be a source of inspiration for your fall wedding colors? In this case, berries. Think raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and pink berries (yes, they are actually a thing). We’ve brought some colors from nature’s favorite sweet-tart snacks to life and they look pretty darn good together, if we do say so ourselves.
Angled Wedding Program via Minted (starting at $68)
Modern Wedding Program: Dark blue makes this wedding program feel clean and sophisticated at the same time.
Rose Shawl Jacket via The Black Tux ($145 rental)
Rose Tux: A black tuxedo is always classic, but this rose-colored tux jacket from The Black Tux is really taking things up a level. More colored tuxedos, please! And more humans dapper enough to pull them off.
Moody Florals: Berry tones in wedding florals are perfect way to nail the dark, lush and moody vibe.
Brideside bridesmaid dresses (starting at $135)
Monochromatic Bridesmaids Dresses: The perfect solution for when you have one shade in mind that will compliment various skin tones.
Nature Tones with a Color Pop
This palette is for those of you that love the outdoors and want to pull that inspiration into your wedding… but maybe feel like something is missing if you go all natural. Pastel Blue as a highlight color will really make those autumnal tones stand out, and add more depth to your fall wedding colors. And technically, bright blue is a color from nature, right? The sky is good inspiration for every season.
Green and Cream Table Setting: Bring the outdoors in with a lush, woodsy inspired table setting.
Blue Wedding Veil via Anza Bridal ($29)
Blue Veil: We’re all about a pastel veil over here at APW. Seriously, check out our DIY with Rit Dye. And this color pop veil is making it happen.
Jenny Yoo bridesmaid dresses (starting at $140)
Forest Green Bridesmaids Dresses: How do you choose between velvet or satin? Don’t. Mixing textures adds to your design sophistication, with exactly zero extra work.
Meadow Wedding Invitation via Minted (starting at $96)
Brown Wedding Invites: Brown and glam aren’t two words that are usually put together in the same sentence. But in this instance, brown is glam.
Fall Wedding Colors | Fresh Romantic Tones
Romance used to equate to pink, pink, pink, and maybe some cream. Kick that idea to the curb and tie in pastel purples to your fall wedding colors. Add mauve and metallic accents to really nail a layered romantic look. The great thing about this palette is that it can be romantic and whimsical at the same time.
Strawberry Sherbet Dress via Chotronette ($759)
Pink Wedding Dress: Non-traditional? Maybe. Fabulous? Absolutely.
Muted Bouquet: The sepia look of this arrangement with the pops of pastel purple and cream add a Rembrandt vibe that we can totally get behind.
Pastel Invites: Pastel wedding invites get taken up a notch with a vellum program and a matte white wax seal.
Wedding Desserts: Lots of couples are branching away from wedding cakes and exploring other wedding desserts. Macarons are a great alternative that you can get in almost any color and flavor. When they look this beautiful, why wouldn’t you get these in your wedding colors?
