Rustic Fall Wedding Decor Ideas to Bring Nature to Your Reception

Autumn brings the crisp weather we crave after a long hot summer along with the perfect weather for a wedding. There are no worries about guests sweltering in the heat, yet it is still warm enough to have your ceremony outdoors. Weddings in the fall also lend themselves to an array of rich colors for decorations and a variety of comforting, heart-warming food. By using nature as your inspiration, you can create elegant rustic fall wedding decor that brings in all the splendor of the season. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Rich Autumn Colors

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Choose colors such as rust, burnt orange, wine and bronze to complement the season. Your wedding party will look beautiful when each attendant is wearing a different color found in fall leaves. Decorations for the wedding venue and the reception could include a mixture of all these colors or one dominant color. For example, you could use a rich bronze with splashes of orange, red and burgundy in your place settings, centerpieces and accessories.

Seasonal Fall Flowers

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Flowers that are more easily found in the fall are mums, chrysanthemums, and daisies. Mums and chrysanthemums can be found in brilliant colors such as golden orange, crimson, and a soft golden brown. Adding wheat stalks, cornstalks and sunflowers are excellent ways to incorporate a harvest atmosphere into large displays for the end of the aisle and the entrances into the reception area. Instead of the flower girl basket being filled with rose petals, opt for silk leaves in the colors of fall. You can even get ones that are personalized with your names to use as part of your table décor.

Fall Wedding Venue Ideas

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Depending on how late in the season you are having your wedding, it is wonderful to have it outdoors. Holding the wedding in a gazebo surrounded by trees will add a romantic touch to the ceremony as well as provide you with a fantastic backdrop for your photos. If the weather does not permit an outdoor event, bring as much of the outdoors into the wedding and reception as possible with the use of leaves, pumpkins, flowers and twigs. By arranging leaves on the tables and floor area, you can have the experience of being married outdoors without the cold weather.

Autumn Wedding Decorations

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When designing the décor for your fall wedding, you can create an atmosphere reminiscent of the harvest season by using available items from nature. For a very casual and rustic wedding feel that would be great for an event on a farm, try covering hay bales with fabric for seating. Orange paper lanterns throughout the reception can give a nice glow in the evening whether the wedding is indoors or outdoors. For the actual ceremony decorations, you can also attach grapevines, wheat and dried corn to the chairs and bridal arch.

Food & Cake Inspired by the Season

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Fall is associated with comfort food, the smell of hot apple cider, and pumpkin pies - all of which can be incorporated into the meal served at your reception. Have a hot drinks station where the guests can sip on a cup of cider or hot chocolate. Serve food buffet style and include traditional down-home cooking, such as casseroles, a hot potato station, or those foods typically found at a pot luck dinner. Another great idea is to have a barbecue by enlisting the help of a few friends to cook up ribs, burgers and sausages with a delicious barbecue sauce.

The cake is the show stopper for many weddings and a fall inspired wedding cake is no exception. Choose chocolate, spice, or carrot as the flavor of the cake and decorate it with edible leaves. Place silk leaves, gourds, apples or small pumpkins around the cake display table to add a delightful finishing touch.

Fall Inspired Wedding Favors

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There are hundreds of options to choose from when deciding on the wedding favors. Purchase several varieties of seed packets and tie a piece of twine in a bow shape, attach to the seed packet and place one at each place setting. You can do this with forced bulbs as well by placing a few in a small burlap bag with a ribbon and tag attaché.

For fall inspired food favors, there are some great teas, cider and hot chocolate mixes that can be monogrammed or placed in colorful favor bags. Guests can then have a soothing hot drink the morning after your party while they rehash all the fun of the previous day.