Falling in Love with Florals

Autumn is almost upon us, and if you are having a wedding in September, October or November we have all the autumnal arrangement tips you’ll need for your fall wedding flowers. Our floral expert Jamie Spellerberg chimed in with tips, trends and new ideas to elevate your fall bouquets.

A bride's veil blows in the wind while she kisses her groom on a deck

Spin the Color Wheel

So, you’re having a fall wedding. You want to integrate the season, but you don’t particularly want red, yellow and orange all over your décor. Spellerberg advises going with a wider color palette idea instead of picking one or two individual hues to color your wedding. Choose several main, complementary colors and build off of those with supporting color and pops of accent colors to round out an even palette without focusing too heavily on one color.

Another trending bridal bouquets method she suggests is to base the color scheme off the bridal party attire. Maybe navy suits or burgundy bridesmaid dresses create the base for your color scheme. From there, pick several supporting colors to use in small pops throughout your florals. With burgundy or navy, she suggests pops of sage green and yellow marigolds in your bouquet, with varying burgundy or blue hues to create a beautiful fall arrangement.

Dark Romance

With an autumn wedding, the flowers are usually dark and moody, using several colors in the same family with a few pops of an accent color to brighten the classic wedding bouquets. This year, navy is a popular color for fall weddings because it is more sophisticated than a brighter color, but is more unique than traditional gray or black. Although navy is not necessarily used for floral arrangements, it can be used in other décor and as an accent in flowers to tie the color scheme together. Spellerberg suggests using navy with pops of yellow or gold in the palette and flowers this fall for an elegant yet seasonal look. If navy is the base of your fall wedding, try a blue thistle or privet berry to accent and draw out the deep blues of your color palette.

Green with Envy

Fall weddings bring an indoor-outdoor vibe to wedding décor and florals. Couples use greenery and natural elements in their weddings to give a natural feel to their indoor wedding, Spellerberg says, and fresh outdoor elements can liven up an outdoor fall wedding and add some green to the natural ambers and golds of fall foliage. Copper is often used as an accent in fall weddings, replacing the rose gold and millennial pink of spring and summer. As a more rustic metal, copper plays into the outdoor, cozy, woodsy feel of fall weddings, while remaining elegant when paired with darker jewel tones and soft pastels.

A bride, with her bridesmaids on either side of her, hold bouquets made of white and green flowers

Bursts of Color

Neutral bouquets and softer florals often adorn weddings as temperatures drop with fall and winter. To incorporate color into a neutral bouquet or color palette, Spellerberg says to use a few small color accents. If the bouquet is neutral or white with greenery, use a few random pops of color in the arrangement to tie the bouquet into the wedding décor, or match with the wedding party colors. She says limiting the color to a few focal flowers prevents the bouquet from appearing polka-dotted. Using a colored ribbon on a neutral bouquet is another way to accent with color. A longer ribbon that trails off the bouquet can be a beautiful accent that coordinates the flowers with the other décor or matches the bridesmaids’ dresses.

Berries and seed pods can be used to add texture and interest while maintaining a mostly neutral wedding bouquet styles. Amaranthus and celosia have a similar effect; although they are flowers, the unique textures of these blossoms add variation and a pop of color in a fall bouquet. Spellerberg also suggests using filler flowers, which are light and airy sprigs that add a splash of color without being distracting or creating a lot of visual weight.

Expect the Unexpected

Fall doesn’t always mean burgundy, rust and navy, however. So, Spellerberg recommends using tropical pieces as an unexpected touch in a fall bouquet. Protea, a leafy, ball-like tropical plant, can be paired with other berries and greenery in complementing colors to create a statement piece in the floral arrangement. Exotic flowers and buds lend a boho-organic vibe to any fall bouquet.

For a less tropical look, artichokes can be used as an unusual accent greenery. Scabiosa, or pincushion flowers, and chrysanthemums are flowers with a similar dense petal pattern that come in a variety of colors, and can spice up a fall bouquet.

Fall flower arrangements tend to be more dramatic and moody, which can be elegant or feel traditional, but adding natural elements like pheasant feathers, berries, pine cones and other non-floral textures can add whimsy and light to a fall bouquet. An especially unusual touch, Spellerberg says, is using antlers in a bouquet. They add a neutral touch of flair and bring a natural, woodsy feel to any autumn florals.
If you don't love big bouquets and would prefer to use statement trending wedding flowers elsewhere, there are more areas to play with florals this fall than ever before. Statement flowers and pieces, including floral backdrops, archways and garland, are being incorporated more frequently into weddings. These elements provide a new canvas to play with accent flowers and incorporate elements you might not want in a bouquet or as a centerpiece. Using dahlias or ranunculus in a garland over a welcome sign adds beauty and a touch of color to the wedding entrance. Larger blooms like zinnias and leucadendron can be used in floral backdrops or garlands in photo areas as a background accent.

Need more fall wedding bouquet ideas and inspiration for your wedding?

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