There’s a slight chill in the air and the leaves are already starting to crisp… just like that, FALL is nearly upon us! What a wonderful summer season it has been. And while it creeps up on us every single year, we have to admit, we’re always more than ready for the seasonal shift. We are, of course, sad to see the warm temperatures and lakeside celebrations come to a close, but with autumn comes a new revelation that warm, cozy tones, rich colors and oh, SO much texture are about to take over, and who doesn’t love that?!
So with that, fall brides – it is time for our fall floral inspiration roundup! We’ve compiled some of our favorite floral detail images and inspiration from past weddings to be sure we’ve got EVERY season covered for you. (and if you missed our Summer Floral Inspiration post – click here for all of the details!)
FOR THE FANS OF: WEDDING WHITES, FALL EDITION
Florist credits from left to right: Pollen House / Briar Loft / Briar Loft / House of Flowers
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it forever, but you truly can NEVER go wrong with a timeless, all-white bouquet. For a nice fall touch, we always recommend incorporating some additional seasonal sprigs, such as grasses, dainty fall foliage, or even some magnolia or copper beech leaves to really bring in some additional textures and enhance that warm “caramel” palette that is so hot around this time of year.
FOR THE FANS OF: ELEGANT FALL NEUTRALS
Florist credits: Briar Loft
With the change is season comes a gorgeous shift in neutrals, as well. Blushes and pinks are replaced with caramel and brownie tones that blend perfectly into the warmer colors of the season. Much like our more pink-oriented summer inspiration, we highly recommend embracing the “muddied monochromatic” look – best achieved by choosing your deepest tone, your lightest tone, and picking 1-3 in between elements to bring it all together. You will also want to put full trust and recipe decisions in your florist – provide them with the key inspiration (what we call the “hero image”) and let them run with it from there! They will know best which flowers (and from where) to source.
FOR THE FANS OF: PLEASANT POPS OF FALL TONES
For the brides who are ready for just a bit more color to creep into their floral design – this season is absolutely perfect for you! There are so many opportunities to bring in those subtle pops (consider, for example, even the colored CENTERS of some beautiful fall blooms)!
Florist credits from left to right: A Day in Provence / A Day in Provence / Briar Loft / Briar Loft
If you are going for this sort of look, remember to let your florist know those KEY tones (i.e., bridesmaid dress colors, napkin selections, even tie or wax seal choices) and then… let them run with the rest! If you’re in the camp of “liking a little bit of color but not going for too bright or vibrant,” then the key to this type of prompt is a) reminding your florist of this choice, b) providing the key tones of the day (outside of creamy whites and neutrals, of course) and then c) trusting the process.
Quite honestly, the absolute BEST designs we’ve accomplished have been borne out of trust, solid vendor choices, and clear communication – once that is established, rest assured that your wedding flowers will be everything you have ever desired!
FOR THE FANS OF: RICH & ROMANTIC FALL COLOR
Florist credits from left to right: Briar Loft / Ebb & Flow / Daffodil Parker / Ebb & Flow
Autumn can be so much more than reds, maroon and orange! One super luxurious tone that is very hot right now is the stunning “aubergine” – if you’re feeling extra romantic, treat this as your main focal color, then incorporate additional notes of muddied mauve, taupe and creams to add richness. Don’t forget a focus on textures and the incorporation of dried floral, branches and mosses to match the season! Though this palette isn’t for the faint of heart, it can really make our designer hearts skip a beat.
FOR THE FANS OF: VIBRANT FALL HUES & STATEMENT-MAKERS
Florist credits from left to right: Frontier Flowers of Fontana / A Day in Provence / Flowers for Dreams / Frontier Flowers of Fontana / Pollen House
For the brides who crave color, unexpected textures and full-on foliage: BRAH-VO! We can already tell you that your wedding day will be FULL of personality, your guests will appreciate the overall vibrancy of the event, and your vendors will have some serious FUN with the overall design!
Many of our brides, however, struggle a bit with the inclusion of vibrant tones – thinking that bringing in a saturated red, orange, red or green suddenly makes the entire wedding design suffer or feel too “trendy.” Not so! IF you choose to go bold, you just need to allow the bold to blend with its best design friends: muddies and neutrals. As long as you are okay with allowing your florist to bring it where it truly matters (yet paring it back as needed throughout the rest of the design), that is how the true magic really comes together!
Additionally, while you may not have originally envisioned foliage in your fall wedding floral – give it a go! You may be surprised as just how beautiful it can look when paired with gorgeous seasonal blooms hand-picked by your talented floral team.
FOR THE FANS OF: LARGE FLORAL DISPLAYS & INSTALLATIONS
Florist credits from left to right: Frontier Flowers of Fontana / Briar Loft / Ebb & Flow / Briar Loft
As wedding designers, we have a fairly strong opinion here: a focal floral installation is key to a cohesive wedding design. Yep, we said it.
What we mean by this is, to put it simply: bouquets and centerpieces are clearly an integral piece of an overall wedding design, of course. HOWEVER: once a full floral installation (be it a ceremony arbor, entrance, statement table, stair, fireplace or ceiling installation, escort card display, stage design, etc.)… once it becomes THE core component and feature of the overall design – friends, THAT is where a wedding or event goes from INCREDIBLE to UNFORGETTABLE.
